Greek Myths

The Greek myths are fairly amazing, filled with truly imaginative creatures. I think, i many respects, they are the back bone for the gaming communities idea of monsters. Others, like the Norse for instance, tend to be grounded in reality. 

The Fenris wolf, the Midgaard Serpent, the Frost Giants etc. But in Greece we have centaurs, chimeras, gorgons, medusa...truly creatures  beyond the pale, beyond what we, as primitive many, encountered in the wilds. Even the undead are more grounded than these creature, as the idea of rising from the dead is nothing out of the human experience...many have seemed dead and came back for instance. Frequently coffins are found with claw marks on them, on the inside (well not anymore). So even that is within the normal. 

But a winged lion with a scorpion's tail? Not so much.