In today’s global arena, it’s tough to find a career with a little job security. Here, puzzler Lee Coltman makes the case for monsters. Monsters not only get remembered but also get the best perks. Who, after all, wouldn’t like to take out their frustrations by trashing the occasional city? And the hours? Who tells Godzilla when to work?
2. This once-beautiful woman had enraged Athene by bedding Poseidon. The result: you wouldn’t want to meet her or her sisters on a blind date, unless you meant “blind” literally.
3. In revenge for the death of her mate at the hands of Enki, this Babylonian dragon sought the destruction of all the gods until she was killed by the young god Marduk. But her death was not in vain: her body was used to make the universe (the sky), her blood to make mankind, and her eyes became the source of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
4. This monster was, some say, another of the brood of Echidne. She was given a riddle by the three fates, asked it to all who encountered her, and devoured those whose answers were incorrect. She committed suicide by throwing herself off a mountain after a certain lame man answered correctly.
5 & 6. Being near these two was to be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. When that most intrepid of heroes accidentally steered his ship too close, six of his sailors were eaten by one of them, a six-headed, 12-footed monster with a cry that sounded like the whimper of a new-born puppy. The other, a daughter of Mother Earth, threatened to swallow the ship whole in her giant, sucking maw.
7. This Norse monster was a wolf destined to devour Odin at the end of time. The gods had no success in overcoming his enormous strength until they tried a thin, dwarf-made ribbon named Gleipnir that was fashioned from the noise made by the footfall of a cat, the roots of a mountain, a woman’s beard, the breath of fishes, the sinews of a bear, and a bird’s spittle.
8. This monster is one of Loki’s many offspring. Thor first encountered it in the land of the giants, when he was challenged to show his strength by picking up a cat. Though he strained mightily, Thor could lift only one paw, for the cat was actually this monstrous, evil serpent in disguise. Odin had sought to render the serpent harmless by throwing it into the ocean that surrounds the world. But the serpent grew to such a size that it easily spanned the entire earth, lying deep in the water and biting its tail.
2. Send your answers by no later than December 15 to:
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3. We will award up to five $30 gift certificates from Borders Books and Music to those degenerates who correctly identify each pernicious classic. If more than five correct entries are received, winners will be drawn by lot.
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