FURTHER INTRODUCTIONS OF DEMONIC DEITIES: LAMIA & JOHN KEATS (PTSD DREAMS)
FURTHER
INTRODUCTIONS
OF
DEMONIC DEITIES
CREATED
BY
J. BECK
2025
MEETING
DEMONIC DEITIES:
QUEEN DEMONESS
"LAMIA"
&
JOHN KEATS
(PTSD DREAMS)
History and Origins of Lamia
Lamia Originates
From Ancient Greek Mythology
First Appearing in References
As early as the 5th century BCE
In Works by Aristophanes
Lamia began as a Beautiful Queen
Of Ancient Libya (North Africa)
Often Described as the Daughter
Of King Belus or (Sometimes) Poseidon
Her Beauty attracted Zeus
Who took her as a Lover
& Fathered
Several Children with Her
In the
Most Common Myth
Zeus's Jealous Wife Hera Punished Lamia
Severely for the Affair
Hera either Killed Lamia's Children
Or Forced Lamia to Kill them Herself
Driven Mad
By Grief & Envy
Lamia Began Stealing & Devouring
Other People's Children
This
Act Transformed Lamia
Into a Monstrous Daemon
(Spirit or Demon)
Some accounts rationalize her
As a Cruel Queen whose Savagery
Distorted her appearance
While Others Portray
Lamia's Transformation
As Direct
Divine Punishment
Over time
The Myth Evolved:
In Later Classical & Roman Traditions
"Lamia"
Became Pluralized as "lamiae"
A
Class of Night-Haunting
Female Demons
Similiar to Vampires or Succubi
Lamia
Influenced Folklore Across Cultures
With Parallels to Mesopotamian Demons
Like Lamashtu & Later Associations
With Figures like Lilith in Jewish Tradition
Modern Greek Folklore
lamiae persist as bogey figures associated
With Uncleanliness Gluttony &
Child-Strangling
The Story was Popularized in Literature
Notably in John Keats' 1819 poem Lamia
Which reimagined her
As a Seductive Serpent-Woman
ATTRIBUTES & CHARACTERISTICS
Lamia's Traits vary Across Sources
Reflecting her Evolution
From a Tragic Figure to a Terrifying Monster
PRIMARY BEHAVIORS
CHILD-DEVOURING:
Lamia's Core Attribute
Is Preying on Infants & Young Children
Often Snatching them to Eat
Or Drink their Blood—Making Her an
Early Prototype for Vampires
SEDUCTION OF MEN:
In Later Traditions
(Philostratus' lLife of Apollonius of Tyana)
Lamia Shapeshifts
Into a Beautiful Woman
To Lure & Devour Young Men
Feeding on their Flesh or Vitality
Physical Appearance:
Originally Human & Beautiful as a Queen
Post-transformation:
Often depicted as ugly & distorted
With a foul odor
Some Ancient Sources
Describe her as Hermaphroditic
Or Beast-like
Iconic Serpent Form:
Upper Body of a Beautiful Woman
(Head Torso Breasts)
Lower Body a Snake's Tail
This Hybrid Depiction
While not Universal in Early Myths
Became Dominant in Later Art & Literature
Influenced by
Keats & Renaissance Emblems
Supernatural Powers:
Removable eyes:
Zeus granted her the ability to take out & reinsert her eyes
To relieve Hera's curse of insomnia forcing her to forever see her dead children
Shapeshifting:
Ability to appear as a gorgeous woman or phantom
Prophecy:
In some versions, gifted by Zeus
Lamia Embodies
Themes of Maternal-Grief
Jealousy & The Danger of
Female Sexuality
In Ancient Myths—A Tragic Victim
Turned Vengeful Predator
Lamia
Left to herself, the serpent now began To change; her elfin blood in madness ran, Her mouth foam’d, and the grass, therewith besprent, Wither’d at dew so sweet and virulent; Her eyes in torture fix’d, and anguish drear, Hot, glaz’d, and wide, with lid-lashes all sear, Flash'd phosphor and sharp sparks, without one cooling tear. The colours all inflam’d throughout her train, She writh’d about, convuls’d with scarlet pain: A deep volcanian yellow took the place Of all her milder-mooned body’s grace; And, as the lava ravishes the mead, Spoilt all her silver mail, and golden brede; Made gloom of all her frecklings, streaks and bars, Eclips’d her crescents, and lick’d up her stars: So that, in moments few, she was undrest Of all her sapphires, greens, and amethyst, And rubious-argent: of all these bereft, Nothing but pain and ugliness were left.
