Simoeis or Simois ( grc, Σιμόεις ''Simóeis'') was a river of the

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

plain, now called the Dümruk Su (Dümrek Çayı), and the name of its god in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

River

The Simoeis was a small river of the

ancient Troad The Troad ( or ; el, Τρωάδα, ''Troáda'') or Troas (; grc, Τρῳάς, ''Trōiás'' or , ''Trōïás'') is a historical region in northwestern Anatolia. It corresponds with the Biga Peninsula ( Turkish: ''Biga Yarımadası'') in the � ...

, having its source in Mount Ida, or more accurately in Mount Cotylus, which passed by

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, joined the Scamander River below that city. This river is frequently spoken of in the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'', and described as a rapid mountain torrent. The river is also noted by the ancient geographers Strabo,

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

, Stephanus of Byzantium,

Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman geographer. He was born in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nearly to the year 1500. It occupies less ...

, and

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

. Its present course is so altered that it is no longer a tributary of the Scamander, but flows directly into the Hellespont.

Family

Like other river-gods, Simoeis was the son of Oceanus and Tethys. Simoeis had two daughters who were married into the Trojan royal family. One daughter,

Astyoche The name Astyoche (; Ancient Greek: Ἀστυόχη means 'possessor of the city') or Astyocheia was attributed to the following individuals in Greek mythology: *Astyoche, naiad daughter of the river god Simoeis, mother of Tros by Erichthonius ...

, was married to Erichthonius, and the other daughter,

Hieromneme In Greek mythology, Hieromneme (; grc, Ἱερομνήμη) was a minor naiad of Asia Minor. Her means 'memory of the holy rites' which came from ''hieros'' and ''mnêma.'' Family Hieromneme was a daughter of the river-god Simoïs, and the wife ...

was the wife of

Assaracus In Greek mythology, Assaracus (; Ancient Greek: Ἀσσάρακος ''Assarakos'') was a king of Dardania. Family Assaracus was the second son of Tros, King of Dardania by his wife Callirhoe, daughter of Scamander,Conon, ''Narrations'' 12 ...

Mythology

When the gods took sides in the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

, Simoeis supported the Trojans.

Scamander Scamander (; also Skamandros ( grc, Σκάμανδρος) or Xanthos () was a river god in Greek mythology. Etymology The meaning of this name is uncertain. The second element looks like it is derived from Greek () meaning 'of a man', but t ...

, another river who also supported the Trojans, called upon Simoeis for help in his battle against

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

''"Come to my aid with all speed, fill your streams with water from your springs, stir up all your torrents, stand high in a great wave, and rouse a mighty roar of timbers and rocks, so we can stop this savage man'' ''who in his strength is raging like the gods."'' (''
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
'', 21.311-15).

Before Simoeis could respond,

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter B ...

was able to save Achilles by subduing Scamander with flame.

Trojan descendants

References

* March, J. ''Cassell's Dictionary Of Classical Mythology''. London, 1999. {{Authority control Ancient Greek geography Potamoi Locations in the Iliad