ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lamia (mythology)

Lamia is a creature from ancient mythology that people used to believe in a long time ago. It was said to be a woman with a snake-like body instead of legs. Her story goes like this:

Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful woman named Lamia. She was so beautiful that the god Zeus fell in love with her. They had a secret fling, but eventually Zeus's wife found out about it and got mad. She cursed Lamia, and turned her into a scary monster with snake-like features.

Because of Zeus's love for Lamia, he gave her the power to take revenge on any mother who made her child cry. So, Lamia would sneak into children's rooms at night and scare them so much that they would start crying. She would then use her powers to bite and kill the children.

As time went on, Lamia became more and more lonely because no one wanted to be her friend. She eventually became so sad that she turned into a spirit and started wandering around the world, always searching for someone to talk to.

So, in short, Lamia is a mythical creature that used to be a beautiful woman but was cursed to become a monster. She has snake-like features and has the power to harm children who cry. In the end, she became lonely and turned into a wandering spirit.