On the fringes of Greek mythology Lamia was one of the monstrous bogeys that terrified children and the naive, like her daughter Scylla, or Empousa. The Lamia had the head and torso of a woman, but the lower half of her body was serpentine.the chthonic monster Echidna was another Greek bogey with a half-serpentine body. Compare Typhon.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lamia is a magical beast. They are centaur-like creatures, resembling animals such as lions, goats and deer, with a human torso and head coming up from where the animal's head would usually be. The upper body is fully humanoid, however, not bearing animalistic features such as scales, horns or fur.