Echidna (mythology) eyes" and she bore "fierce offspring". First there was Orthrus, the two-headed dog who guarded the Cattle of Geryon, second Cerberus, the multiheaded dog who guarded the gates of Hades, and third the Lernaean Hydra, the many-headed serpent who, when one of its heads was cut off, grew two more. The "Theogony" mentions a second ambiguous “she” as the mother of the Chimera (a fire-breathing beast that was part lion, part goat, and had a snake-headed tail) which may refer to Echidna, though possibly the Hydra or even Ceto was meant instead. Hesiod next names two more descendants of Echidna,
Penta of the Chopped-off Hands Penta of the Chopped-off Hands Penta of the Chopped-off Hands or The Girl With the Maimed Hands is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the "Pentamerone". It is Aarne-Thompson type 706B, "The Girl without Hands." The Brothers Grimm cited it as an analog to "The Girl Without Hands". Other variants of this tale include "The One-Handed Girl", "The Armless Maiden", and "Biancabella and the Snake". A king lost his wife and fell in love with his sister, Penta. He implored her to marry him. When she refused and he continued to implore her,