Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 301

In Greek myth, Cacus was the half human, half spider, three-headed, fire-breathing son of Volcanus, daughter of Medusa. He lived on the Aventine plain in the land of the Etruscans where corpses were burned. Casus’ name means ‘wicked’. He stole four bulls and four cows, cattle from the herd of Geryoneus, that Hercules was driving on his tenth labour. Cacus captured them by pulling them by their tails into a dark cave. But Hercules unroofed the cave by tearing the rocks from the hillside, rescuing his beasts. Although Cacus spewed fire at the hero, he was throttled to death with his famous wrestler’s grip, ‘the knot of Hercules’.