By John Keats (1795--1821)
John Keats
The English Romantic poet
(1795–1821)
Wrote Lamia"during his extraordinarily productive year of 1819 alongside masterpieces like his great odes.
It was first published in July 1820 as the title poem in his final volume, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems
Keats drew the story primarily from Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), which retold a tale from Philostratus' ancient Greek account.
Unlike the traditional monstrous child-devouring Lamia of mythology, Keats reimagines her as a complex, sympathetic figure—a serpent-woman capable of genuine love, yet trapped by illusion.
The 1820 first edition volume that introduced "Lamia" to the world:
Plot Summary
The poem is divided into two parts and written in masterful heroic couplets (iambic pentameter rhyming pairs), with occasional variations for dramatic effect.
Part I
In ancient Crete, the god Hermes searches for a beautiful but invisible nymph he desires. He encounters a colorful serpent—Lamia—trapped in that form. She bargains with him: in exchange for revealing the nymph's location, Hermes restores her to a stunning woman's body. Freed, Lamia rushes to Corinth, where she encounters the young philosopher Lycius. They fall passionately in love, and she conjures a luxurious palace for their secluded bliss.
Part II
Lycius, craving public recognition, insists on a grand wedding feast despite Lamia's warnings. He invites his old tutor, the stern philosopher Apollonius. At the banquet, Apollonius fixes his gaze on Lamia and declares her true nature: "A serpent!" Lamia vanishes in agony, and Lycius dies of grief and shock.
Key Themes & Analysis
"Lamia" is one of Keats' most philosophically rich works, exploring profound tensions central to Romanticism:
Imagination vs. Reason
("Cold Philosophy")
The poem's most famous passage laments how science and rational analysis destroy wonder:
Do not all charms fly
At the mere touch of cold philosophy?
...
Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine—
Unweave a rainbow...
Apollonius embodies destructive rationalism, exposing illusion but annihilating beauty and love in the process.
Illusion vs. Reality
Is Lamia's deception harmful, or is the dream of love worth sustaining? Keats presents both sides ambiguously—Lamia's illusion brings ecstasy, but its exposure brings tragedy.
The Nature of Love & Beauty
Passionate love is intoxicating yet fragile. Lamia, despite her supernatural origins, experiences real emotion; her transformation reflects desire's power to remake us, but also its vulnerability.
Ambiguity of Sympathy
Critics note Keats' balanced portrayal—Lamia receives considerable sympathy as a victim of fate and reason, yet her deception raises questions. Lycius is caught tragically between worlds.
The poem reflects Keats' personal turmoil: his intense, consuming love for Fanny Brawne and his growing awareness of mortality amid his declining health from tuberculosis
Artistic Illustrations
Keats' vivid, sensual descriptions inspired many artists, often depicting Lamia as the iconic serpent-woman of later folklore:
"Lamia" remains a haunting exploration of beauty's transience and the perilous clash between dream and waking truth—a fitting capstone to Keats' brilliant, brief career.
. . .
