Stymphalian Birds

Stymphalian Birds are a species of monstrous pigeon-like birds. In Greek Mythology, Hercules' sixth labor was to beat the Stymphalian birds. He did it by using brass bells to scare them into the air, and when the birds took off from the swamp that they rested in, Hercules shot many of them down with his bow and arrows. Although some escaped, they never returned to the area that they were terrorizing.

Stymphalian birds attack Camp Half-Blood during a chariot race. Percy and Annabeth used Chiron's music from a portable stereo to confuse the birds so Apollo's cabin could shoot them down. The reason they could enter the camp's borders was because of Thalia's tree dying. Tantalus apparently then cooked and served them for the winning camper's which was Clarisse prize-dinner. 

Stymphalian birds attack the Argo II, but Festus torches them.

Erymanthian Boar

These Greek myths are really quite addictive. Next up, we have the Erymanthian Boar which was an animal sent as a gift from Pan.

As part of his twelve labors, Hercules had to capture the Erymanthian Boar. He subdued the beast by driving it into a snowbank and then tying it in chains.

Percy, Thalia, Zoë, Grover, and Bianca di Angelo first encounter and ride the Erymanthian Boar in book 3 the Titan's Curse. Grover senses it was sent as a gift by Pan, in the town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Grover is the first to identify it and its potential utility to the team as a form of transportation after Percy causes it to fall of a cliff into a pile of snow. The Erymanthian Boar takes them near to the Junkyard of the Gods where they lose Bianca di Angelo.

Hydra

Hooked on Percy Jackson and Greek myths, I am going to continue this highly entertaining greek mythology lesson with the Hydra. In Greek myths and legends, the Hydra was a vicious monster with multiple heads with one immortal and invincible to all weapons. When one head was decapitated, two more snake-heads would grow in its place. Hercules eventually defeated the Hydra, by having his nephew, Lolous burn each stump after he had cut it, before the heads reproduced, then tore off the immortal head with his bare hands, and buried it under a giant rock.

When Percy Jackson sent Tyson to look for powdered doughnuts so he could talk to Annabeth in the Sea of Monsters (Book 2), Tyson went out and came upon a Monster Doughnut store. Tyson, being a monster, was somehow able to summon the outlet bringing the Hydra with it. It was large and lizard-like, with long necks and seven heads to match. It had many rows of razor-sharp teeth, its hands were clawed, had a tail, and spat acid. According to Annabeth, another Monster Doughnut shop popped up every time it grew another head. She says that Hermes' children found a way to use the hydra's life-force to make a new chain of stores. Percy, initially tries to defeat it by slicing off its heads, but succeeded only in making more. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson were saved by Clarisse when the Hydra's heads were lit aflame and burnt off by cannon fire from the CSS Birmingham.

Nemean Lion & Percy Jackson

The Nemean lion was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. It was eventually killed by Hercules. It could not be killed with mortal weapons because its golden fur was impervious to attack. Its claws were sharper than mortal swords and could cut through any armor. The lion is usually considered to have been the offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

The first of Hercules' twelve labours, set by King Eurystheus was to slay the Nemean lion. The Nemean lion took women as hostages to its lair in a cave, luring warriors from nearby towns to save the damsel in distress. After entering the cave, the warrior would see the woman (usually feigning injury) and rush to her side. Once he was close, the woman would turn into a lion and kill the warrior, devouring his remains and giving the bones to Hades.

The cave had two entrances, one of which Heracles blocked; he then entered the other. In those dark and close quarters, Heracles stunned the beast with his club and, using his immense strength, strangled it to death.  After slaying the lion, he tried to skin it with a knife from his belt, but failed. He then tried sharpening the knife with a stone and even tried with the stone itself. Finally, Athena, noticing the hero's plight, told Heracles to use one of the lion's own claws to skin the pelt.

Being an avid fan of the Percy Jackson series, the Nemean lion is also featured in the books. The lion was sent by Luke and the General at the National Air and Space Museum to stop the group of questing Hunters, demigods, and one Satyr. It battled with Percy, who recognized the monster from the time he saw one from the train during the quest to find Zeus' Master Bolt. The monster was incredibly hard to defeat because of its bulletproof and sword-proof pelt. Percy came up with and idea and grabbed a few packets of astronaut food from the gift shop and tossed it into the lion's mouth when he roared. When the lion bellowed in disgust, Zoë fired arrows into the Nemean Lion's mouth. The lion dissolved except for its pelt. The pelt was offered to Percy by Zoë because it was his plan that made it possible for them to defeat the monster.

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek demigod Heracles, who was the son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. One of my favorite Disney movies is Hercules.

Hercules is known for his many adventures, but the most famous are the Twelve Labours.

1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.
11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture and bring back Cerberus.

Shoe Addict

In case, it wasn't evident in yesterday's post, I am a crazy shoe addict. If I see a pair of heels that I love, I just have to have them. Usually, when I go shopping, I try to go blind while passing a shoe store in case of a shoe frenzy. If I love them, I don't care about the price or the brand. But I just have to have them. Besides Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo's are my second favorite. Chinese Laundry is another brand that has amazing to die for footwear. Heels are my weakness, but I love wedges, boots, ballet flats, and flatforms. In short, a shoe is a shoe.
People have tempted me with incentives of buying shoes for me in order to make me do things for them, and I usually succumb.

Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin is a French footwear designer whose footwear has incorporated shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Celebrities interested in his stiletto heels have included Lady Gaga, Joan Collins, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a pair of shoes by Louboutin for her wedding.

Louboutin helped bring stilettos back into fashion in the 1990s and 2000s, designing dozens of styles with heel heights of 4.72 inches and higher. The designer's professed goal has been to make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as he can. While he does offer some lower-heeled styles, Louboutin is generally associated with his dressier evening-wear designs incorporating jeweled straps, bows, feathers, patent leather, and other similar decorative touches. He is most popularly known for his red-bottom high heel shoes, commonly referred to as sammy red-bottoms. Despite being known for his celebrity clients, he rarely gives shoes away instead offering discounts instead to his high-profile fans. His single biggest client is Danielle Steel, who is reputed to own over 6,000 pairs and is known to have purchased up 80 pairs at a time when shopping at his stores.

Lastly, I am very proud to say that I am a very happy and satisfied owner of a pair of black Christian Louboutin heels.