Chimera

Posted on June 27, 2013

In “Skyfall” the name of Severine’s yacht is “Chimera“.
The yacht used in the film is called “Regina” and was built in Bodrum, Turkey by Medyat Yacht Building, for company Pruva Yachting in 2011. In november 2012 it was reported that the yacht was up for sale for approx. 11 million Euros.

As for the name “Chimera” it is, just like “Manticore” of “GoldenEye“, derived from a creature from ancient mythology. In Greek mythology a Chimera was a monster with a lion’s body and head, a snake for a tail and a goat’s head arising from it back. That is the traditional depiction of the Chimera, but could actually be a creature with the body parts from those three animals in any combination. More or less.
The fire-breathing Chimera terrorised the land of Lycia in Asia Minor (Turkey). A Chimera seems both to be male and female, it has rather male attributes but is said to be traditionally female.
The Chimera is featured in Homer’s epic The Iliad as well as in other classical texts.

As for the symbolism of the Chimera in “Skyfall” I am not quite sure. These are my thoughts. First and foremost, as stated above, it is a nice reference to “Manticore” in “GoldenEye”. Another female monster from ancient mythology. Although Severine is not at all the femme fatale in the league of Xenia Onatopp. I also believe that the name Chimera ties in with the fact that the boat is from Turkey and that the scenes was shot in Turkish waters (although set in Macao) as the ancient monster itself came from Turkey (Lycia, Asia Minor).

The symbolism of the very creature is more difficult as both ancient and Christian symbols interfere. The Chimera could of course be Silva and Bond its slayer, hero Bellephoron. However, there is little in that partuicular myth that is in line with the story of “Skyfall”. Even though Bellephoron kills the Chimera with the help of bewinged horse Pegasus, which is also the name of one of Max Zorin’s (Christopher Walken) horses in “A View to a Kill“.

So the three different animals of the Chimera, can they mean anything? To me, the lion must be Bond (Daniel Craig) or the UK, the snake as a Christian symbol would be Silva (Javier Bardem) as he is urging M (Judi Dench) o think on her sins (the attack on MI6 being the apple in the Garden of Eden) and the goat… Well, I have trouble with the goat. A male goat symbolises sexuality and could be a reference to the shower fornication on board, and the attractive Severine (Berenice Marlohe). Although a female goat rather symbolises nursing and caring. Could the goat be M? Then again M is far from the scenes on the Chimera. It has to be something between Silva, Bond and Severine.

I feel that I am close in my interpretation, yet…
“Close but no cigar”