In
Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Theb ...
's fifth-century AD epic poem the ''
Dionysiaca'', Pyrrhus ( grc, Πύρρος, Púrrhos, fiery) is a minor figure who was punished by the goddess
Rhea for his assault of her. His short story is only mentioned in passing.
Etymology
The Greek proper name means "fiery, red-coloured" and it is derived from the word meaning fire, flame. It was especially used to denote red hair. In
Mycenaean Greek
Mycenaean Greek is the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC), before the hypothesised Dorian invasion, often cited as the '' terminus ad quem'' for th ...
the name is attested as pu-wo (
Linear B: ).
Mythology
The little-known and otherwise unattested Pyrrhus was a mortal man from
Phrygia who lusted after the goddess
Rhea, the mother of the gods, and tried to assault her. Rhea changed him into a stone immediately for his hubris.
This happened not far from the site of
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 r ...
's own transformation into a rock after she challenged another goddess,
Leto
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.Hesiod, ''Theogony'404–409/ref> ...
.
Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Theb ...
, '' Dionysiaca'
12.81-83
/ref> Pyrrhus's transformation into stone is part of a wider typical theme where a man is punished for his lust that led him to assault a goddess, in this case Rhea.
See also
* Antigone of Troy
Antigone ( ; Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) of Troy is a minor figure in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of the Trojan king Laomedon and the sister of Priam.Ovid. '' Metamophoses, Book 6.93'' The meaning of the name is, as in the case of the mascu ...
* Astynome
* Ixion
In Greek mythology, Ixion ( ; el, Ἰξίων, ''gen''.: Ἰξίονος means 'strong native') was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly.
Family
Ixion was the son of Ares, or Leonteus, or Antion and Perimele, or the not ...
* Olenus
In Greek mythology, Olenus (; Ancient Greek: Ὤλενος ''Olenos'') was the name of several individuals:
*Olenus, son of Hephaestus and father of Helike and Aex, two nurses of infant Zeus. A city in Aulis was named for him.
*Olenus, son of Ze ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Online version at Perseus.tufts project.
* Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Theb ...
, '' Dionysiaca''; translated by Rouse, W H D, I Books I-XV. Loeb Classical Library No. 344, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1940
Internet Archive
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Rhea (mythology)
Metamorphoses into inanimate objects in Greek mythology
Anatolian characters in Greek mythology
Mythological rapists