Information about Muses are found at Helicon Mountain
Thespeia participated in the Trojan War and is listed in the Homeric Catalogue of Ships (Il. 2.498). It was famous for the Temple of Eros (= Love) and the Muses.
Thespius (Thespios), a son of Erectheus, who, according to some, founded the town of Thespiae in Boeotia (Paus. ix. 26.4; Diod. iv. 29; comp. Schol. ad Hom. Il. ii. 948; Apollod. ii. 7.8). His descendants are called Thespiades (Apollod. ii. 4.10; Senec. Herc. Oet. 369), which name is also given to the Muses (Ov. Met. v. 310.).
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited April 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Descendant of Erechtheus, king of Thespiae, his fifty daughters have intercourse with Herakles, purifies Herakles, Herakles instructs him as to his sons, sons of Herakles by the daughters of.
Thespeia, a daughter of Asopus , from whom the town of Thespiae in Boeotia derived its name. (Paus. ix. 26.4)
Of the gods the Thespians have from the beginning honored Love most, and they have a very ancient image of him, an unwrought stone. Who established among the Thespians the custom of worshipping Love more than any other god I do not know (Paus. 9.27.1).
Eros, in Latin Amor, the god of love. In the sense in which he
is usually conceived, Eros is the creature of the later Greek poets; and in order
to understand the ancients properly we must distinguish three Erotes: viz. the
Eros of the ancient cosmogonies, the Eros of the philosophers and mysteries, who
bears great resemblance to the first, and the Eros whom we meet with in the epigrammatic
and erotic poets, whose witty and playful descriptions of the god, however, can
scarcely be considered as a part of the ancient religious belief of the Greeks.
Homer does not mention Eros, and Hesiod, the earliest author that mentions him,
describes him as the cosmogonic Eros. First, says Hesiod (Theog. 120,), there
was Chaos, then came Ge, Tartarus, and Eros, the fairest among the gods, who rules
over the minds and the council of gods and men. In this account we already perceive
a combination of the most ancient with later notions. According to the former,
Eros was one of the fundamental causes in the formation of the world, inasmuch
as he was the uniting power of love, which brought order and harmony among the
conflicting elements of which Chaos consisted. In the same metaphysical sense
he is conceived by Aristotle (Metaph. i. 4) and similarly in the Orphic poetry
(Orph. Hymn. 5; comp. Aristoph. Av. 695) he is described as the first of the gods,
who sprang from the world's egg. In Plato's Symposium he is likewise called the
oldest of the gods. It is quite in accordance with the notion of the cosmogonic
Eros, that he is described as a son of Cronos and Ge, of Eileithyia, or as a god
who had no parentage, and came into existence by himself (Paus. ix. c. 27). The
Eros of later poets, on the other hand, who gave rise to that notion of the god
which is most familiar to us, is one of the youngest of all the gods (Paus. l.
c. ; Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 23). The parentage of the second Eros is very differently
described, for he is called a son of Aphrodite (either Aphrodite Urania or Aphrodite
Pandemos), or Polymnia, or a son of Porus and Penia, who was begotten on Aphrodite's
birthday (Plat. l. c. ; Sext. Emp. adv. Math. i. 540). According to other genealogies,
again, Eros was a son of Hermes by Artemis or Aphrodite, or of Ares by Aphrodite
(Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 23), or of Zephyrus and Iris (Plut. Amal. 20; Eustath.
ad Hom. p. 555), or, lastly, a son of Zeus by his own daughter Aphrodite, so that
Zeus was at once his father and grandfather (Virg. Cir. 134). Eros in this stage
is always conceived and was always represented as a handsome youth, and it is
not till about after the time of Alexander the Great that Eros is represented
by the epigrammatists and the erotic poets as a wanton boy, of whom a thousand
tricks and cruel sports are related, and from whom neither gods nor men were safe.
He is generally described as a son of Aphrodite; but as love finds its way into
the hearts of men in a manner which no one knows, the poets sometimes describe
him as of unknown origin (Theocrit. xiii. 2), or they say that he had indeed a
mother, but not a father (Meleagr. Epigr. 50). In this stage Eros has nothing
to do with uniting the discordant elements of the universe, or the higher sympathy
or love which binds human kind together; but he is purely the god of sensual love,
who bears sway over the inhabitants of Olympus as well as over men and all living
creatures: he tames lions and tigers, breaks the thunderbolts of Zeus, deprives
Heracles of his arms, and carries on his sport with the monsters of the sea (Orph.
Hymn. 57 ; Virg. Eclog. x. 29; Mosch. Idyll. vi. 10; Theocrit. iii. 15). His arms,
consisting of arrows, which he carries in a golden quiver, and of torches, no
one can touch with impunity (Mosch. Idyll. vi.; Theocrit. xxiii. 4; Ov. Trist.
v. 1, 22). His arrows are of different power: some are golden, and kindle love
in the heart they wound; others are blunt and heavy with lead, and produce aversion
to a lover (Ov. Met. i. 468; Eurip. Iphig. Aul. 548). Eros is further represented
with golden wings, and as fluttering about like a bird (Comp. Eustath. ad Hom.
p. 987). His eyes are sometimes covered, so that he acts blindly (Theocrit. x.
20). He is the usual companion of his mother Aphrodite, and poets and artists
represent him, moreover, as accompanied by such allegorical beings as Pothos,
Himeros, Dionysus, Tyche, Peitho, the Charites or Muses (Pind. Ol. i. 41; Anacr.
xxxiii. 8; Hesiod, Theog. 201; Paus. vi. 24.5, vii. 26.3, i. 43.6). His statue
and that of Hermes usually stood in the Greek gymnasia (Athen. xiii. p. 551; Eustath.
ad Hom. p. 1596).
We must especially notice the connexion of Eros with Anteros, with
which persons usually connect the notion of "Love returned". But originally Anteros
was a being opposed to Eros, and fighting against him (Paus. i. 30.1, vi. 23.4).
