CHAPTER 21- BRIEF MYTHS

By Shana Dodgson

AMALTHEA In one story, Amalthea is a

goat. Her milk was used to feed Zeus when he was a baby.

In another story, she is the owner of the goat.

She is associated with the Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty.

The Cornucopia was always filled with food and drink.

In Latin mythology, Cornucopia was the horn of the river god Achelous, which had broken off in a battle with Zeus.

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THE AMAZONS

The Amazons were a group of fierce, man-hating women warriors.

There are many more statues and portraits of them than there are poems.

They invaded Lycia, Phrygia, and Attica. Theseus kidnapped their Queen. They

attempted to rescue her, but they were unable to defeat Theseus.

They fought against the Greeks during the Trojan war.

AMYMONE

Amymone was a Danaid. While fetching water, a satyr chased her. She was saved by Poseidon, who was in love

with her. To honor her, he made a spring and named it

for her.

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ANTIOPE

Antiope was the mother to two of Zeus’ sons, Zethus and Amphion.

They were raised by a herdsman after Antiope abandoned them because she feared Zeus.

The ruler of Thebes, Lycus, and his wife, Dirce, treated Antiope very cruelly, and she went into hiding.

She found her sons who decided to seek revenge for their mother. They killed Lycus and tied Dirce’s hair to a bull, so that she would be dragged and killed.

ARACHNE Arachne was a peasant and a skilled

weaver. She claimed that her work was even superior to the goddess Minerva’s, who was known for her weaving.

Minerva was angered by this and challenged Arachne to a contest.

At the same time, both finished beautiful cloths.

Minerva cut up Arachne’s work in a fit of rage and beat the girl

Embarrassed and angry, Arachne hanged herself.

Feeling sorry, Minerva then changed her into a spider.

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ARION Arion was a real person. He was a poet who lived

about 700 B.C. His poems have not been passed down, and little

is known about him. The only story about Arion concerns his escape

from sailors he was sailing with on his return to Corinth after participating in a music contest in Sicily.

He had won the contest, and the sailors attacked him, hoping to steal his prize.

He asked to play one song before he died. The sailors granted his wish, and as he finished the song, he escaped into the sea and was saved by dolphins.

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ARISTAEUS

Aristaeus was a beekeeper. When all of his bees were struck dead by a

disease, his mother, the water nymph Cyrene, told him to seek advice from the sea god Proteus.

He had to capture and hold Proteus in order to get the information from him. This was a difficult task because Proteus could change shape and took many horrible forms.

Aristaeus succeeded, and Proteus told him to make a sacrifice and leave it in its place.

Nine days later, he returned and found a swarm of bees.

The bees were never sick again.

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AURORA AND TITHONUS Aurora was Goddess of the Dawn. Tithonus

was her husband. Aurora wished for her husband to be immortal.

However, she did not wish for him to stay young.

He aged and withered away, but could not die. Aurora locked him in a room where he lay, his

mind gone. Tithonus grew so small that she turned him

into a grasshopper. They had a son Memnon, who died fighting in

the Trojan War. A statue was erected to him in Egypt, and when the morning light hit it, a twanging sound could be heard.

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BITON AND CLEOBIS

Biton and Cleobis were the sons of Cydippe. They dragged their mother in a cart to Argos,

so she could see a beautiful statue. Their thankful mother prayed to Hera upon

their arrival that she would reward them with “the best gift in her power.”

She gave the exhausted boys death.

CALLISTO

Callisto was the daughter of Lycaon, who was turned into a wolf for serving human flesh to Zeus.

Zeus fell in love with her. The jealous Hera turned her into a bear shortly after

her son was born. She attempted to arrange it so that the son would unknowingly kill his mother while hunting.

Zeus made her into a constellation, the Great Bear. Her son was eventually put next to her, the Lesser

Bear. Hera convinced Poseidon to ban them from ever

setting into the ocean. They are the only constellations that do not drop below

the horizon.

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CHIRON Chiron was a centaur. He was the only immortal centaur, but

died. He was known for his wisdom and

taught many famous Greeks, including Achilles.

Hercules was visiting another centaur and coaxed him into opening a jar of wine that belonged to all the centaurs.

The other centaurs smelled the wine and came rushing.

Hercules fought them off, and in doing so, wounded Chiron.

Chiron was in great pain. Zeus pitied him and allowed him to die.

CLYTIE

Clytie fell in love with the Sun God and spent her days sitting and watching him.

The Sun God had no interest in Clytie.

She was turned into the sunflower, which always faces the sun.Microsoft Clip Art

DRYOPE

Dryope was playing in a pool with her son and sister, Iole.

She plucked lotus blossoms from a tree, only to discover that the tree was the nymph, Lotus, and she had caused her harm.

She was then turned into a tree. She asked that her son be brought to play in

the trees shade and to warn him never to pick flowers because it may be a god or goddess in disguise.

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EPIMENIDES

As a boy, he went out looking for his lost sheep.

He fell into a deep sleep that lasted 57 years. Upon awakening, he continued his search,

unaware of the time that had passed. He purified Athens of a plague. He refused

the large sum of money offered as a reward. He wanted only friendship between Athens and his home, Cnossos.

ERICTHONIUS

He was also called Erechtheus. He was the son of Hephaestus and raised by

Athena. He was half-man and half-serpent. Athena put Ericthonius in a chest, gave it to

the 3 daughters of Cecrops, and forbade them to open it.

They opened it anyway, and Athena drove them mad as a punishment. They committed suicide by jumping from the Acropolis.

Erichthonius became King of Athens.

HERO AND LEANDER

Hero and Leander were lovers who lived on opposite shores.