(TO BE CONTINUED)
REFERENCES:
AN
INTRODUCTION
PART 2
FEMME DEITIES & DEMONESS’:
VISITING THE MADONNA
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/an-introduction-part-2-femme-deities.html?m=1
THE MOTHER GODDESS
VISITING THE MADONNA
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-mother-goddess-visiting-madonna.html?m=1
INTRODUCTIONS
DEMONS & FAMILIARS:
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/introductions-demons-familiars.html?m=1
ELECTRA
AKA: "ELLIE"
MEETING DEMON SPIRITS:
BALAAM THE FALSE PROPHET
(PTSD DREAMS)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/electra-aka-ellie-meeting-demon-spirits.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA:
"MATTY ORLANDO"
RETURNS TO VISIT MAMMON
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-returns-to.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA: "MATTY ORLANDO "
MEETING DEMON SPIRITS: MAMMON
(PTSD DREAMS)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-meeting-demon.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA: "MATTY ORLANDO"
VISITING THE MADONNA
(& MEETING WOLF-DEMON AAMON)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-visiting.html?m=1
DEMONS
"LILITH & AAMON"
(MEADOW & JACKIE JR)
A SUPPLIMENT FOR
THE YOUNG SOPRANOS
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/demons-lilith-aamon-meadow-jackie-jr.html?m=1
AN
ANALYSIS
OF
"THE UNHINGING CRUX"
(Meadow's Virgin Islands Confessions)
FROM
THE YOUNG SOPRANOS(TYS)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/12/analysis-of-unhinging-crux-from-young.html?m=1
AN ANALYSIS &
PHOTO ALBUM OF MEADOW'S MANY FACES
W/CARMELA COMPARISON
FROM
THE YOUNG SOPRANOS
APPENDIX II:
"Conspiracy of Crows"
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-young-sopranos-appendix-ii.html?m=1
(The Ghost of Tony Soprano
Appears to Carmela)
A SUPPLIMENT
OF
"THE YOUNG SOPRANOS"
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/07/read-young-sopranos-source.html?m=1
"MATILDA"
FROM LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL (1994)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-from-leon-professional-1994.html?m=1
MATILDA II
FROM LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-ii-from-leon-professional.html?m=1
"MATILDA" III
FROM LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-iii-from-leon-professional-1994.html?m=1
"MATILDA" IV
RESCUING BEETHOVEN
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-iv-rescuing-beethoven.html?m=1
"MATILDA" V
MATTY ORLANDO
DATING "JOHNNY B. GOODE"
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-v-dating-johnny-b-goode.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA: "MATTY ORLANDO"
VI
MAKE-UP PRACTICE SESSION
W/ JOHNNY B. GOODE
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-vi-make-up.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA:
"MATTY ORLANDO"
VII
MEMENTO MORI
(DRUNKEN DREAMS)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-vii-memento.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA
"MATTY ORLANDO"
SUBWAY RAT DREAMS
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-subway-rat.html?m=1
MATILDA
AKA:
"MATTY ORLANDO"
VII
MATTY ORLANDO'S
(Narrative)
"SECRET LIFE"
(W/ OUT JOHNNY B. GOODE)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matilda-aka-matty-orlando-vii-matty.html?m=1
"MATTY ORLANDO"
(ANIME)
RESCUES BEETHOVEN
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matty-orlando-anime.html?m=1
MORE
"MATTY ORLANDO"
(ANIME)
DATING
JOHNNY B. GOODE
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matty-orlando-anime-dating-johnny-b.html?m=1
"MATTY ORLANDO"
(ANIME)
MEMENTO MORI
(ROMANCING THE DEAD)
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matty-orlando-anime-memento-mori.html?m=1
"MATTY ORLANDO"
(ANIME)
MAKE-UP PRACTICE SESSION
W/ JOHNNY B. GOODE
https://youngsopranos.blogspot.com/2025/10/matty-orlando-anime-make-up-practice.html?m=1
"Johnny B. Goode"
(Live at the Fillmore East, NYC, NY - 1970) · Johnny Winter
https://youtu.be/gEayVWiJtLg?si=iePgaGvJVwQXTAmp
"MATTY ORLANDO"
INSPIRED
BY:
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL
(1994)
https://youtu.be/Pf0JW-cAFTs?si=-BMWviJ-Dham07HD
RAYMOND CURTO JR
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