This conflict, however, was also conceived as the rivalry existing between two
lovers, and Anteros accordingly punished those who did not return the love of
others; so that he is the avenging Eros, or a deus ultor (Paus. i. 30.1; Ov. Met.
xiii. 750; Plat. Phaedr.). The number of Erotes (Amores and Cupidines) is playfully
extended ad libitum by later poets, and these Erotes are described either as sons
of Aphrodite or of nymphs. Among the places distinguished for their worship
of Eros, Thespiae in Boeotia stands foremost: there his worship was very ancient,
and the old representation of the god was a rude stone (Paus. ix. 27.1), to which
in later times, however, the most exquisite works of art were added (Eustath.
ad Hom. p. 266). At Thespiae a quinquennial festival, the Erotidia or Erotia,
were celebrated in honour of the god (Paus. l. c.; Athen. xiii. p. 561). Besides
Sparta, Samos,
and Parion on the Hellespont,
he was also worshipped at Athens,
where he had an altar at the entrance of the Academy
(Paus. i. 30.1). At Megara
his statue, together with those of I imeros and Pothos, stood in the temple of
Aphrodite (Paus. i. 43.6, comp. iii. 26.3, vi. 24.5, vii. 26.3). Among the things
sacred to Eros, and which frequently appear with him in works of art, we may mention
the rose, wild beasts which are tamed by him, the hare, the cock, and the ram.
Eros was a favourite subject with the ancient statuaries, but his representation
seems to have been brought to perfection by Praxiteles, who conceived him as a
full-grown youth of the most perfect beauty (Lucian, Am. ii. 17; Plin. H. N. xxxvi.
4, 5). In later times artists followed the example of poets, and represented him
as a little boy.Respecting the connexion between Eros and Psyche, see below Psyche.
Psyche (Psuche), that is, "breath" or "the soul", occurs in the
later times of antiquity, as a personification of the human soul, and Apuleius
(Met. iv. 28), relates about her the following beautiful allegoric story. Psyche
was the youngest of the three daughters of some king, and excited by her beauty
the jealousy and envy of Venus. In order to avenge herself, the goddess ordered
Amor to inspire Psyche with a love for the most contemptible of all men: but Amor
was so stricken with her beauty that he himself fell in love with her. He accordingly
conveyed her to some charming place, where he, unseen and unknown, visited her
every night, and left her as soon as the day began to dawn. Psyche might have
continued to have enjoyed without interruption this state of happiness, if she
had attended to the advice of her beloved, never to give way to her curiosity,
or to inquire who he was. But her jealous sisters made her believe that in the
darkness of night she was embracing some hideous monster, and accordingly once,
while Amor was asleep, she approached him with a lamp, and, to her amazement,
she beheld the most handsome and lovely of the gods. In her excitement of joy
and fear, a drop of hot oil fell from her lamp upon his shoulder. This awoke Amor,
who censured her for her mistrust, and escaped. Psyche's peace was now gone all
at once, and after having attempted in vain to throw herself into a river, she
wandered about from temple to temple, inquiring after her beloved, and at length
came to the palace of Venus. There her real sufferings began, for Venus retained
her, treated her as a slave, and inmposed upon her the hardest and most humiliating
labours. Psyche would have perished under the weight of her sufferings, had not
Amor, who still loved her in secret, invisibly comforted and assisted her in her
labours. With his aid she at last succeeded in overcoming the jealousy and hatred
of Venus; she became immortal, and was united with him for ever. It is not difficult
to recognise in this lovely story the idea of which it is merely the mythical
embodiment, for Psyche is evidently the human soul, which is purified by passions
and misfortunes, and is thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure happiness.In
works of art Psyche is represented as a maiden with the wings of a butterfly,
along with Amor in the different situations described in the allegoric story.
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited April 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Eros. The god of love among the Greeks. His name does not occur in Homer;
but in Hesiod (Theog. 120 foll.) he is the fairest of the deities, who subdues
the hearts of both gods and men. He is born from Chaos at the same time as the
Earth and Tartarus, and is the comrade of Aphrodite from the moment of her birth.
Hesiod conceives Eros not merely as the god of sensual love, but as a power which
forms the world by inner union of the separated elements--an idea very prevalent
in antiquity, especially among the philosophers. According to the later and commoner
notion, Eros was the youngest of the gods, generally the son of Aphrodite by Ares
or Hermes, always a child, thoughtless and capricious. He is as irresistible as
fair, and has no pity even for his own mother. Zeus, the father of gods and men,
arms him with golden wings, and with bow and unerring arrows, or burning torches.
Anteros, the god of mutual love, is his brother, and his companions are Pothos
and Himeros, the personifications of longing and desire, with Peitho (Persuasion),
the Muses, and the Graces. In later times he is surrounded by a crowd of similar
beings, Erotes or Loves.
One of the chief and oldest seats of his worship was Thespiae
in Boeotia. Here was his most ancient image, a rough, unhewn stone. His festival,
the Erotia or Erotidia, continued till the time of the Roman Empire to be celebrated
every fifth year with much ceremony, accompanied by gymnastic and musical contests.
Besides this he received special honour and worship in the gymnasia, where his
statue generally stood near those of Hermes and Heracles. In the gymnasia, Eros
was the personification of devoted friendship and love between youths and men;
the friendship which proved itself active and helpful in battle and bold adventure.
This was the reason why the Spartans and Cretans sacrificed to Eros before a battle,
and the sacred band of youths at Thebes was dedicated to him; why a festival of
freedom (Eleutheria) was held at Samos in his honour, as the god who bound men
and youths together in the struggle for honour and freedom; and why at Athens
he was worshipped as the liberator of the city, in memory of Harmodius and Aristogiton.
In works of art Eros was usually represented as a beautiful boy, close upon the
age of youth. In later times he also appears as a child with the attributes of
a bow and arrows, or burning torches, and in a great variety of situations. The
most celebrated statues of this god were by Lysippus, Scopas, and Praxiteles whose
Eros at Thespiae was regarded as a masterpiece, and unsurpassable. The famous
torso in the Vatican, in which the god wears a dreamy, lovelorn air, is popularly,
but probably erroneously, traced to an original by Praxiteles. The Eros trying
his bow, in the Capitoline Museum at Rome, is supposed to be the copy of a work
by Lysippus. The Roman god Amor or Cupido was a mere adaptation of the Greek Eros,
and was never held in great esteem. Anteros was the brother of Eros and punished
those who did not requite the love of others (Ovid, Met.xiii. 750).
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Jan 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Eros. There are two versions of Eros's character and origin, the first making
him the oldest deity as the son of Chaos. It was Eros's creative powers that made
order emanate out of Chaos, making the creation of Earth possible.
The more popular, and later, version of Eros as that of a winged baby
or youth shooting arrows into people's and god's hearts, making them fall in love.
This is the best known image of him, and it is often believed that it was Eros
that stood model for the christian cherubs.
Aphrodite was his mother and the difference between the two is traditionally
that Eros symbolized the crazed, many times blind love, and Aphrodite more of
a deep love but also sexual lust.
