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[German version] (Τροφώνιος/ Trophṓnios, or Τρεφώνιος/ Trephṓnios). Hero of the Boeotian Lebadia, stepson or brother of Agamedes (Paus. 9,37,5; schol. Aristoph. Nub. 508). The following are mentioned as parents: Apollo and Epicaste (Paus. loc. cit.; schol. Aristoph. loc .cit.), Zeus and Iocaste (schol. Aristoph. loc. cit.), Valens/Ischys and Coronis [1] (Cic. Nat. D. 3,56), Erigonus (Hom. h. 3,296 f.; Paus. 9,37,4 f., etc.). Children: Alcander [1] and Hercyra. In the myth, T. and Agamedes are the famous builders of Delphi's first temple of Apollo  (Hom. h. 3,2…

[German version] (Φημονόη/ Phēmonóē). Daughter of Apollo; she was his first seer (Pythia) in Delphi and invented the hexameter verse; the maxim 'know yourself'(γνῶθι σεαυτόν/ gnôthi seautón) is supposed to have come from her (Paus. 10,5,4; 10,6,3; 10,12,5; Str. 9,3,5). Her name is also widely used to mean a prophetess (Luc. 5,126. 185; Stat. Silv. 2,2,39). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)

[German version] (Μάντιος; Mántios). Son of the seer Melampus, brother of Antiphates, father of Cleitus [1] and of the seer Polypheides (Hom. Od. 15,242ff.), according to Paus. 6,17,6 also of Oïcles (who in Hom. ibid. is his nephew), grandfather of Theoclymenus. Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)

(Οἰνώνη; Oinṓnē). [German version] [1] Poetic term for the island of Aegina Poetic term for the island of Aegina (Pind. N. 4,46; 5,16; 8,7; Pind. I. 5,34; cf. Ov. Met. 7,474). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) [German version] [2] Nymph from the Troad Nymph from the Troad, daughter of the river god Cebren, sister of Asterope (Apollod. 3,154f.; according to Tzetz. on Lycophr. 57 daughter of Oeneus), mother of Corythus (Parthenius 34; Ov. Met. 7,361). Paris, exposed in the Idaean mountains, becomes her lover and spends his first love with her, but the…

(Μνήμων; Mnḗmōn). [German version] [1] Slave of Achilles Slave of Achilles [1] whose sole responsibility it was to warn his master not to kill any of Apollo's offspring as he was predestined to die soon thereafter. He forgets to issue the warning when Achilles is fighting Cycnus [2] and Tennes and is consequently put to death (Lycoph. 240-242 with schol. ad loc.; Plut. Quaest. Graec. 28). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) [German version] [2] see Artaxerxes [2] II see Artaxerxes [2] II

(Φύλακος; Phýlakos). [German version] [1] Mythical founder and eponym of Phylacia Mythical founder and eponym of Phylacia (in Attica), also of Phylace [1]. Son of Deïon(eus) [1] and Diomede, the daughter of Xuthus (Apollod. 1,51; 86), father of Iphiclus (Hom. Il. 2,705; 13,698) and Alcimede (Apoll. Rhod. 1,47). P. caused the infertility of his son by threatening him with a knife bloody from castrating rams. After Melampus [1] heals Iphiclus in the course of his brother Bias [1]'s battle for Iphiclus's oxen…

[German version] [1] Wife of Numa Pompilius Wife of Numa Pompilius, mother of Pompilia, grandmother of Ancus Marcius [I 3] (Plut. Numa 21,2). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) [German version] [2] Wife of Collatinus Wife of Collatinus. Raped by the Roman prince Sex. Tarquinius, she commits her husband with L. Iunius [I 4] Brutus and P. Valerius to revenge and kills herself. This incident initiates the expulsion of the Tarquinians from Rome and with it the fall of rule by kings (Liv. 1,57-60 [1]; Dion. Hal. Ant. Rom. 4,64,4-67,4; Ov. Fast.…

[German version] (Μανερῶς; Manerôs Hdt. 2,79; Μανέρως; Manérōs Plut. Is. 17,367 etc.). According to Hdt. l.c. M. is the only son of the first king of Egypt who, after his early death, is honoured by a dirge ‘M., which is said to correspond to the Greek Linus song. M. means either Egyptian mniw-r‘gooseherd (Cerny) or r jmntt r jmntt‘westward! westward! (Lloyd), a cry heard at funerals. It is not clear which Egyptian name or which sequence of Egyptian words was garbled to form Greek M. [1. 338]. Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) Bibliography 1 A. B. Lloyd, Herodotus, Book 2. Commentary 1-98, 1976.

(Πλεισθένης; Pleisthénēs). [German version] [1] Son of Pelops or Atreus, father of Agamemnon and Menelaus Mythical figure from the family of Pelops, often also named as the family's eponym (Aesch. Ag. 1569 etc.): either the son of Pelops and Hippodameia [1] (with Atreus, Thyestes and Pittheus as brothers; schol. Pind. O. 1,144), or the son of Atreus and Cleola born in exile in Macestus (Triphylia), father of Agamemnon and Menelaus [1] (schol. Eur. Or. 4), or husband of Aërope and father by her of Agamemnon and…

[German version] A  paean to  Asclepius in dactyls preserved in an inscription from Erythrae [2] ( c. 380-360 BC), sung by the community during the sacrifice in the Asclepius cult as an appeal for good health; the inscription contains three other paeans with cult directions. Probably composed as early as the 5th cent. BC, the paean remained popular (numerous inscriptions) in many places until the Imperial period.  Metre Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) Bibliography F. Graf, Nordion. Kulte, 1985, 250-257 L. Käppel, Paian, 1992, 189-200; 370-374 (with text, translation, bibliography).

