Chimera (Barth novel) Chimera (Barth novel) Chimera is a 1972 fantasy novel written by American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are "Dunyazadiad", "Perseid" and "Bellerophoniad", whose titles refer eponymously to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon (slayer of the mythical Chimera). The book is an example of postmodernism, which can be seen in its metafictional content and its incorporation of stylistic elements that go beyond the traditional novel genre. It shared the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with "Augustus" by John Edward Williams. The Dunyazadiad is a retelling of the framing story of Scheherazade, the
Chimera (Dungeons & Dragons) Chimera (Dungeons & Dragons) In the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy roleplaying game, the chimera (pronounced ky-MAEE-ruh, or ky-MAIR-ruh; rhymes with "care of") is a large magical beast that appears to be an amalgam of several different creatures. A chimera is usually chaotic evil in alignment. The chimera is based on the chimera of Greek mythology as found in the "Iliad" by Homer. The chimera was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the "Dungeons & Dragons" "white box" set (1974), where it was described as being able to gore with a goat's head,