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[German version] (Βρισηίς; Brisēís). Prisoner of war and beloved of  Achilles who carried her off as booty in Lyrnessus (Mysia) after he had slain her husband and three brothers (Hom. Il. 2,688-693; 19,291-297). According to Il. 9,128-134; 270-276 (with schol. Il. 1,366), B. was one of seven girls whom Achilles had captured on Lesbos. In schol. Il. 1,392, B. is called Hippodamia. According to the Cypria, B. came from Pedasus in the Troad, another town that had been conquered by Achilles (schol. Il.…

(Διοκλῆς; Dioklês). [German version] [1] Hero in Megara Hero in Megara. He supposedly died in battle, bravely covering a youth with his shield. At his grave boys competed for who could give the sweetest kiss. This agon, which took place every spring, was called Dioclea (Schol. Pind. Ol. 7,157; 13,156a; Theoc. 12,27-33 with Schol.: Aition). Perhaps the kisses represented farewell kisses repeated in the cult of the hero ([1]; to the contrary [2]). According to Schol. Aristoph. Ach.774 the agon was founded…

(Ἠριδανός/ Ēridanós, Latin Eridanus). [German version] [1] Personification of a river in the west of France or Spain Mythical river in the (north) west (northern Italy, south of France or Spain), son of  Oceanus and  Tethys (Hes. Theog. 338).  Phaeon plunged into the E. from his sun wagon and his sisters ( Heliades) were turned into black poplars on the banks of the E., and their tears into amber (Eur. Hipp. 736-741; Ov. Met. 2,324; 365; Hyg. Fab. 152; 154). Since Hesiod, the E. is associated with the creation of…

[German version] (Βότρης; Bótrēs). Son of the Theban Eumelus. When the latter, in B.'s presence, is about to sacrifice a sheep to Apollo, B. eats the animal's brains before it is placed on the altar. Thereupon his father strikes him with a firebrand. Apollo, however, takes pity on him and turns him into the bird, Aeropus (Bee-eater), which broods in an underground nest and continually seeks to fly (Ant. Lib. 18). Bloch, René (Berne)

[German version] Trojan, eponymous forefather of the  Elymi. He came to Sicily either with Aegestus (Dion. Hal. Ant. Rom. 1,47; 52f.; Tzetz. schol. Lycoph. 965) or Aeneas (Str.13,1,53), and settled in the region around the  Eryx. Virgil, who refers to him as Helymus, depicts him as the winner in a competition (Verg. Aen. 5,73; 323). According to Serv. Aen. 5,73, he was the founder of the cities of Asca, Entella, and Egesta. Bloch, René (Berne)

[German version] (Ἐλεφήνωρ; Elephḗnōr). Son of Chalcodon, grandson of Abas and king of the  Abantes on Euboea. He was one of Helena's suitors (Apollod. 3,130) and the leader of the Abantes against Troy (Hom. Il. 2,540-541). He was expelled from Euboea following the accidental killing of his grandfather; for that reason, he was only able to call the Abantes to battle by shouting from a cliff top near Euboea (Lycoph. 1034 with Tzetz.). The sons of Theseus were among those who followed him to Troy (Paus. 1,17,6). E. was killed by  Agenor [5] (Hom. Il. 4,463-469). Bloch, René (Berne) Bibliography…

[German version] (Βατίεια, Βάτεια; Batíeia, Báteia). Hill in front of the Scaean Gate of Troy between Scamander and Simois where the Trojans lined up for battle. The gods called it the ‘grave mound of far-jumping Myrina’ (Hom. Il. 2,811-815). Because of the epithet, B. was thought to be an Amazon (Str. 12,573). Lycophron designates the place itself as Myrina (Lycoph. 243). B. was supposedly the daughter of the first Trojan King Teucer and of the nymph Idaea, and the wife of Dardanus (Dion. Hal. Ant. Rom. 1,62; Apollod. 3,139; Hellanicus FGrH g 4 F24; Diod. Sic. 4,75). Bloch, René (Berne) Bibli…