One of the most famous stories of Eros is the one about the young
princess Psyche, but it is a late story told by Apuleius in the second century
AD, often called the last great myth of antiquity.
The word “erotic” is derived of Eros's name, and in Roman
mythology he was called Cupid or Amor.
This text is cited Sept 2003 from the In2Greece URL below.
Pothos, a personification of love or desire, was represented along with Eros and Himeros, in the temple of Aphrodite at Megara, by the hand of Scopas (Paus. i. 43.6; Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 4, 7).
Himeros, the personification of longing love, is first mentioned by Hesiod (Theog. 201), where he and Eros appear as the companions of Aphrodite. He is sometimes seen in works of art representing erotic circles; and in the temple of Aphrodite at Megara, he was represented by Scopas, together with Eros and Pothus (Paus. i. 43. Β§ 6).
The god of requited love, and brother of Eros
(Narkissos). The beautiful son of the river-god Cephissus. He rejected the love of the nymph Echo, and Nemesis punished him for this by inspiring him with a passion for the reflection of himself which he saw in the water of a fountain. He pined away in the desire for it; and to see one's reflection in the water was hence considered as a presage of death. The flower of the same name, into which he was changed, was held to be a symbol of fragility and death, and was sacred to Hades, the divinity of the world below. Persephone had just gathered a narcissus, when she was carried off by Hades.
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Narcissus (Narkissos), a son of Cephissus and the nymph Liriope of Thespiae. He was a very handsome youth, but wholly inaccessible to the feeling of love. The nymph Echo, who loved him, but in vain, died away with grief. One of his rejected lovers, however, prayed to Nemesis to punish him for his unfeeling heart. Nemesis accordingly caused Narcissus to see his own face reflected in a well, and to fall in love with his own image. As this shadow was unapproachable Narcissus gradually perished with love, and his corpse was metamorphosed into the flower called after him narcissus. This beautiful story is related at length by Ovid (Met. iii. 341). According to some traditions, Narcissus sent a sword to one of his lovers, Ameinius, who killed himself with it at the very door of Narcissus' house, and called upon the gods to avenge his death. Narcissus, tormented by love of himself and by repentance, put an end to his life, and from his blood there sprang up the flower narcissus (Conon, Narrat. 24). Other accounts again state that Narcissus melted away into the well in which he had beheld his own image (Paus. ix. 31.6); or that he had a beloved twin sister perfectly like him, who died, whereupon he looked at his own image reflected in a well, to satify his longing after his sister. Eustathius (ad Hom. p. 266) says that Narcissus was drowned in the well.
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited April 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Narcissus and Echo
The vocal nymph this lovely huntsman view'd,
As he into the toils his prey pursu'd,
Though of the power of speaking first debarr'd,
She could not hold from answering what she heard.
The jealous Juno by her wiles betray'd,
Took this revenge on the deceitful maid,
For when she might have seiz'd her faithless Jove,
Often in am'rous thefts of lawless love;
Her tedious talk would make the goddess stay,
And give her rivals time to run away:
Which when she found, she cried, "For such a wrong,
Small be the power of that deluding tongue."
Immediately the deed confirm'd the threats,
For Echo only what she hears repeats.
Now at the sight of the fair youth she glows,
And follows silently where'er he goes.
The nearer she pursu'd, the more she mov'd
Thro' the dear track he trode, the more she lov'd.
Still her approach inflamed her fierce desire,
As sulph'rous torches catch the neighb'ring fire.
How often would she strive, but strove in vain,
To tell the passion and confess her pain?
A thousand tender things her thoughts suggest,
With which she would have woo'd; but they suppress'd
For want of speech, lay buried in her breast.
Begin she could not, but she staid to wait
Till he should speak, and she his speech repeat.
Now several ways his young companions gone,
And for some time Narcissus left alone;
Where are you all?" at last she hears him call;
And she straight answers him, "Where are you all?"
Around he lets his wandering eye-sight roam,
But sees no creature whence the voice should come.
"Speak yet again," he cries, "is any nigh?"
Again the mournful Echo answers, "I."
"Why come not you!" says he, "appear in view:
" She hastily returns, " Why come not you ?"
Once more the voice th' astonish'd huntsman tried,
Louder he called, and louder she replied.
Then let us join," at last Narcissus said;
"Then let us join," replied the ravish'd maid.
Scarce had she spoke, when from the woods she sprung,
And on his neck with close embraces hung.
But he with all his strength unlocks her fold,
And breaks unkindly from her feeble hold:
Then proudly cries, "Life shall this breast forsake
Ere you, loose nymph, on me your pleasure take."
"On me your pleasure take," the nymph replies,
While from her the disdainful huntsman flies.
Repuls'd, with speed she seeks the gloomiest groves,
And pines to think on her rejected loves.
Alone laments her ill-requited flame,
And in the closest thickets shrouds her shame.
Her rage to be refus'd yields no relief,
But her fond passion is encreas'd by grief.
The thoughts of such a slight all sleep suppress'd,
And kept her languishing for want of rest:
Now pines she quite away with anxious care,
Her skin contracts, her blood dissolves to air,
Nothing but voice and bones she now retains,
These turn to stones, but still the voice remains:
In woods, caves, hills, for ever hid she lies,
Heard by all ears, but never seen by eyes.
Thus her and other nymphs his proud disdain
With an unheard of cruelty had slain;
Many on mountains and in rivers born,
Thus perish'd underneath his haughty scorn;
When one who in their suffrings bore a share,
With suppliant hands address'd this humble pray'r,
Thus may he love himself, and thus despair!"
Nor were her pray'rs at an ill hour preferr'd;
Rhamnusia, the revengeful goddess, heard.
Nature had plac'd a crystal fountain near,
The water deep, but to the bottom clear;
Whose silver spring ascended gently up,
And bubbled softly to the silent top.
The surface smooth as icy lakes appear'd,
Unknown by herdsman, undisturb'd by herd.
No bending tree above its surface grows,
Or scatters thence its leaves or broken boughs;
Yet at a just convenient distance stood,
All round the peaceful spring, a stately wood,
Thro' whose thick tops no sun could shoot his beams,
Nor view his image in the silver streams.
Thither from hunting, and the scorching heat,
The wearied youth was one day led by fate:
Down on his face to drink the spring he lies,
But as his image in that glass he spies,
He drinks in passion deeper at his eyes.
His own reflection works his wild desire,
And he himself sets his own self on fire:
Fix'd as some statue, he preserves his place,
Intent his looks, and motionless his face;
Deep thro' the spring his eye-balls dart their beams,
Like midnight stars that twinkle in the streams.