Every night, Leander swam to see Hero, guided by a light. Some say it was a lighthouse, and some say it was a torch lit by Hero.

One night, the light went out, and Leander drowned.

Hero found his body the next morning and killed herself.

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HYADES

They were the daughters of Atlas. The Pleiades were their half-sisters. There were six of them. They cared for the

baby Dionysus, and as a reward, were turned into stars by Zeus.

They were supposed to bring rain, since they set during the rainy season, which was early May and November.

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IBYCUS AND THE CRANES

Ibycus was a poet who lived about 550 B.C. As he lay dying after being attacked by

robbers near Corinth, he asked a flock of cranes flying overheard to avenge him.

The cranes flew over a theater where a play was being performed.

A man exclaimed that the cranes were there on behalf of Ibycus, identifying himself as one of the robbers.

The others were then discovered, and they were all killed for their crime.

LETO

Leto was the daughter of two Titans. She became pregnant with two of Zeus’s

children. Zeus abandoned her, fearing Hera. No place would allow her to give birth there

because they too were afraid of Hera’s wrath. She was welcomed by Delos, a small, rocky

island floating in the sea. Once Leto set foot on it, four pillars appeared

and attached it to the seafloor. Artemis and Apollo were born there. Years

later, Apollo’s temple stood here, and Delos became renowned.

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LINUS

Linus was the son of Apollo and Psamathe. His mother abandoned him, and he was

brought up by shepherds. As a youth, he was torn apart by dogs. “Ailinon!” was a Greek word similar to

“alas!” and meant “woe for Linus.” Apollo had another son named Linus who

was killed while attempting to teach Hercules.

MARPESSA

Marpessa fell in love with Idas, who of the Argonauts.

Apollo fell in love with her also. Idas and Apollo were prepared to fight with

her, but Zeus stepped in and told her to pick. She picked Idas, since she knew Apollo would

not be faithful to her.

MARSYAS

Marsyas was a satyr, who found the flute after Athena threw it away because it disfigured her face.

He challenged Apollo to a contest. After Apollo won, he whipped Marsyas.

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MELAMPUS Melampus saved two baby snakes who then

licked his ears, giving him the power to understand animals.

He was captured. In his prison, he heard worms say a roof beam would soon fall.

He asked to be moved, and when what he said came true, he was released and rewarded.

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MEROPE

Merope’s husband and two of her sons were killed in a rebellion.

Her third son, Aepytus, was hidden in Arcadia.

She married Polyphontes. Aepytus returned, pretending to be his own

murderer. Polyphontes treated him very kindly, while

Merope planned her revenge on him. She discovered he was really her son, and

the two killed Polyphontes and made Aepytus the King.

THE MYRMIDONS

Zeus fell in love with Aegina, whose son, Aeacus, ruled over the island named for her.

Hera was jealous and sent a plague which destroyed all the people.

Aeacus prayed to Zeus for help. He saw a colony of ants and asked Zeus to turn them into people.

He heard thunder and that night, dreamt that his prayer came true.

In the morning, a huge group of men were approaching the palace, swearing their loyalty to him.

There men were created from the ants and called the Myrmidons. Like ants, they were hard-working and vigilant. Microsoft Clip

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NISUS AND SCYLLA Nisus was King of Megara. He had a purple lock of hair

which as long as it was on his head, protected the city from harm.

Minos tried to attack the city. Scylla fell in love with him, and in an attempt to win his heart, cut the purple lock and brought it to him.

Minos spurned her and conquered the city. Nisus was turned into an eagle by the gods to save

him from the attack. As Minos left, Scylla jumped in the water and grabbed

hold of the boat. The eagle swooped down upon her, forcing her to let

go. She too was turned into a bird because her sin was

one of love.

ORION Orion was very beautiful and a great

hunter. He fell in love with King Oenopion’s

daughter and cleared her home island of Chios of wild animals for her.

While drunk, he offended his fiancée. Dionysus put him into a deep sleep, and Oenopion blinded him.

He traveled east to gaze upon the rising sun and restore his sight.

He sought revenge on Oenopion, but could not find him.

He lived as Artemis’s huntsmen. He made one of the gods angry and was killed.

He became a constellation.

THE PLEIADES

They were 7 daughters of Atlas.

Orion relentlessly pursued them. Zeus saved them by turning them into stars.

One was the mother of Hermes, and one was the mother of the founder of the Trojan race.

Only six of the stars are easily seen.

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RHOECUS

Rhoecus saved an oak tree that was about to topple, and in doing so, also saved a dryad’s live.

She offered him an award. He asked for her love.

She told him that she would send a bee to tell him her wishes.

Rhoecus disregarded the bee when it came and swatted it away.

The dryad was angry and blinded him.

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SALMONEUS

Salmoneus built a large chariot and drove it through the streets on the day of Zeus’s festival, yelling for people to worship him.

There was a peal of thunder and a flash of lightening, and Salmoneus was dead.

Some believe Salmoneus was a magician trying to induce a rainstorm.

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SISYPHUS

Sisyphus was the King of Corinth. He witnessed Zeus carrying away Aegina and

told her father, the river-god Asopus, what he saw.

He was punished by being forced to roll a rock uphill which always rolled back on him for all eternity.

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TYRO Tyro was Salmoneus’s daughter. She gave birth to Poseidon’s twin sons, Pelias and

Neleus. She abandoned them, and they were raised by

Salmoneus’s horse keeper and his wife. Tyro’s husband learned she had been unfaithful and

left her to marry Sidero, who treated Tyro very cruelly.

The twins learned who their real parents were. They sought Tyro, and when they saw her great misery, decided to take revenge on Sidero.

Pelias killed her in Hera’s temple. He was punished by eventually being killed by his

own daughters.