[German version] (Ἐργῖνος; Ergînos). Mythical king of Orchomenus in Boeotia, son of Clymenus and  Budeia or Buzyge. When Menoeceus' chariot driver, the Theban Perieres, killed E.'s father during the feast of Poseidon, E. made Thebes pay tributes. The young Hercules, however, liberated Thebes from this tribute in a fight in which E. was defeated (Paus. 9,17,1-4; 37,1-4; schol. Il. 16,572; Apollod. 2,67-69; Eur. HF 220-221; Diod. Sic. 4,10,5). The fight of E. against Hercules is depicted on a Hadrian…

(Δόλιος; Dólios). [German version] [1] Epithet of Hermes ‘The cunning’, epithet of Hermes (Aristoph. Thesm. 1202; Soph. Phil. 133; Cornutus 16). On the road to Pellene there stood a statue of Hermes D. (Paus. 7,27,1). Bloch, René (Berne) [German version] [2] Old slave of Penelope Old slave of  Penelope, who looked after her garden on Ithaca for her (Hom. Od. 4,735-741; 24,222). He put his sons at Odysseus' disposal for the battle with the relatives of the slain suitors (Hom. Od. 24,386-411; 492-501). According to Hom. Od. 17,212; 18,321f. …

(Ἠριγόνη; Ērigónē). Name of two similar figures of Attic mythology: [German version] [1] Suicide, daughter of Icarius, welcomer of Dionysus Daughter of  Icarius, who had given Dionysus a hospitable reception and, for this, had received as a present the knowledge of making wine. When Icarius, on behalf of Dionysus, tried to introduce viticulture, he was killed by the farmers who thought they had been poisoned after they had drunk unblended wine. E. was led to her father's body by the dog Maera and thereupon hanged h…

(Εὔνηος; Eúnēos). [German version] [1] Great-grandson of Dionysus, warrior on both fronts in the Trojan War Lemnian ruler, son of Hypsipyle ( Lemnian women) and of Jason (Apollod. 1,115; Hyg. Fab. 15), brother of  Thoas [2], grandson of  Thoas [1] and great-grandson of  Dionysus. In the Trojan War he assisted both the Achaeans and the Trojans. While he was sending wine-laden ships to the former (Hom. Il 7,467-469), he bought freedom for Priamus' son Lycaon who was a prisoner of war (Hom. Il 23,746-747). ─ In Athens there was a ‘musicians' guild’ ( génos musikṓn) by the name of Euneidai …

[German version] (Δαμναμενεύς; Damnameneús). One of the  Daktyloi Idaioi who invented the technique of forging iron (Phoronis fr. 2,3 EpGF = fr. 2,3 PEG I; Str. 10,3,22). Bloch, René (Berne)

[German version] (Εὐθύφρων; Euthýphrōn). Athenian seer, a character in Plato's eponymous dialogue: Socrates, who has been summoned to court, meets E., who wants to see his father prosecuted for manslaughter by criminal negligence, because he has allowed a slave to die who had been guilty of murder. Socrates' reservations about this way of action lead to a debate on the nature of piety. E. is also mentioned in Pl. Crat. 396d; 399e; 428c. Bloch, René (Berne) Bibliography M. L. McPherran, Socratic Piety in the E., in: H. H. Benson (ed.), Essays on the Philosophy of Socrates, 1992, 220-241 A. …

[German version] Mythical founder of Tibur (Hor. Carm. 1,18,2; Sil. 4,225; Stat. Silv. 1,3,100). According to Cato (Orig. fr. 56 in Solin. 2,7) he was an Arcadian and fleet commander of Euander. A certain Sextius considered him to be an Argive (Solin. 2,7). He was the son of an Argive seer  Amphiaraus and upon the behest of his grandfather he moved to Italy as   ver sacrum . His three sons Tiburtus (Tibur/Tiburnus), Coras and C. drove the Sicans out of their town and then called it Tibur (Solin. ibid; Verg. Aen. 7,670 with Serv.; Hor. Carm. 2,6,5; Plin. HN 16,237). Bloch, René (Berne)