His iv'ry neck the crystal mirrow shows,
His waving hair above the surface flows,
His cheeks reflect the lily and the rose.
His own perfection all his passions mov'd,
He loves himself who for himself was lov'd;
Who seeks, is sought; who kindles the desires,
Is scorch'd himself; who is admir'd, admires.
Oft would he the deceitful spring embrace,
And seek to fasten on that lovely face
Oft with his down-thrust arms he thought to fold
About that neck that still deludes his hold,
He gets no kisses from those coz'n'ng lips;
His arms grasp nothing; from himself he slips;
He knows not what he views, and yet pursues
His desp'rate love, and burns for what he views.
"Catch not so fondly at a fleeting shade,
And be no longer by yourself betray'd;
It borrows all it has from you alone,
And it can boast of nothing of its own:
With you it comes, with you it stays, and so
Would go away, had you the power to go."
Neither for sleep nor hunger would he move,
But gazing still augments his hopeless love;
Still o'er the spring lie keeps his bending head,
Still with that flatt'ring form his eyes lie fed,
And silently surveys the treacherous shade.
To the deaf woods at length his grief he vents,
And in these words the wretched youth laments:
Tell me, ye hills, and dales, and neighboring groves,
You that are conscious of so many loves;
Say, have you ever seen a lover pine
Like me, or ever knew a love like mine ?
I know not whence this sudden flame should come,
I like and see, but see I know not whom;
What grieves me more, no rocks, nor rolling seas,
Nor strong-wall'd cities, nor untrodden ways,
Only a slender silver stream destroys,
And casts the bar between our sundred joys;
E'en he too seems to feel an equal flame,
The same his passion, his desires the same;
As oft as I my longing lips incline
To join with his, his mouth to meet with mine.
So near our faces and our mouths approach,
That almost to ourselves we seem to touch.
Come forth, whoe'er thou art, and do not fly
From one so passionately fond as I;
I've nothing to deserve your just disdain,
But have been lov'd, as I love you, in vain.
Yet all the signs of mutual love you give,
And my poor hopes in all your actions live;
When in the stream our hands I strive to join,
Yours straight ascend, and half way grasp at mine.
You smile my smiles; when I a tear let fall,
You shed another, and consent in all;
And when I speak, your lovely lips appear
To utter something which I cannot hear.
Alas! 'tis I myself; too late I see,
My own deceitful shade has ruin'd me;
With a mad passion for myself I'm curs'd,
And bear about those flames I kindled first.
In so perplex'd a case, what can I do ?
Ask, or be ask'd? shall I be woo'd, or woo?
All that I wish, I have ; what would I more?
Ah ! 'tis my too great plenty makes me poor.
Divide me from myself, ye powers divine,
Nor let his being intermix with mine!
All that I love and wish for, now retake;
A strange request for one in love to make!
I feel my strength decay with inward grief,
And hope to lose my sorrows with my life;
Nor would I mourn my own untimely fate,
Were he I love allow'd a longer date:
This makes me at my cruel stars repine,
That his much dearer life must end with mine.'
This said, again he turns his wat'ry face,
And gazes wildly in the crystal glass,
While streaming tears from his full eye-lids fell,
And drop by drop rais'd circles in the well;
The several rings larger and larger spread,
And by degrees dispers'd the fleeting shade,
Which when perceiv'd, "Oh, whither would you go?
(He cries,) ah! whither, whither fly you now?
Stay, lovely shade, do not so cruel prove,
In leaving me, who to distraction love;
Let me still see what ne'er can be possess'd,
And with the sight alone my phrensy feast."
Now frantic with his grief, his robe he tears,
And tokens of his rage his bosom bears;
The cruel wounds on his pure body show,
Like crimson mingling with the whitest snow;
Like apples with vermilion-circle's stripe,
Or a fair bunch of grapes not fully ripe.
But when he looks and sees the wounds he made,
Writ on the bosom of the charming shade,
His sorrows would admit of no relief,
But all his sense was swallow'd in his grief.
As wax, near any kindled fuel plac'd, Melts,
and is sensibly perceiv'd to waste;
As morning frosts are found to thaw away,
When once the sun begins to warm the day;
So the fond youth dissolves in hopeless fires,
And by degrees consumes in vain desires.
His lovely cheeks now lost their white and red,
Diminish'd was his strength, his beauty fled;
His body from its just proportions fell,
Which the scorn'd Echo lately lov'd so well
Yet though her first resentments she retaind,
And still remember'd how she was disdain'd,
She sigh'd, and when the wretched lover cried,
"Alas! alas!" the woful nymph replied.
Then when, with cruel blows his hands would wound
His tender breast, she still restor'd the sound.
Now hanging o'er the spring his drooping head,
With a sad sigh these lying words lie said:
"Ah! boy, belov'd in vain!" through all the plain
Echo resounds, " Ah! boy, belov'd in vain!"
"Farewell," he cries, and with that word he died;
"Farewell!" the miserable nymph replied.
Now pale and breathless on the grass he lies,
For death had shut his self-admiring eyes;
Now wafted over to the Stygian coast,
The waters there reflect his wandering ghost;
In loud laments his weeping sisters mourn,
Which Echo makes the neighb'ring hills return.
All signs of desp'rate grief the nymphs express,
Great is the moan, yet is not Echo's less.
Charles Hopkins, ed.
This text is from: P. Ovidius Naso, History of Love. Cited Jan 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below.
The 50 daughters of Thespius who slept with Heracles and their sons.
Procris, sons Antileon and Hippeus; Panope, son Threpsippas; Lyse, son Eumedes; .., son Creon; Epilais, son Astyanax; Certhe, son Iobes; Eurybia, son Polylaus; Patro, son Archemachus; Meline, son Laomedon; Clytippe, son Eurycapys; Eubote, son Eurypylus; Aglaia, son Antiades; Chryseis, son Onesippus; Oriahe, son Laomenes; Lysidice, son Teles; Menippis, son Entelides; Anthippe, son Hippodromus; Eury.., son Teleutagoras; Hippo, son Capylus; Euboea, son Olympus; Nice, son Nicodromus; Argele, son Cleolaus; Exole, son Erythras; Xanthis, son Homolippus; Stratonice, son Atromus; Iphis, son Celeustanor; Laothoe, son Antiphus; Antiope, son Alopius; Calametis, son Astybies; Phyleis, son Tigasis; Aeschreis, son Leucones; Anthea ... ; Eurypyle, son Archedicus; Erato, son Dynastes; Asopis, son Mentor; Eone, son Amestrius; Tiphyse, Lyncaeus; Olympusa, son Halocrates; Heliconis, son Phalias; Hesychia, son Oestrobles; Terpsicrate, son Euryopes; Elachia, son Buleus; Nicippe, son Antimachus; Pyrippehe, son Patroclus; Praxithea, son Nephus; Lysippe, son Erasippus; Toxicrate, son Lycurgus; Marse, son Bucolus; Eurytele, son Leucippus; Hippocrate, son Hippozygus.
