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Chimera Symbolism & Meaning

Need to tap into your inner ferocity? Want help connecting with an aspect of the Divine? Chimera, as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal, can help! Chimera teaches you how to embrace your fiery nature while helping you understand the paradoxical nature of the Universe. Delve deeply in Chimera symbolism and meaning to find out how this Animal Spirit Guide can enlighten, embolden, and empower you.

Chimera Table of Contents

Chimera Symbolism & Meaning

Chimeras or Chimaeras are among the fascinating cryptids with the earliest tales originating from the Mesopotamian region. One of the most well-known accounts of the Chimera stems from Ancient Greece, where writers reference the Chimaira, a word meaning “She-Goat.” This legendary beast is the offspring of the God Typhon and Echidna: Deities understood as “The Father and Mother of All Monsters” in Greek Mythology.

The beast’s siblings were also monstrosities including the three-headed Dog, Cerberus; the Two-Headed Dog, Orthrus; the five-headed, serpentine-like Lernaean Hydra; the Nemean Lion, the gigantic Caucasian Eagle responsible for consuming Prometheus’ liver each day it regenerates, and finally, the riddle-posing Sphinx, with the head of a human, wings of a bird, and body of a lion. All offspring of Typhon and Echidna have physical forms merging real-world creatures with the fantastical, thereby rendering each beast with the most dazzling of physical anomalies.

Chimera is a fire-breathing beast featuring the head of a lion with a full mane, but with ears protruding from the wild mane in many sculptures. The protruding ears in the Chimera’s depiction are the artist’s effort to reveal the awe-inspiring beast as a female Lioness despite having Lion-like attributes. The depiction makes the mythic monstrosity a Trickster-like being serving as a physical representation of the Divine on the Earthly plane. It joins the Masculine and Feminine in a paradoxical manner inducing awe and wonder.

Consider that it would be hard for humans to fully understand or even visualize what the Divine might look like in a physical form. Without the capacity to grasp such an abstract concept, humans might likely see the actual physical representation of the Divine as monstrous. Chimera, therefore, signifies all that seems implausible or impossible.

Chimeras feature the body, legs, and paws of a lion as well, but from its midsection, sprouts a Goat’s head. The most common depictions of the Chimera suggest the creature’s tail is a serpent. But some artists reveal a Dragon serving for Chimera’s tail instead. The body of Chimera symbolizes physical anomalies, the bizarre or uncanny, sublime experiences, and terrifying or awe-inspiring things. The fact Chimera breathes Fire links the creature to the Air and Fire Elements, especially with Air feeding or further fueling Fire’s uncontrollable and volatile nature.

The term Chimera has evolved to describe any mythic beast whose physical appearance joins more than one creature or the merging of dissimilar parts. Chimera comes to represent anything contradictory or incongruent. It also signifies ambiguous energies or feelings, perversions, conflict, opposition, inconsistencies, and the irrational.

In the Iliad, Homer describes Chimera is an immortal being, capable of snorting out flames of bright Fire. In the same body of work, the writer claims Amisodorus was responsible for rearing the creature. Homer calls the Chimera a foul creature: One causing much harm as it devours the people of Lycia and regions nearby until King Iobates orders the beast destroyed. Bellerophon eventually kills the Chimera with the help of the Flying Horse, Pegasus, by melting lead in its throat. The story points to the power of human ingenuity in overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles.

According to Robert Graves, the Chimera is a symbol representing the tripartite year with each of the creature’s heads, the lion, goat, and serpent, representing the calendar seasons, respectively. Seeing the Chimera is immortal, it comes to represent time and the timeless, as well as the transitional changes occurring with the shift of seasons.

It’s worthy of note the word Chimera applies to individuals who have more than a single set of DNA in their body. Such instances occur for a variety of reasons, but the condition remains unknown to the person who is the Chimera as there are no physical anomalies that result.

Chimera Spirit Animal

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Chimera arrives as your Spirit Animal when it’s time for you to take a stand and stop others from taking advantage of you. The fierce and mighty Chimera backs down from no one. The creature supports you in speaking your truth.

Consider the Chimera has three heads and know that when it arrives as your Spirit Animal, it brings you a lot of ancient wisdom. The creature shares lessons in strength from its Lion-aspect, diligence from its Goat-aspect, and how to handle transformations with grace from its Serpentine-aspect.

When life seems too bland, and you’re caught up in the mundane, Chimera comes in as a Spirit Animal to stir up some activity in your life. The Chimera is a creature that dazzles by merely allowing you to take it in visually. The beast can teach you how to see the entire Universe with awe and wonder once more!

Chimera Totem Animal

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If Chimera is your Totem Animal, you have a penchant for all things unusual. You’re a natural rebel against conformity. No part of you just fits into things, and that’s how you like it.

With Chimera as your Totem, you have an exceptional connection with the Divine and easily understand all things abstract. You’ll choose a profession that allows you to engage in intellectual or symbolic thinking all the time. Creativity is your forte, and art is your life!

People with Chimera as a Totem are always on time. You note every passing minute, obsess over making it to every appointment, and consider time as your most valuable asset. You enjoy puzzles, riddles, and abstract art, as well as anything that requires you to use more than one skill or talent at a time.

Chimera Power Animal

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Call on Chimera as a Power Animal when you need help understanding situations that seem otherwise irrational. This creature can help you merge incongruent ideas to form a more cohesive whole. The Chimera spends its life connecting the dots, so it can support you in doing the same.

Invoke Chimera when you’re looking to identify with specific aspects of the Divine. If you have trouble visualizing Gods or Goddesses, it can prove difficult to personify deities. It’s through personification and visualization you achieve greater connection, but it also allows you to simplify abstract concepts into more concrete ideas. Call on the creature if you want to understand the nature of paradox.

Egyptian Chimera Symbolic Meanings

In Ancient Egypt, they have the Sphinx, which is composed of dissimilar parts, making it chimerical. But there’s also the Lion-headed Goddess, Sekhmet who had the body of a woman. She is a Goddess of War and was the protectress of Upper Egypt. Chimerical creatures in Egypt come to represent the Divine or other immortal creatures inspiring awe, serving as protection, or something beyond human understanding which controls natural forces.

Chimera Dreams

When a Chimera enters your dreams, it may mean you are feeling scattered in your waking life. Look to situations or relationships where it feels like you’re trying to piece things together, and nothing seems to match up.

If the Chimera is breathing Fire, the dream warns against using fiery words when you communicate as it may lead to the burning of bridges in relationships. If the Chimera is not the traditional Greek variant, look to the incongruent parts for additional meaning.

When the Chimera in your dreams is human, and there are no outward physical anomalies indicating such a fact, look to waking life conditions where people’s behavior may be under the influence of the subconscious or unknown to them. Also, consider if people are in denial, lack awareness, or if they are deceitful.

Chimera Symbolic Meanings

The Chinese have a chimerical creature called the Nian. It is bigger than an Elephant, features the head of a Lion complete with razor-sharp teeth, two lengthy horns, and the body of a Dog. Unlike the Greek Chimera, the Nian has several weaknesses, including the fact it fears the color red, any loud sounds, and fire. Tradition holds the creature emerges from hiding once annually when the Chinese New Year begins so it can feed on animals, children, men, and the village’s crops.

Chimera Symbolic Meanings Key

  • Anomalies
  • Awe-Inspiring
  • Conflict
  • Ferocity
  • Monstrosity
  • Paradoxes
  • Strength
  • The Feminine & Masculine Divine
  • The Sublime
  • Uncanny