In
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 ...
, Aphareus (
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
: Ἀφαρεύς), was a
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...
n king.
Family
Aphareus was the son of
Gorgophone
In Greek mythology, Gorgophone ( grc, Γοργοφόνη "Gorgon-Slayer") was the name of two different women.
* Gorgophone, daughter of Perseus.
* Gorgophone, a Libyan princess as one of the 50 Danaïdes. She married and murdered Proteus, son of ...
and
Perieres In Greek mythology, Perieres ( grc, Περιήρης) may refer to these two distinct individuals.
* Perieres, king of Messenia and son of Aeolus.
* Perieres, Theban charioteer of Menoeceus (father of Creon). He was the one who wounded Clymenus, ...
and brother of
Leucippus
Leucippus (; el, Λεύκιππος, ''Leúkippos''; fl. 5th century BCE) is a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who has been credited as the first philosopher to develop a theory of atomism.
Leucippus' reputation, even in antiquity, was obscured ...
. He was the husband of
Arene
Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping ...
(Arena or Arenae), daughter of
Oebalus
In Greek mythology, Oebalus, also spelled Oibalus or Oibalius, (; Ancient Greek: Οἴβαλος, '' Oíbalos'') was a king of Sparta.
Family
Oibalus was the son of either Cynortas or Argalus. He was the second husband of Princess Gorgophone ...
, and by her fathered
Lynceus
In Greek mythology, Lynceus (; grc, Λυγκεύς, Lynkeús, lynx-eyed) was a king of Argos, succeeding Danaus on the throne.
Family
Lynceus was named as a descendant of Belus through his father Aegyptus, who was the twin brother of Danau ...
,
Idas
In Greek mythology, Idas (; grc, Ἴδας, Ídas), was a Messenian prince. He was one of the Argonauts, a participant in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar and contender with the gods. Idas was described as keen and spirited.Hyginus, ''Fabulae ...
and
Peisus (Pisus), though some report that Idas' actual father was
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...
while Pisus was identified as the son of his father Perieres and thus his brother according to another author. Some called Aphareus' wife to be
Polydora
Polydora (; grc, Πολυδώρᾱ in Attic and in Ionic, means 'many-gifts' or 'the shapely') was the name of several characters in Greek mythology:
*Polydora, the 'handsome' Oceanid, one of the 3,000 water-nymph daughters of the Titans ...
or
Laocoosa. The
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
''Apharetidae'', derived from the name of Aphareus, is sometimes used to refer to Idas and Lynceus collectively.
Mythology
It is said that Aphareus together with his brother Leucippus inherited their father's kingdom upon his death, but the former kept the greater authority than the latter. Aphareus was credited with founding the city Arene in
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...
, which was named after his wife.
When
Hippocoon In Greek mythology, the name Hippocoön (; grc, Ἱπποκόων, ''Hippokóōn'') refers to several characters:
*Hippocoon, in one account, father of Neleus, who is otherwise called son of Cretheus or Poseidon.
*Hippocoon, a Spartan king, fathe ...
usurped the throne of
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
,
Tyndareus
In Greek mythology, Tyndareus (; Ancient Greek: Τυνδάρεος, ''Tundáreos''; Attic Greek, Attic: Τυνδάρεως, ''Tundáreōs''; ) was a Spartan king.
Family
Tyndareus was the son of Oebalus (or Perieres (king of Messenia), Perieres ...
fled to his brother Aphareus in Messenia where he settled in
Thalamae and while living there, children were born to him.
Aphareus received into his house his cousin
Neleus
Neleus (; Ancient Greek: Νηλεύς) was a mythological king of Pylos. In some accounts, he was also counted as an Argonaut instead of his son, Nestor.
Family
Neleus was the son of Poseidon and Tyro. According to Pausanias, Neleus was the so ...
, who had been driven out of
Iolcus
Iolcus (; also rendered ''Iolkos'' ; grc, Ἰωλκός and Ἰαωλκός; grc-x-doric, Ἰαλκός; ell, Ιωλκός) is an ancient city, a modern village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local gove ...
by
Pelias
Pelias ( ; Ancient Greek: Πελίας) was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology. He was the one who sent Jason on the quest for the Golden Fleece.
Family
Pelias was the son of Tyro and Poseidon. His wife is recorded as either Anaxibia, daughter ...
, and assigned to him a tract of land in the maritime part of Messenia, where the main city was
Pylos
Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...
. In the same fashion, Aphareus also welcomed in Arene the exiled
Lycus, son of
Pandion who fled from his brother Aegeus in Athens. Lycus then revealed the rites of
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
to Aphareus and his family.
[Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio'' 4.2.4-6]
After the death of his sons, Idas and Lynceus with their fight against the
Dioscuri
Castor; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, f ...
, the Messenian kingdom was bereft of male descendants and thus,
Nestor, son of Neleus obtained the whole land including all the part ruled formerly by Idas, but not that subject (
Tricca
Tricca or Trikka ( grc, Τρίκκη or Τρίκκα) was a city and polis (city-state) of ancient Thessaly in the district Histiaeotis, standing upon the left bank of the Peneius, and near a small stream called Lethaeus. This city is said to ha ...
) to the sons of
Asclepius
Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...
,
Machaon and
Podalirius
In Greek mythology, Podalirius or Podaleirius or Podaleirios ( grc, Ποδαλείριος) was a son of Asclepius.
Description
In the account of Dares the Phrygian, Podalirius was illustrated as ". . .sturdy, strong, haughty, and moody."
...
.
[Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio'' 4.3.1 ]
Notes
References
*
Apollodorus
Apollodorus (Ancient Greek, Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: ...
, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to:
*Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium''
*Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC
*Pausanias of Sicily, physician of th ...
, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. {{ISBN, 0-674-99328-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Theocritus
Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.
Life
Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from hi ...
, ''Idylls'' from ''The Greek Bucolic Poets t''ranslated by Edmonds, J M. Loeb Classical Library Volume 28. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Univserity Press. 1912
Online version at theoi.com
* Theocritus, ''Idylls'' edited by R. J. Cholmeley, M.A. London. George Bell & Sons. 1901
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
External links
Aphareus Poems Princes in Greek mythology
Kings in Greek mythology
Messenian characters in Greek mythology