Iolaus himself died at Sardis along with the Athenians and Thespians who made the crossing with him is admitted even by the Thebans. The army of Iolaus, consisting of Thespians and men from Attica, which put in at Sardinia and founded Olbia.
The sons of Aloeus held that the Muses were three in number, and gave them the names of Melete (Practice), Mneme (Memory) and Aoede (Song). [3] But they say that afterwards Pierus, a Macedonian, after whom the mountain in Macedonia was named, came to Thespiae and established nine Muses, changing their names to the present ones. Pierus was of this opinion either because it seemed to him wiser, or because an oracle so ordered, or having so learned from one of the Thracians.
Iolaus of Thebes, the nephew of Heracles, led the Athenians and Thespians to Sardinia. A fourth component part of the population was the army of Iolaus, consisting of Thespians and men from Attica, which put in at Sardinia and founded Olbia; by themselves the Athenians founded Ogryle, either in commemoration of one of their parishes in the home land, or else because one Ogrylus himself took part in the expedition.
City of Boeotia, statues of Love by Praxiteles, Lysippus, and Menodorus at, port of, Herakles at, burnt by the Persians, Thespians allies of Thebans, their refusal to submit to Xerxes, their steadfastness at Thermopylae, Sicinnus made a Thespian, Thespians in Pausanias' army.
The "Thespiae" of today is by Antimachus spelled "Thespeia"; for there are many names of places which are used in both ways, both in the singular and in the plural, just as there are many which are used both in the masculine and in the feminine, whereas there are others which are used in either one or the other number only. Thespiae is a city near Mt. Helicon, lying somewhat to the south of it; and both it and Helicon are situated on the Crisaean Gulf. It has a seaport Creusa, also called Creusis.(...)
This extract is from: The Geography of Strabo (ed. H. L. Jones, 1924), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
In order, then, that this unwillingness may not stand in the way of the weakening of Thebes, let us admit that Thespiae, Orchomenus and Plataea ought to be restored, and let us co-operate with their inhabitants and appeal to the other states, for it is a just and honorable policy not to allow ancient cities to be uprooted; but at the same time let us not abandon Megalopolis and Messene to their oppressors, nor allow the restoration of Plataea and Thespiae to blind us to the destruction of existing and established states.
Thirdly, men of Athens and when I have given just this one further instance, I will at once pass on to some topics that I have omitted—when we ambassadors returned from administering the oaths for the peace,at that time there were some who assured us that Thespiae and Plataea would be rebuilt, that Philip, if he gained the mastery, would protect the Phocians and break up Thebes into villages, and that you would retain Oropus and receive Euboea in exchange for Amphipolis
Because only Thespians and Plataeis among Boeotians have not go over to the Medes.
Thereupon the Thebans, having razed Plataeae completely, pillaged Thespiae as well, which was at odds with them. The Plataeans with their wives and children, having fled to Athens, received equality of civic rights as a mark of favour from the Athenian people.
Any one who so wishes can compare the number of those who mustered to meet king Xerxes at Thermopylae with those who now mustered to oppose the Gauls. To meet the Persians there came Greek contingents of the following strength. Lacedaemonians with Leonidas not more than three hundred; Tegeans five hundred, and five hundred from Mantineia; from Orchomenus in Arcadia a hundred and twenty; from the other cities in Arcadia one thousand; from Mycenae eighty; from Phlius two hundred, and from Corinth twice this number; of the Boeotians there mustered seven hundred from Thespiae and four hundred from Thebes. A thousand Phocians guarded the path on Mount Oeta, and the number of these should be added to the Greek total.
The Hellenes who awaited the Persians in that place were these: three hundred Spartan armed men; one thousand from Tegea and Mantinea, half from each place; one hundred and twenty from Orchomenus in Arcadia and one thousand from the rest of Arcadia; that many Arcadians, four hundred from Corinth, two hundred from Phlius, and eighty Mycenaeans. These were the Peloponnesians present; from Boeotia there were seven hundred Thespians and four hundred Thebans.
Subsequently the Athenians returned home, and the Thebans assailed Thespiae but were unsuccessful in their attack.
Follow Iolaus to Sardinia, march to Thermopylae, dismissed by Epaminondas before battle of Leuctra, take refuge in Ceressus, but are captured by Epaminondas, honour Love above all gods, hold festival and games of Muses and Love on Mount Helicon, dedicate statue of Plistaenus at Olympia. (Paus. 7.2.2)
Games in honor of Love, offering prizes not only for music but also for athletic events.
Erotia or erotidia, the most solemn of all the festivals celebrated in the Boeotian town of Thespiae. It took place every fifth year, and in honour of Eros, the principal divinity of the Thespians. Respecting the particulars nothing is known, except that it was solemnised with contests in music and gymnastics (Plut. Amat. 1; Paus. ix. 31,3; Athen. xiii). At this festival married couples made up any quarrels they might have. The worship of Eros seems to have been established at Thespiae from the earliest times; and the ancient symbolic representation of the god, a rude stone (argos lithos), continued to be looked upon with particular reverence even when sculpture had attained the highest degree of perfection among the Greeks, and when Thespiae possessed the world-renowned statue of Eros (Paus. ix. 27,1; compare Schol. ad Pind. Olymp. vii. 154; Ritschl, in the Rhein. Mus. vol. ii. p. 106)
This text is from: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890) (eds. William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin). Cited April 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Eros or Erotidia. The most solemn of all the festivals celebrated in the Boeotian town of Thespiae. It took place every fifth year, and in honour of Eros, the principal divinity of the Thespians. Respecting the particulars nothing is known, except that it was solemnized with contests in music and gymnastics ( Amat.1; Pausan. ix. 31. 3; Athen. xiii. p. 561). At this festival married couples made up any quarrels they might have. The worship of Eros seems to have been early established at Thespiae, where the ancient symbolic representation of the god--a rude stone--was long looked upon with reverence (Pausan. ix. 27. 1).
