Typhon and Echidna, the Progenitors of Monsters

Released on May 31, 2022



The volcano erupted again.

Lava burst out of Mount Etna, as though an angry deity had willed it so.

The lava spilled out of the volcano, and the skies began to fill with smoke and ash, but none could hear the screams of fury and agony from the terrible being that had been trapped deep underneath the mountain.

Deep underground, a creature lashed out against the chains that had bound it there, and it cried out in pain from the never-ending lava that poured into its prison.

"Zeus!" the creature roared, angrily.

This was Typhon.

A massive being of immense power. A giant creature so huge that his many wings would darken the skies when spread. A creature so powerful that a hundred dragon heads had grown along his arms, with each being a worthy adversary for any hero on their own.

Birthed by Gaia, the earth herself, to avenge her children, the Titans and the Giants, Typhon was born as a weapon of vengeance against the Olympian gods and their allies.

And Typhon had nearly accomplished his mission too.

After a cataclysmic battle, the gods had lain at his feet - defeated.

Zeus, the king of the gods, had been broken, with the sinews from his arms and legs ripped out by Typhon.

Exhausted and injured, Typhon staggered over to the closest mountain, and lifted it up above his head with a deep, roaring groan.

"And now, Zeus," Typhon proclaimed, between heavy breaths, "I shall bury you-"

And that's when Zeus struck back.

A thunderbolt was released from Zeus's hand, and it struck Typhon's head.

"W-What?!" Typhon roared, shocked.

The mountain slipped a little from his grip.

From the corner of his eye, Typhon caught a glimpse of a winged helmet as it sped quickly towards Zeus.

And before he knew it, Hermes, the herald of the gods, had given Zeus back another piece of sinew that had been ripped out.

"Y-You!" Typhon yelled.

Zeus released another thunderbolt, as Hermes dashed off once more.

The thunderbolt struck Typhon in the chest this time, causing him to stagger back.

And now, Zeus was standing up - no doubt, thanks to Hermes.

Typhon tried to steady himself and the giant mountain that he was holding above his head.

"Enough, monster!" Zeus roared.

Zeus released another thunderbolt, one so powerful that its crackle could be heard even in lands far away.

The thunderbolt struck Typhon, causing him to lose his grip on the mountain.

And the mountain that would be known as Mount Etna fell, burying Typhon underneath it.

When Typhon next awoke, he would find himself bound by chains that were forged by Hephaestus, and trapped in the domain of that same god - the god of blacksmiths, fire, and volcanoes.

Even now, eons later, Typhon would be trapped there, his days consumed by pain and fury.

However, during those few moments when his mind wasn't overtaken by the pain and the fury, his thoughts would turn to his mate, Echidna.

His thoughts would inevitably turn to how, after his defeat, the gods had taken her as their prisoner. And how she was now forced to...

Anger took over Typhon once more, as he though about his mate.

He roared and lashed out against his chains.

And the volcano erupted again.

***

Echidna cried out in anger and sorrow, as she lashed out against her chains.

Once again, the unthinking guards had taken her brood away from her.

Once again, the uncaring guards had cast her children out into the uncaring world to fend for themselves.

Monsters, the gods had called her brood.

Monsters that will be good training for the heroes, the gods had said, as they condemned her to her fate.

After her mate, Typhon, had been defeated, the gods had captured her.

They had imprisoned her in this cave, and had bound her in chains. Neither her arms nor her snake tail were allowed much room to move, if any.

They would impregnate her with Typhon's seed, forcing her to give birth to children whom she would never see again.

And they would send her children out into the world, to be slaughtered by their so-called 'heroes'.

Echidna cried out as another of her children was born.

The guards picked up her newest brood, and began to carry it out of the cave.

Between pained breaths, Echidna cried out, "Grow, my children!"

"Grow and become strong!" she yelled, "Slaughter their heroes, and free your father!"

"Free me," she screamed, "And then we will slaughter the gods!"

Uncaring, the guards walked out of the cave, and tossed the monster out into the wild.



Commentary:
Just a short story focusing on Typhon and Echidna this time.
I tried to give it more of an epic narration style this time, sort of like the opening of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie.
For Typhon, some versions have him cast into Tartarus, while others have him buried under various different mountains (including Etna). I chose to go with Mount Etna, because I liked the mythology that claims that he is responsible for that volcano erupting.
Usually, Typhon is just noted as being sealed under Mount Etna (in those versions that use Mount Etna). I decided to add more to the story, and added in the chains and the flowing lava as well. I think that it fits with Hephaestus being the god of blacksmiths and volcanoes (amongst other things), as well as with him being assigned as Typhon's guard and having his forge in Mount Etna as well.
Sometimes, Typhon's dragon heads are snake heads instead. I went with dragon heads because it sounded cooler.
Also, some version have Gaia give birth to Typhon to avenge the Titans, while others state that it was to avenge the Giants; I simply combined both.
As for the fight with Zeus, there are several different versions.
Some versions have Zeus defeating Typhon by himself with his thunderbolts.
some versions have all the other gods flee in terror (except maybe Athena; and in some versions, Athena has to goad her father into fighting Typhon as well).
A popular version has Zeus lose in their first encounter, ending with Typhon ripping out the sinews from Zeus's arms and legs. Hermes then manages to steal back the sinews from the guard, and give the sinews back to an imprisoned Zeus. Afterwards, Zeus is able to win their second match, and seal Typhon under Mount Etna.
A variant of that had Typhon wanting to seal Zeus under Etna, but he ended up buried instead, after Zeus struck with him with thunderbolts while he was carrying Etna.
I went with a simplified version that pulled from a few different versions, as you can see.
As for Echidna, I made up her imprisonment.
Most versions have Echidna spared by the gods and allowed to roam free, so that she could give birth to more monsters that would challenge the Greek heroes.
It's not exactly clear how that was supposed to work - from some research, Typhon and Echidna still had children after Typhon was sealed away (whether in Taratus or under Mount Etna); but, Greek mythology isn't exactly known for being consistent. So, after taking a little inspiration from Fate/Grand Order, I came up with the version here.


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