[German version] The personification and deification of harmony analogous to the Greek  Homonoia (Cic. Nat. D. 2,61; ThlL, Onom. 2, 555-558 s.v. C.). C. is attested on one of the pocula deorum ( Cucordia. pocolo) [1]. Worship of c. is attested in Rome from the 4th cent. BC. The decisive phases in her history are associated with the search for internal unity (cf. the concordia ordinum). A first temple was allegedly dedicated to her in the northwest corner of the Forum in 367 BC by  Camillus to celebrate the end of the ‘struggle of the orders’ (Plut. Camillus 4…

A popular cognomen in the Imperial Age, attested with certainty from the 1st cent. AD (ThlL, Onom. 2,133ff.). [German version] [1] Christian in AD 200 Christian in c. AD 200, author of various lost treatise about the Hexaemeron (Eus. HE 5,27; Jer. vir. ill. 48). Meier, Mischa (Bielefeld) [German version] [2] A follower of the Gnostic Valentinianus, 3rd cent. AD A follower of the Gnostic Valentinianus; in c. AD 230, he had a public dispute with  Origen, who accused him of retrospectively falsifying the records (Rufin. Apol. Orig. epil. = PG 17,625; Hier. Adv. Ru…

(Ἴναχος; Ínachos; etymology unresolved). [German version] [1] Progenitor of the Argive royal house Son of  Oceanus and of  Tethys, who gave the main river of  Argus [II] and of  Argolis their names (schol. Eur. Or. 932). First king of Argus (Acusilaus, FGrH 2 F 23c) and progenitor of the Argive kings and heroes (‘Inachids’: Eur. IA 1088). In the argument between Poseidon and Hera about Argus, I. decides in favour of the goddess and introduces her cult, which causes Poseidon to dry up his river (Paus. 2,15,4-…

[German version] (Διώνη; Diṓnē, cf. Ζεύς, Διός; Zeús, Diós). Perhaps Zeus' original wife [1], though she was already replaced by  Hera in Mycenaean times (cf. PY Tn 316). A coin from Epirus [2] shows an enthroned D., with Zeus on the verso; in the Zeus sanctuary at  Dodona, she was worshipped alongside Zeus [3].  Aphrodite was also regarded as the daughter of the two (Hom. Il. 5,370; Eur. Hel. 1098; [4]; Theoc. Id. 15,106; 17,36; cf. Pl. Symp. 180d). In Cic. Nat. D. 3,23, D. is the mother of the third V…

[German version] (Edula, Edusa, Edulia). Roman ‘special deity’ ( Indigitamenta), which, according to Varro (antiquitates rerum divinarum 114 Cardauns) was named in Christian Polemic (Tert. Ad nat. 2,11,8: Edula; Aug. Civ. 4,34; 6,9) together with  Potina. According to Varro in Non. 151, E. ( Edusa) supposedly watched over the food for the children. Sacrifices were made to her when children had their first meal. In Donat. Ter. Phorm. 1,1,15, her name is Edulia. According to [1], E. was originally a gens deity. Bloch, René (Berne) Bibliography 1 F. Altheim, Röm. Religionsgesch. 1,…

(Ἐπικάστη; Epikástē). [German version] [1] Daughter of Augeias Daughter of  Augeias; mother of Thestalos (Thessalus) by Hercules (Apollod. 2,166). Bloch, René (Berne) [German version] [2] see Iocaste, mother and wife of Oedipus see  Iocaste, mother and wife of  Oedipus (Hom. Od. 11,271; Apollod. 3,48). Bloch, René (Berne)