LAMIA (la-mi-a) plural -as or -ae [ME, fr. L, fr. Gk, devouring monster; akin to Gk lamyros gluttonous](14c):
1. A monster represented as a serpent with the head and breasts of a woman, reputed to prey upon humans and suck the blood of children. 2. A witch, female demon, or vampire.
Lamia was the personal name of a mythical Lydian queen who was transformed into a monster by the goddess Hera, as well as the general name for that species of monsters. I first saw a drawing of Lamia in a coloring book of mythical beasts when I was a small child and have been fascinated ever since.
I adopted the name as my nom de net in 1996. When I first began work on my webpage about a year later I decided to devote a section to my namesake. I soon discovered that while there are plenty of homepages belonging to young Goth girls called Lamia, there is precious little on the Web about the actual lamiae. This site, which I believe is the only one of its kind, is an attempt to gather together the best available information on the lamiae and related folkloric creatures.
Over the years I have made many drawings and paintings of lamiae, such as the one at left and the one on that decorates my main page. I often depict my lamiae as armed warriors, although they do not appear this way in mythology.
More samples of my art, including several other lamiae, can be seen at my aptly named art page.
Poems:
Lamia - full text of a poem by John Keats.
Seventh Book - full text of a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that references Lamia.
Stories and Novels:
The Stress of Her Regard - lamia novel by Tim Powers.
Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice - collection by A.S. Byatt, contains a lamia story titled "A Lamia in the Cevennes".
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman's first solo novel, features a vampiric character named Lamia. (see also below)
Television and Movies:
Neverwhere - BBC miniseries by Neil Gaiman, features a vampiric character named Lamia played by Tamsin Greig.
Relic Hunter - a season one episode titled "Possessed" deals with a Tim Powers-inspired coven of lamiae.
Sam Raimi is rumored to be directing a film titled The Lamia, but I have been unable to find any details on this project.
Music:
(Several songs have been written about the lamiae, but most are not very well known. This might be because most are not very good. Despite this I have attempted to compile a complete list.)
Genesis, "The Lamia", The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (WEA/Atlantic, 1974).
Leslie Fish, "Lamia". This is a filk song, and I'm not sure if it is available except as a bootleg.
Lord Belial, "Lamia", Enter the Moonlight Gate (Metal Blade, 1998).
Noctes, "Lamia", Pandemonic Requiem (No Fashion, 1998).
Pix Lax, "Lamia", Stilvi (EMI, 1998). This song is in Greek, so I can't tell if it's actually about the mythical lamia or not.
Siebenbürgen, "Ibi Cubavit Lamia", Grimjaur (Napalm Records, 1998).
Links:
The Witching Hours - lamia entry with a drawing from 1607.
The Beauty of the Medusa - Medusa and other serpentine women in Romantic literature.
Changing Literary Representations of Lilith and the Evolution of a Mythical Heroine - research project.
Dangerous Women - Heinz Insu Fenkl's on folkloric femme fatales in Asia and Europe.
The Face in the Mirror - Bloody Mary and other mirror-dwelling spirits.
German lamia page - resources for Vampire: the Masquerade (links there lead to English language sites).
Gnosis Archive - a good place to pick up the basics of Lilith/Lamia lore.
John William Waterhouse - site includes both of his lamia paintings. You can even use them for online postcards.
Melusina Myth - lamia-like fairy Melusina.
Melusina (Melusine, Mélusine) - Melusina legends from Germany, France, and Luxembourg.
The Morrígan in Mythological Tradition - the Morrígan and her relation to the lamia and other mythical figures. (dead link?)
Study of the Greek Vrykolakas - Greek vampires.
Last update: 4/20/05 (links updated)
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