Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, Anaxagoras ( el, Αναξαγόρας) was a king of

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses * ...

and son of either

Megapenthes In Greek mythology, Megapenthes (; Ancient Greek: Μεγαπένθης ''Megapénthēs'' means "great sorrow") is a name that refers to two characters: * Megapenthes, a son of Proetus. * Megapenthes, a son of Menelaus.Pausanias, 3.19.9 Notes ...

or his son Argeus.

Mythology

The prince, Anaxagoras' son, suffered from a strange malady and the king offered a reward for anybody that could heal him.

Melampus In Greek mythology, Melampus (; grc, Μελάμπους, ''Melampous'') was a legendary soothsayer and healer, originally of Pylos, who ruled at Argos. He was the introducer of the worship of Dionysus, according to Herodotus, who asserted th ...

, a local seer, killed an ox and talked to the

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

s that came to eat the corpse. The vultures said the last time they had such a feast was when the king made a sacrifice. They told Melampus that the prince had been frightened of the big, bloody knife and the king tossed it aside to calm the child. It had hit a tree and injured a

hamadryad A hamadryad (; grc, αμαδρυάδα, hamadryáda) is a Greek mythological being that lives in trees. It is a particular type of dryad which, in turn, is a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a certain tree. Some maintain t ...

, who cursed the prince with the sickness. The hamadryad told Melampus that the boy would be healed if the knife was taken out of the trunk of the tree and boiled, then the rusty water that resulted drunk by the prince. Melampus followed her directions and demanded two thirds of the kingdom for himself, and one third for his brother,

Bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...

. The king ultimately agreed. When the women of Argos were driven mad by Dionysus, in the reign of Anaxagoras, Melampus was brought in to cure them, but demanded a third of the kingdom as payment. The king refused, but the women became wilder than ever, and he was forced to seek out Melampus again, who this time demanded both a third for himself and another third for his brother Bias. Sometimes, this story is told not of Anaxagoras, but of his grandfather,

Proetus In Greek mythology, Proetus (; Ancient Greek: Προῖτος ''Proitos'') may refer to the following personages: *Proetus, king of Argos and Tiryns, son of Abas and twin brother of Acrisius. *Proetus, a prince of Corinth as the son of Prince T ...

. Anaxagoras was succeeded by his son

Alector Alector (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλέκτωρ) refers to more than one person in classical mythology and history: *Alector, son of Magnes and Meliboea, eponyms of Magnesia and the town of Meliboea respectively. *Alector, the Boeotian father of Leitu ...

. His house lasted longer than those of Bias and Melampus, and eventually the kingdom was reunited under its last member,

Cylarabes Cylarabes (; el, Κυλαράβης), or Cylarabos, or Cylasabos, son of Sthenelus, was a mythological king of Argos. Mythology He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father. During his reign Argos was finally reunited after having bee ...

.Biblothec
1.92.2
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References

Kings of Argos Abantiades (mythology) {{Greek-myth-stub Characters in Greek mythology