:''

Nyctimus :''Nyctimus (spider), Nyctimus'' is also a spider genus (Thomisidae) In Greek mythology, Nyctimus (Ancient Greek: Νύκτιμος ''Nyktimos'') was an Arcadia (region), Arcadian prince and the youngest of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon (ki ...

'' is also a spider genus (

Thomisidae The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of thi ...

) 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 ...

, Nyctimus (

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 ...

: Νύκτιμος ''Nyktimos'') was an

Arcadian Arcadian may refer to: * Arcadian, someone or something from, or related to: ** Arcadia (region), the ancient Greek region ** Arcadia (regional unit), the region in modern Greece ** Accademia degli Arcadi, the Italian literary academy founded in ...

prince and the youngest of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon either by the

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

Cyllene,

Nonacris Nonacris or Nonakris ( grc, Νώνακρις) was a town of ancient Arcadia in the region of Pheneatis northwest of Pheneus, situated in what is now Achaea, southern Greece. Said to be named after the wife of Lycaon, Nonacris was part of the sta ...

or by unknown woman.

Family

Nyctimus was the father of Periphetes, ancestor of Psophis, one of the possible

eponyms An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

for the city of Psophis. This can be explained by the following genealogical link: Nyctimus–Periphetes– Parthaon– Aristas– Erymanthus–

Arrhon In Greek mythology, Arrhon (Ancient Greek: Ἄρρωνος) may refer to the two different figures: * Arrhon, a Minyan prince as the son of King Clymenus (Periclymenus) of Orchomenus and Buzyge (or Budeia) and his brothers were Erginus, Azeus, P ...

–Psophis.

Mythology

Nyctimus' role in the death of Lycaon varies from source to source. One version tells that he was killed and served up as part of a feast to

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

; and was later brought back to life. Another story claims that he was the only son of Lycaon to survive the blast of thunderbolts of Zeus as a result of the interference of

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenog ...

, who quickly laid hold of his right hand and so appeased his wrath. In both versions, Nyctimus succeeds his father as king of

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

. His rule was short-lived, however, due to floods in the age of Deucalion, which some speculate was caused by the impiety of his brothers.Apollodorus
3.8.2, f.n. 1
/ref> According to Pausanias, Arcadia increased in the number on both of its cities and population and Nyktimos who was the eldest son of Lycaon possessed all the power while his other brothers founded cities on the sites they considered best.Pausanias
8.3.1
/ref>

Interpretation

Some scholars identify Lycaon with Zeus Lycaeus, Zeus in his role as god of light, who slays Nyctimus (the dark), or is succeeded by him, in allusion to the perpetual succession of night and day. The succession of Nyctimus to the throne of Arcadia was explained by Sir James George Frazier in his notes to

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'': :... we may conjecture that among the ancient Greeks or their ancestors inheritance was at one time regulated by the custom of ultimogeniture or the succession of the youngest, as to which see Folk-Lore in the Old Testament, i.429ff. In the secluded highlands of Arcadia, where ancient customs and traditions lingered long, King Lycaon is said to have been succeeded by his youngest son .e. Nyctimus''

Notes

References

, ''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, ''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
* Titus Flavius Clemens, ''Exhortation against the Pagans'' translated by Butterworth, G W. Loeb Classical Library Volume 92. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Universrity Press. 1919
Online version at theio.com
Sons of Lycaon Princes in Greek mythology Mythological kings of Arcadia Kings in Greek mythology Arcadian characters in Greek mythology Arcadian mythology

Family

Mythology

Interpretation

See also

Notes

References