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 ...
, the Niobids were the children of
Amphion of
Thebes and
Niobe
In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas.
Her father was the ru ...
, slain by
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= ...
and
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
because Niobe, born of the royal house of
Phrygia
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...
, had boastfully compared the greater number of her own offspring with those of
Leto, Apollo's and Artemis' mother: a classic example of ''
hubris
Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', mean ...
''.
Names
The number of Niobids mentioned most usually numbered twelve (
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
) or fourteen (
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...
and
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: ...
), but other sources mention twenty, four (
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
), or eighteen (
Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
). Generally half these children were sons, the other half daughters. The names of some of the children are mentioned; these lists vary by author:
Other different names were also mentioned, including Amyclas and Meliboea (also in Apollodorus, see below).
Manto may refer to:
People
* Mando (singer), Greek singer
* Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine
* Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto
* Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician
* Manto ...
, the seeress daughter of
Tiresias
In Greek mythology, Tiresias (; grc, Τειρεσίας, Teiresías) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph ...
, overheard Niobe's remark and bid the Theban women placate Leto, in vain. Apollo and Artemis slew all the children of Niobe with their arrows, Apollo shooting the sons, Artemis the daughters. According to some sources, however, two of the Niobids who had supplicated Leto were spared: Apollodorus gives their names as
Meliboea
In Greek mythology, Meliboea or Meliboia ( grc, Μελίβοια) was a name attributed to the following individuals:
*Meliboea, daughter of the Titan Oceanus possibly by his sister-wife Tethys. She was the Oceanid who became the mother of King ...
(Chloris) and
Amyclas In Greek mythology, Amyclas ( grc, Ἀμύκλας) refers to two individuals:
* Amyclas, a mythical king of Sparta. Pausanias, 10.9.5
*Amyclas, a Theban prince as the son of King Amphion and Niobe, daughter of Tantalus.Apollodorus, 3.5.6 He peris ...
.
Another apparent survivor is Phylomache, who is mentioned by Apollodorus as one of the two possible spouses of
Pelias.
The Niobids were buried by the gods at
Thebes.
Ovid
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
remarked that all men mourned Amphion, for the extinction of his line, but none mourned Niobe save her brother
Pelops.
Parthenius variant
In another version of the myth, the Niobids are the children of Philottus and Niobe, daughter of Assaon. When Niobe dares to argue with Leto about the beauty of her children, Leto comes up with multi-stage punishment. First, Philottus is killed while hunting. Then, her father Assaon makes advances to his own daughter, which she refuses. He invites her children to a banquet and burns them all to death. As a result of these calamities, Niobe flings herself from a rock. Assaon, reflecting over his crimes, also killed himself.
Art
Due to their appearance in the mythology of Apollo, male and female Niobids frequently appeared in classical art. One of the two ivory reliefs added to the doors of the
Temple of Apollo Palatinus
The Temple of Apollo Palatinus ('Palatine Apollo') was a temple on the Palatine Hill of ancient Rome, which was first dedicated by Augustus to his patron god Apollo. It was only the second temple in Rome dedicated to the god, after the Temple of ...
in its
Augustan rebuild depicted their death. They are also known from figurative sculpture, examples of which are to be found at the
Palazzo Massimo Palazzo Massimo may refer to:
* Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, a Renaissance palace in Rome, Italy
* Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
The National Roman Museum (Italian: ''Museo Nazionale Romano'') is a museum, with several branches in separate buildin ...
in Rome and in the group of Niobids (including Niobe sheltering one of her daughters) found in Rome in 1583 along with the ''
Wrestlers'' and brought to the
Uffizi in Florence in 1775.
Uffizi Gallery - The Portrait, Baroccio And Niobe Rooms
Gallery
File:03 2015 Niobide che sale su una roccia (scultura), I - II secolo opera romana-Galleria degli Uffizi (Firenze) Photo Paolo Villa FOTO9242.JPG, Niobid rises on a rock Galleria degli Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...
File:Firenze - Florence - Galleria degli Uffizi - Sala della Niobe 1782 - View East.jpg, The Niobe Room ( it, Sala della Niobe) at the Uffizi
Image:Niobid Sallustiani Massimo Inv72274.jpg, ''Dying Niobid'', found in the Gardens of Sallust (Palazzo Massimo Palazzo Massimo may refer to:
* Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, a Renaissance palace in Rome, Italy
* Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
The National Roman Museum (Italian: ''Museo Nazionale Romano'') is a museum, with several branches in separate buildin ...
).
Image:Niobe1.jpg, ''Niobe and her children'', ( Uffizi).
File:Andrea Camassei - The Massacre of the Niobids - WGA03791.jpg, ''The Massacre of the Niobids'' by Andrea Camassei
Andrea Camassei (November 1602 – 1649) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver mainly active in Rome under the patronage of the Barberini.
Biography
He was born in Bevagna in Umbria to parents of modest means, Angelina d' Anton Maria Ange ...
, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica or National Gallery of Ancient Art is an art museum in Rome, Italy. It is the principal national collection of older paintings in Rome – mostly from before 1800; it does not hold any antiquities. It has two ...
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
*Gaius Julius Hyginus
Gaius Julius Hyginus (; 64 BC – AD 17) was a Latin author, a pupil of the scholar Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was elected superintendent of the Palatine library by Augustus according to Suetonius' ''De Grammatic ...
, ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
* Parthenius, ''Love Romances'' translated by Sir Stephen Gaselee (1882-1943), S. Loeb Classical Library Volume 69. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. 1916.
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
*Parthenius, ''Erotici Scriptores Graeci, Vol. 1''. Rudolf Hercher. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1858
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Publius Ovidius Naso
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
, ''Metamorphoses'' translated by Brookes More (1859-1942). Boston, Cornhill Publishing Co. 1922
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Publius Ovidius Naso, ''Metamorphoses.'' Hugo Magnus. Gotha (Germany). Friedr. Andr. Perthes. 1892
Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Sextus Propertius, ''Elegies'' from ''Charm.'' Vincent Katz. trans. Los Angeles. Sun & Moon Press. 1995
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Latin text available at the same website
{{Authority control
Princes in Greek mythology
Princesses in Greek mythology
Women in Greek mythology
Theban characters in Greek mythology
Characters in Greek mythology
Deeds of Apollo
Deeds of Artemis
Leto