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Jan 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
After the decline of Ascra, the inhabitants of Thespiae attended to the worship of the Muses and to the arrangements for the musical contests in their honour that took place once in five years.
An ancient city situated between Thebes and Mt. Helikon, on the right
bank of the Thespios (Kanavari) at the foot of the twin hills on which are the
villages of Thespiai (formerly Erimokastro) and Leondari (formerly Kaskaveli).
Inhabited from Neolithic times, Thespiai played an important part
as a trading center in the Mycenaean era, thanks to its port Kreusis. Seven hundred
Thespians fought in the ranks of the Greeks at Thermopylai in 480 B.C., and Xerxes
razed the city. It was rebuilt by Athens, which provoked the lasting hostility
of Thebes. From 447 to 423 Thespiai headed two of the 11 Boiotian districts; they
included the Sanctuary of the Muses, Eutresis, Leuktra, Kreusis, and three independent
cities from 338: Thisbe and the ports of Siphai and Chorsiai. The city lost many
men at the battle of Delion in 424. Thebes razed the ramparts of the city in 423;
the Spartans rebuilt them after 386, and in 371 Epaminondas made Thespiai a kome
of Thebes. At his death (362) the city was restored, minted coins, and in 338
became one of the first cities of the new Boiotian Confederacy. From then on it
remained prosperous until the Late Empire. The Attalids of Pergamon endowed it
handsomely; the city enjoyed good relations with Macedonia, then with Rome which
granted it the status of civitas libera et immunis (47 B.C.). Thespiai organized
the Panhellenic festivals and contests in honor of the Muses (Mouseia) and Eros
(Erotideia).
The ancient city, which was excavated in the 19th c. has almost completely
disappeared. S of the Kanavari river was a Byzantine surrounding wall (Kastro)
whose demolition yielded more than 400 inscriptions and reliefs, some statues
and architectural fragments (in the Thebes Museum and the National Museum). In
the Kastro was discovered the Temple of the Muses (16.80 x 35.60 m) mentioned
by Pausanias. The remains of a Temple of Apollo dating from the 5th c., a peripteral
building with slender columns, were uncovered 2 km to the SW. To the E of the
Kastro, on the Leuktra road, stood the great limestone lion on which the Lion
of Chaironeia was modeled. The lion dominated a rectangular peribolos (32 x 23
m) within which were found a large number of cremated bodies, 5th c. vases, terracottas,
and bronze and iron objects. In front of the lion were nine aligned stelai bearing
the names of 102 Thespians who fell at the battle of Delion (424), as well as
a paved pathway lined with tombs.
Twelve km to the S in the Livadostro bay was the port of Thespiai,
Kreusis. It was protected by a 4th c. fortress; the rampart, which is built in
regular courses, has several square towers and an older round tower at the top.
At the E end of the bay of Domvraina is the port of Siphai (Aliki) whose fortress,
built on a steep rock, is well preserved. At the summit (Mavrovouni) of the coastal
chain, on the road from Thespiai to Siphai, is a square 4th c. tower; close by,
inside a surrounding wall of partly polygonal masonry are the remains of an archaic
temple, possibly dedicated to Artemis Agrotera. The port of Chorsiai (Paralia)
is farther W, 8 km S of Thisbe on the bay of Sarandi; overlooking it is a fortress
built on a rocky spur that runs down from Mt. Helikon. N of the fortress are the
foundations of a Temple of Hera mentioned in an inscription.
P. Roesch, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
Thespiai (also Thespeia or Thespia, Eth. Thespieus, Thespiensis, fern.
Thespias, Thespis: Adj. Thespiakos, Thespius, Thespiacus). An ancient city of
Boeotia, situated at the foot of Mt. Helicon, looking towards the south and the
Crissaean gulf, where stood its port-town Creusa or Creusis. (Strab. ix. p. 409;
Paus. ix. 26. § 6; Steph. B. s. v.) Thespiae was said to have derived its name
from Thespia, a daughter of Asopus, or from Thespius, a son of Erechtheus, who
migrated from Athens. (Paus. l. c.; Diod. iv. 29.) The city is mentioned in the
catalogue of Homer. (Il. ii. 498.) Thespiae, like Plataea, was one of the Boeotian
cities inimical to Thebes, which circumstance affected its whole history. Thus
Thespiae and Plataea were the only two Boeotian cities that refused to give earth
and water to the heralds of Xerxes. (Herod. vii. 132.) Seven hundred Thespians
joined Leonidas at Thermopylae; and they remained to perish with the 300 Spartans,
when the other Greeks retired. (Herod. vii. 202, 222.) Their city was burnt by
Xerxes, when he overran Boeotia, and the inhabitants withdrew to Peloponnesus.
(Herod. viii. 50.) The survivors, to the number of 1800, fought at the battle
of Plataea in the following year, but they were reduced to such distress that
they had no heavy armour. (Herod. ix. 30.) After the expulsion of the Persians
from Greece, Thespiae was rebuilt, and the inhabitants recruited their numbers
by the admission of strangers as citizens. (Herod. viii. 75.) At. the battle of
Delium (B.C. 424) the Thespians fought on the left wing against the Athenians,
and were almost all slain at their post. (Thuc. iv. 93, seq.) In the following
year (B.C. 423), the Thebans destroyed the walls of Thespiae, on the charge of
Atticism, the Thespians being unable to offer any resistance in consequence of
the heavy loss they had sustained while fighting upon the side of the Thebans.
(Thuc. iv. 133.) In B.C. 414 the democratical party at Thespiae attempted to overthrow
the existing government; but the latter receiving assistance from Thebes, many
of the conspirators withdrew to Athens. (Thuc. vi. 95.) In B.C. 372 the walls
of Thespiae were again destroyed by the Thebans. According to Diodorus (xv.46)
and Xenophon (Hell. vi. 3. § 1) Thespiae was at this time destroyed by the Thebans,
and the inhabitants driven out of Boeotia; but this happened after the battle
of Leuctra, and Mr. Grote (Hist, of Greece, vol. x. p. 219) justly infers from
a passage in Isocrates that the fortifications of the city were alone demolished
at this period. Pausanias expressly states that a contingent of Thespians was
present in the Theban army at the time of the battle of Leuctra, and availed themselves
of the permission of Epaminondas to retire before the battle. (Paus. ix. 13. §
8, ix. 14. § 1.) Shortly afterwards the Thespians were expelled from Boeotia by
the Thebans. (Paus. ix. 14. § 2.) Thespiae was afterwards rebuilt, and is mentioned
in the Roman wars in Greece. (Polyb. xxvii. 1; Liv. xlii. 43.) In the time of
Strabo, Thespiae and Tanagra were the only places in Boeotia that deserved the
name of cities. (Strab. ix. p. 410.) Pliny calls Thespiae a free town ( liberum
oppidum, iv. 7. s. 12). It is also mentioned by Ptolemy (iii. 15. § 20) and in
the Antonine Itinerary (p. 326, ed. Wess.), and it was still in existence in the
sixth century (Hierocl. p. 645, ed. Wess.).
