Reptile or the fantastic, as in the monster movies of the 1950s and 1960s. The snake or serpent has played a powerful symbolic role in different cultures. In Egyptian history, the Nile cobra adorned the crown of the pharaoh. It was worshipped as one of the gods and was also used for sinister purposes: murder of an adversary and ritual suicide (Cleopatra). In Greek mythology snakes are associated with deadly antagonists, as a chthonic symbol, roughly translated as "earthbound". The nine-headed Lernaean Hydra that Hercules defeated and the three Gorgon sisters are children of Gaia, the earth. Medusa was one of
Ancient Greek literature Prince of Tyre" was based off an adaptation of the ancient Greek novel "Apollonius of Tyre" found in John Gower's "Confessio Amantis". John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" is written using a similar style to the two Homeric epics. It also makes frequent allusions to figures from classical literature and mythology, using them as symbols to convey a Christian message. Lucian's "A True Story" was part of the inspiration for Jonathan Swift's novel "Gulliver's Travels". "Bulfinch's Mythology", a book on Greek mythology published in 1867 and aimed at a popular audience, was described by Carl J. Richard as "one of