| In
Greek mythology, the queen of Libya who fell in love with
Zeus, and the jealous Hera killed all her children and
turned her into a monster with the body of a serpent and
the head and breasts of a woman. She also cursed Lamia by
preventing her from closing her eyes, so that she would
always be tormented by the death of her children. Feeling
sympathy for what had happened to Lamia, Zeus allowed her
to take off her eyes, so that, while she could not get
any sleep, she could at leaset be alleviated from the
pain of seeing the image of her dead children. In revennge for the crimes
committed upon her, Lamia roamed the earth, stealing
children and devouring them or feeding on their blood. In
some accounts, she would entice men into sexual
intercourse and subsequently would devour them in a
gruesome fashion. Through these intercourses, she born
many children, collectively known as the Lamiae. The Lamiae were sorceresses that
resembled their mother. They used their siren-like voices
to lure men and children to them, who would then be
devoured or whose blood would be fed upon.
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