Eros or Love was the deity chiefly worshipped at Thespiae; and the
earliest representation of the god in the form of a rude stone still existed in
the city in the time of Pausanias (ix. 27. § 1). The courtesan Phryne, who was
born at Thespiae, presented to her native city the celebrated statue of Love by
Praxiteles, which added greatly to the prosperity of the place in consequence
of the great numbers of strangers who visited the city for the purpose of seeing
it. (Dicaearch. § 25, ed. Muller; Cic. Verr. iv. 2; Strab. ix. p. 410, who erroneously
calls the courtesan Glycera; Paus. ix. 27. § 3.) In the time of Pausanias there
was only an imitation of it at Thespiae by Menodorus. Among the other works of
art in this city Pausanias noticed a statue of Eros by Lysippus, statues of Aphrodite
and Phryne by Praxiteles; the agora, containing a statue of Hesiod; the theatre,
a temple of Aphrodite Melaenis, a temple of the Muses, containing their figures
in stone of small size, and an ancient temple of Hercules. (Paus. ix. 27.) Next
to Eros, the Muses were specially honoured at Thespiae; and the festivals of the
Erotidia and Mouseia celebrated by the Thespians on Mt. Helicon, at the end of
every four years, are mentioned by several ancient writers. (Paus. ix. 31. § 3;
Plut. Amat. 1; Athen. xiii. p. 561; K. F. Hermann, Lehrbuch der gottesd. Alterth.
§ 63, n. 4.) Hence the Muses are frequently called Thespiades by the Latin writers.
(Varr. L. L. vii. 2; Cic. Verr. ii. 4; Ov. Met. v. 310; Plin. xxxvi. 5. s. 4,
§ 39, ed. Sillig.)
The remains of Thespiae are situated at a place called Lefka from
a deserted village of that name near the village of Erimokastro or Rimokastro.
Unlike most other Greek cities, it stands in a plain surrounded by hills on either
side, and its founders appear to have chosen the site in consequence of its abundant
supply of water, the sources of the river Kanavari rising here. Leake noticed
the foundations of an oblong or oval enclosure, built of very solid masonry of
a regular kind, about half a mile in circumference; but he observes that all the
adjacent ground to the SE. is covered, like the interior of the fortress, with
ancient foundations, squared stones, and other remains, proving that if the enclosure
was the only fortified part of the city, many of the public and private edifices
stood without the walls. The site of some of the ancient temples is probably marked
by the churches, which contain fragments of architraves, columns, and other ancient
remains.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
(Thespeiai and Thespiai), or Thespea (Thespeia, Thespia). Now Eremo or Rimokastro; an ancient town in Boeotia on the southeastern slope of Mount Helicon, at no great distance from the Crissaean Gulf. It was burned to the ground by the Persians, but subsequently rebuilt. At Thespiae was preserved the celebrated marble statue of Eros by Praxiteles, who had given it to Phryne, by whom it was presented to her native town. From the vicinity of Thespiae to Mount Helicon the Muses are called Thespiades, and Helicon itself is named the Thespia rupes.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Thespiae. City of Boeotia,
west of Thebes.
Thespiae was said to have been founded by Thespius, a son of Erechtheus,
king of Athens. It is at
the court of Thespius that Heracles undertook the first of his wondrous deeds
(though not one of the 12 labors), the killing of the lion of Cithaeron.
Thespiae was also linked to one version of the story of Narcissus.
In that version, Narcissus was an extremely beautiful young man from Thespiae
who despised the pleasures of love. He was loved by another young man of the neighborhood
whom he kept turning down until one day, he offered the importunate lover a sword
that the young man used to kill himself at Narcissus' front door, but not without
cursing him before dying. And so it happened that, a little while later, Narcissus
saw his reflection on the surface of a pond near a spring and fell in love with
himself to the point that he too killed himself in despair. Where his blood fell
on the grass, a flower grew that was called narcissus. After that, the people
of Thespiae instituted a cult to Eros, the god of love, whose power had been so
manifested.
Thespiae was located next to Mount
Helicon, the mountain of the Muses, where a temple was dedicated to them.
The Muses were said to be daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (the Greek word for
“memory”), herself the daughter of Uranus (“heaven” in
Greek) and Gea (“earth” in Greek), and were conceived during nine
consecutive nights of love between them in Pieria,
a region of Macedon close
to Mount Olympus. Under the
leadership of Apollo, whose temple at Delphi
was not far away from Mount Helicon,
they presided, not only over music in the usual sense, but over all activities
of the mind. In the list that became classic over time, they were;
•Calliope, first in dignity, muse of epic poetry;
•Clio, muse of history;
•Polyhymnia, muse of lyric poetry, mime, learning and rhetoric;
•Euterpe, muse of flute music;
•Terpsichore, muse of dance and choral singing;
•Erato, muse of lyric poetry;
•Melpomene, muse of tragedy;
•Thalia, muse of comedy and pastoral poetry;
•Urania, muse of astronomy.
Bernard Suzanne (page last updated 1998), ed.
This extract is cited July 2003 from the Plato and his dialogues URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks.
Lysippus made a bronze Love for the Thespians, and previously Praxiteles one of Pentelic marble. The first to remove the image of Love, it is said, was Gaius the Roman Emperor; Claudius, they say, sent it back to Thespiae, but Nero carried it away a second time.At Rome the image perished by fire. Of the pair who sinned against the god, Gaius was killed by a private soldier, just as he was giving the password; he had made the soldier very angry by always giving the same password with a covert sneer. The other, Nero, in addition to his violence to his mother, committed accursed and hateful crimes against his wedded wives. The modern Love at Thespiae was made by the Athenian Menodorus, who copied the work of Praxiteles.
Statue made by Praxiteles himself.
Statue made by Praxiteles himself.
In Thespiae there is a bronze image of Zeus Saviour. They say about it that when a dragon once was devastating their city, the god commanded that every year one of their youths, upon whom the lot fell, should be offered to the monster.