[German version] (Μῆτις/ mêtis, literally ‘cleverness’, ‘clever advice’). M. first appears as an attribute of Zeus ( Mētíeta‘ gifted with wisdom’, e.g. Hom. Il. 1,175 etc.) and is personified as a goddess for the first time in Hes. Theog. 358 as one of the daughters of Oceanus. She becomes the first wife of Zeus (ibid. 886ff.). But Gaia and Uranus warn Zeus that M. will bear dangerously clever children and advise him to swallow her. By doing this he prevents the birth of a son, but not the birth of Athena, who u…

[German version] (Οὐρανός, Lat. Uranus). Divine personification of the sky, treated by Hesiodus (Theog. 126-128) as a mythical figure. U. is born of Gaia, the earth, without the contribution of a father, 'so that he may wrap her up and the gods have a permanent seat in him' (ibid.). After that, U. begets the Uraniones with Gaia (ibid. 424; 486), namely the Titans, including Kronos, Zeus' father. As a result, U. is the progenitor of the gods (ibid. 44 f.; 105 f.). The Cyclopes and the Hekatoncheires …

[German version] From Sparta, presumably 6th cent. BC. Author of  paeans, which were performed at the Gymnopaedia together with the songs of  Thaletas and  Alcman (Sosibius FGrHist 595 F 5). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)

[German version] (Πειθώ; Peithṓ). Greek personification of 'persuasion', especially of erotic persuasion, hence a frequent epithet of Aphrodite. Daughter of Oceanus, spouse of Phoroneus or of Argus [I 1] (Hes. Theog. 349; schol. Eur. Phoen. 1116; schol. Eur. Or. 1239). Although unknown in Homer's work, P. appears in Hesiod's writings (Hes. Erg. 73; Hes. Theog. 573) during the making of Pandora together with the Charites. Sappho fr. 200 V. makes her one of the Charites, Aeschylus makes her daughter …

[German version] (Doric, later generally widespread Παιάν/ Paián; epic Παιήων/ Paiḗōn; Ionic-Attic Παιών/ Paiṓn; Aeolian Πάων/ Páōn; Lat. paean). Term for a Greek song genre as well as a god, later an epithet for various gods. The etymology of the word is obscure [1; 2; 3]. Modern treatises on the song genre paean usually make the identity of the name for the song and the god the starting-point of their considerations. Either the god was a personification of the call [4; 5] drawn from the impersonal cry ἰὴ παιάν ( iḕ paián) or there was originally a god Paean to whom the cry ἰὴ Παιάν ( iḕ Paián) was …

[German version] (Μύσιος/ Mýsios). Mythical Argive who received the goddess Demeter as a guest and was said to have erected a temple in her honour on the road from Argos to Mycene (Paus. 2,35,4). A festival held in Demeter's grove near Pellene, the Mysaeum, was also founded by him: the so-called Mysia (Paus. 7,27,9, cf. 2,18,3) [1]. Käppel, Lutz (Kiel) Bibliography 1 Nilsson, Feste, 327.

[German version] (Πόντος; Póntos). Greek personification of the sea (cf. Oceanus, Uranus), born of Ge/Gaia without spouse (Hes. Theog. 132); with her, P. fathered Ceto, Eurybia, Nereus, Phorcys and Thaumas (ibid. 233-239). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)

[German version] (Μελικέρτης; Melikértēs). Mythical son of Athamas and Ino. Threatened by Athamas, Ino jumps with M. from a cliff into the sea (Eur. Med. 1284 ff.; Ov. Met. 4,48 1 ff.; schol. Lycophr. 229). She becomes Leucothea, M. Palaemon. Sisyphos, king of Corinth, finds his body at the Isthmus of Corinth and buries him. Leucothea and Palaemon are henceforth regarded as saviours for those in distress at sea. In Corinth, M./Palaemon was worshipped in cult; the Isthmian Games ( Isthmia) were supposedly founded for him (Paus. 2,1,3). It is doubtful whether M. is the Greek form of Melqart. Kä…

[German version] (Φήμιος/ Phḗmios). Mythical singer (next to Demodocus [1]) on Ithaca, son of Terpius. He sang to Penelope's suitors, among other things, about the returning home of the Greeks from Troy (Nostoi, Epic cycle); Odysseus spared him (Hom. Od. 22,330-380). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)

[German version] (Μ(ε)ιξοπάρθενος; M(e)ixopárthenos). Mythical mixed creature: half girl, half snake, identical to Echidna. Apart from that, M. is also used as an epithet of the Sphinx (Eur. Phoen. 1023; Hdt. 4,9,1) and Scylla (Lykophr. 669). Käppel, Lutz (Kiel)