Psamathe ( grc, Ψαμάθη, from ψάμαθος "sand of the sea-shore"), sometimes given only as the daughter of Crotopus, was the daughter of King Crotopus 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 ...

, who became the lover of the god

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

Etymology

Psamathe was theorized to be a sea-nymph (

nereid In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...

) by (1863) and a personification of the "sand of the sea-shore" ( el, ψάμαθος ''psamathos''), from which she derived her name.

Mythology

Psamathe was pursued and assaulted by King Aeacus of Agina. She bore him a child named Phocus ("Seal") or Linus. In one version (

Conon Conon ( el, Κόνων) (before 443 BC – c. 389 BC) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he c ...

), Psamathe abandoned the child, and although shepherds reared the foundling who was then named

Linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...

, the child was torn apart by the shepherd's dogs. In the interim, Psamathe was ordered to be killed by her father. Apollo avenged her murder by sending a plague to Argos. When consulted, Apollo demanded that Psamathe and Linus be propitiated with due honors and festivities. The Argives complied but the plague persisted. And by oracular decree, the king was forced to leave in order to found the city of Tripodiscium near Megara, where he would live out his life. In an alternate version (

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 t ...

), Psamathe

exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

the unnamed child, which was torn apart by the king's sheepdogs. Apollo then sent Poena (Greek: Poinē), the personification of punishment, upon the city. Poine would steal children from their mothers until Coroebus killed her. A hero Coroebus emerged from Argos to slay it, but Apollo then brought a plague upon the city.

, translated by Jones, W.H.S.; Ormerod, H.A., , Vol. 1. Chap. 43. para. 7–8 A version by

Statius Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; ; ) was a Greco-Roman poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving Latin poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, ...

tells this story, but does not name Psamathe, whom he only records as Crotopos's daughter. Psamathe is sometimes said to be the daughter of Nereus and Doris.

Monster

The monster is called also Poine, the personification of punishment, in

's version of the tale. It is a female monster with a snake protruding from her forehead in

's version, possibly having snake-feet ( anguipedal form) as well. The monster is also called a '' Kēr'' ( el, Κήρ "death-demon") in one poem, and a late source (9th to 11th century) labels her as one of the

Lamiai LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...

. First Vatican Mythographer, c. 9th to 11th century, cited by It is also supposed to have a human head upon a serpent's body, according to a scholiast to Ovid. The poem indicates that the ker was entombed in the city of the tripod (Tripodiscium) to stand as a monument to commemorate Psamathe, and that its slayer Coroebus is interred right underneath the monster.

Coroebus, the Argive

Coroebus of

slew Poine, in Pausanias's version. Thereupon Apollo struck the city with a plague. Coroebus decided to go to Delphi to ask for punishment to befall only him, so that the city didn't have to suffer. The

Pythia Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness ...

told him to never return home, but to take up a tripod and carry it until he would drop it, then settle on the spot where it would happen. The tripod slipped out of his hands as he had reached the

Geraneia Geraneia Mountains or Yerania Ori ( el, Γεράνεια Όρη) are a mountain range in Corinthia and West Attica, Greece. Its highest point is the peak ''Makryplagi'' ( el, Μακρυπλάγι), elevation 1,351 m. It covers the northern part of ...

n Mountains, where he founded a town known as Tripodiskoi ("Little Tripods"). The tomb of Coroebus was shown in Megara. The hero named Coroebus does not appear in the version according to Conon.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * {{Refend Women of Apollo Princesses in Greek mythology