The term 'fire breathing monster' is often used to refer to a mythical creature known as a CHIMERA or Chimaera. The CHIMERA is described in Greek mythology as a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature composed of the parts of three animals: a lion, a snake, and a goat. It is said to have terrorized the city of Lycia until it was slain by the hero Bellerophon. The CHIMERA is also known as a Chimaera, which is an alternate spelling of the same creature.