The priestess there is a virgin, who acts as such until she dies. Heracles, they say, had intercourse with the fifty daughters of Thestius, except one, in a single night. She was the only one who refused to have connection with him. Heracles,thinking that he had been insulted, condemned her to remain a virgin all her life, serving him as his priest. But I cannot think it credible that Heracles would rise to such a pitch of wrath against a daughter of a friend. Moreover, while he was still among men, punishing them for insolence, and especially such as were impious towards the gods, he would not himself have set up a temple and appointed a priestess to himself, just as though he were a god.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites
Collection : Thebes Archaeological Museum
Collection : Thebes Archaeological Museum
Collection : Thebes Archaeological Museum
ca. 400 B.C. - 375 B.C., Thebes Archaeological Museum Collection
Collection : Athens, National Archaeological Museum
Collection : Athens, National Archaeological Museum
Collection : Paris, Musee du Louvre
Collection : Athens, National Archaeological Museum
Thespiai [4 Coins]-Perseus Coin Catalog
Phryne (Phrune), one of the most celebrated Athenian hetairae, was the daughter
of Epicles, and a native of Thespiae in Boeotia. She was of very humble origin,
and originally gained her livelihood by gathering capers; but her beauty procured
for her afterwards so much wealth that she is said to have offered to rebuild
the walls of Thebes, after they had been destroyed by Alexander, if she might
be allowed to put up this inscription on the walls : "Alexander destroyed them,
but Phryne, the hetaira, rebuilt them." She had among her admirers many of the
most celebrated men of the age of Philip and Alexander, and the beauty of her
form gave rise to some of the greatest works of art. The orator Hyperides was
one of her lovers, and he defended her when she was accused by Euthias on one
occasion of some capital charge; but when the eloquence of her advocate failed
to move the judges, he bade her uncover her breast, and thus ensured her acquittal.
The most celebrated picture of Apelles, his "Venus Anadyomene", is said to have
been a representation of Phryne, who, at a public festival at Eleusis, entered
the sea with dishevelled hair. The celebrated Cnidian Venus of Praxiteles, who
was one of her lovers, was taken from her, and he expressed his love for her in
an epigram which he inscribed on the base of a statue of Cupid, which he gave
to her, and which she dedicated at Thespiae. Such admiration did she excite, that
her neighbours dedicated at Delphi a statue of her, made of gold, and resting
on a base of Pentelican marble. According to Apollodorus (ap. Athen. xiii. p.
591, e.) there were two hetairae of the name of Phryne, one of whom was surnamed
Clausilegos and the other Saperdium; and according to Herodicus (Ibid.) there
were also two, one the Thespian, and the other surnamed Sestus. The Thespian Phryne,
however, is the only one of whom we have any account. (Athen. xiii. pp. 590, 591,
558, c. 567, e, 583, b. c. 585, e. f.; Aelian, V. H. 32 ; Alciphron, Ep. i. 31;
Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. § 10; Propert. ii. 5; Jacobs, Att. Alus. vol. iii.
pp. 18,36)
Phryne. A celebrated Athenian courtesan, born at Thespis in Boeotia. She flourished in the times of Philip and Alexander the Great, and was the mistress of some of the most distinguished men of the day. She became so wealthy that she is said to have offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes, when destroyed by Alexande:--an offer which was rejected. The famous painting of Apelles, entitled "Aphrodite Anadyomene", or Aphrodite rising from the sea, is said to have had Phryne for its model. Praxiteles, the sculptor, who was another of her lovers, used her as a model for his "Cnidian Aphrodite". At one time she was accused of profaning the Eleusinian Mysteries, and was brought before the court of the Heliasts; but her advocate, Hyperides, threw off her veil, and exposed her breasts to the judges, who at once acquitted her amid the applause of the people, by whom she was carried in triumph to the temple of Aphrodite.
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Phryne (Phrune), one of the most celebrated Athenian hetairae, was the daughter of Epicles, and a native of Thespiae in Boeotia. She was of very humble origin, and originally gained her livelihood by gathering capers; but her beauty procured for her afterwards so much wealth that she is said to have offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes, after they had been destroyed by Alexander, if she might be allowed to put up this inscription on the walls : "Alexander destroyed them, but Phryne, the hetaira, rebuilt them". She had among her admirers many of the most celebrated men of the age of Philip and Alexander, and the beauty of her form gave rise to some of the greatest works of art. The orator Hyperides was one of her lovers, and he defended her when she was accused by Euthias on one occasion of some capital charge; but when the eloquence of her advocate failed to move the judges, he bade her uncover her breast, and thus ensured her acquittal. The most celebrated picture of Apelles, his "Venus Anadyomene", is said to have been a representation of Phryne, who, at a public festival at Eleusis, entered the sea with dishevelled hair. The celebrated Cnidian Venus of Praxiteles, who was one of her lovers, was taken from her, and he expressed his love for her in an epigram which he inscribed on the base of a statue of Cupid, which he gave to her, and which she dedicated at Thespiae. Such admiration did she excite, that her neighbours dedicated at Delphi a statue of her, made of gold, and resting on a base of Pentelican marble. According to Apollodorus (ap. Athen. xiii.) there were two hetairae of the name of Phryne, one of whom was surnamed Clausilegos and the other Saperdium; and according to Herodicus (Ibid.) there were also two, one the Thespian, and the other surnamed Sestus. The Thespian Phryne, however, is the only one of whom we have any account. (Athen. xiii.; Aelian, V. H. 32 ; Alciphron, Ep. i. 31; Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19.10; Propert. ii. 5)
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited July 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
commanding Thespian force at Thermopylae.
While the Peloponnesians and their allies in Attica were engaged in the work of fortification, their countrymen at home sent off, at about the same time, the heavy infantry in the merchant vessels to Sicily; the Lacedaemonians furnishing a picked force of Helots and Neodamodes ‘or freedmen), six hundred heavy infantry in all, under the command of Eccritus, a Spartan; and the Boeotians three hundred heavy infantry, commanded by two Thebans, Xenon and Nicon, and by Hegesander, a Thespian.
Children boxing, 448 BC, 83rd Olympiad.
-348
Children boxing, 348 BC, 108th Olympiad.
In the territory of the Thespians is a place called Donacon (Reed-bed). Here is the spring of Narcissus. They say that Narcissus looked into this water, and not understanding that he saw his own reflection, unconsciously fell in love with himself, and died of love at the spring. But it is utter stupidity to imagine that a man old enough to fall in love was incapable of distinguishing a man from a man's reflection.
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!
