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Listed 10 sub titles with search on: Mythology
for destination: "EPIDAVROS
Ancient city
ARGOLIS".
Mythology (10)
Historic figures
Epidaurus
Epidaurus (Epidauros), the mythical founder of Epidaurus, a son of Argos and Evadne, but according to Argive legends a son of Pelops, and according to those of Elis a son of Apollo. (Apollod. ii. 1.2; Paus. ii. 26.3.)
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
- Epidaurus: Perseus Encyclopedia
Gods & demigods
Artemis Cotyphaea
Cotyphaea (Koruphaia), the goddess who inhabits the summit of the mountain, a surname of Artemis, under which she had a temple on mount Coryphaeon, near Epidaurus. (Paus. ii. 281. § 2.) It is also applied to designate the highest or supreme god, and is consequently given as an epithet to Zeus. (Paus. ii. 4.5.)
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
Auxesia & Damia
The Epidaurians' land bore no produce. For this reason they inquired at Delphi
concerning this calamity, and the priestess bade them set up images of Damia and
Auxesia,(1) saying that if they so did their luck would be better. The
Epidaurians then asked in addition whether they should make the images of bronze
or of stone, and the priestess bade them do neither, but make them of the wood
of the cultivated olive. So the men of Epidaurus asked the Athenians to permit
them to cut down some olive trees, supposing the olives there to be the holiest.(2)
Indeed it is said that at that time there were no olives anywhere save at Athens.
The Athenians consented to give the trees, if the Epidaurians would pay yearly
sacred dues to Athena, the city's goddess, and to Erechtheus. The Epidaurians
agreed to this condition, and their request was granted. When they set up images
made of these olive trees, their land brought forth fruit, and they fulfilled
their agreement with the Athenians.
Commentary:
1. Damies kai Auxesies. They were goddesses of increase and fertility.
These deities were also worshipped at Troezen and Epidaurus, and in Laconia. Auxesie
is clearly connected with 'Increase' (auxein, cf. the Attic deity Auxo), but the
derivation of Damie remains a problem. Most probably it may be connected with
Mother-Earth, Demeter, since at Rome and in Italy the Bona Dea, an earth-goddess,
worshipped exclusively by women (Ovid, Fast. v. 150 f.), was called Damia, her
victim damium, and her priestess damiatrix. These names must be of Greek origin,
and seem to show that the Greek deity Damia migrated from Tarentum, where the
feast of Dameia was celebrated, to Rome, and was there engrafted on the Italian
Bona Dea = Fauna (Warde Fowler, Roman Festivals, pp. 102-6). In any case it can
hardly be doubtful that these goddesses are concerned with the increase of the
fruits of the earth, and with child-birth in women. Their worship resembled that
of Demeter and Persephone in the raillery practised at both by the women (ch.
83. 3 n.), in the throwing of stones as a religious rite, and in the manner of
sacrifice (Paus. ii. 30. 4, 32. 2). In the fact that the statues were made of
wood we may perhaps see a relic of the supposed fertilizing power of trees (cf.
the May-pole). For parallel spring customs in many lands and their explanation
cf. Frazer, Paus. ii. 492; iii. 266 f.
2. The moriai at Athens were held sacred and protected by law (Lysias, peri sekou,
2, 7). The first olive, still to be seen in the days of H. in the Erechtheum (viii.
55 n.), was the gift of Athena to Attica; hence the view that olives were once
found in Attica only. The image of Athena Polias in the Erechtheum was made of
olive-wood (Athenagoras, Leg. 17); indeed, primitive statues were generally made
of wood (Paus. viii. 17. 2).
- Herodotus, The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley)
- Auxesia and Damia: Perseus Encyclopedia
Kings
Pityreus
Descendant of Ion, last king of Epidauria before Dorian invasion, father of Procles.
- Pityreus: Perseus Encyclopedia
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
Deiphontes & Hyrnetho
Deiphontes, a son of Antimachus, and husband of Hyrnetho, the daughter of Temenus
the Heracleide, by whom he became the father of Antimenes, Xanthippus, Argeius,
and Orsobia. When Temenus, in the division of Peloponnesus, had obtained Argos
as his share, he bestowed all his affections upon Hyrnetho and her husband, for
which lie was murdered by his sons, who thought themselves neglected. But after
the death of Temenus, the army declared Deiphontes and Hyrnetho his rightful successors
(Apollod. ii. 8. 5.) According to Pausanias (ii. 19.§ 1), the sons of Temenus
formed indeed a conspiracy against their father and Deiphontes; but after Temenus
death it was not Deiphontes that succeded him, but Ceisus. Deiphontes on tile
other hand, is said to have lived at Epidaurus, whither lie went with the army
which was attached to him, and from whence he expelled the Ionian king, Pityreus
(Pais. ii. 26.2.) His brothers-in-law, however, who grudged him the possession
of their sister Hyrnetho, went to Epidaurus, and tried to persuade her to leave
her husband; and when this attempt failed, they carried her off by force. Deiphontes
pursued them, and after having killed one of them, Cerynes, he wrestled with the
other, who held his sister in his arms. In this struggle, Hyrnetho was killed
by her own brother, who then escaped. Deiphontes carried her body back to Epidaurus,
and there erected a sanctuary to her. (Paus. ii. 28.3) This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited June 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
- Deiphontes: Perseus Encyclopedia
Hyrnetho (Hurnetho), a daughter of Temenus, and wife of Deiphontes. Her tomb and a heroum, with a sacred grove, were shown at Epidaurus and Argos. (Paus. ii. 23, 3, 28.3; Apollod. ii. 8.5)
Heroes
Procles
Procles. The son of Pityreus, was the leader of the Ionians who settled in the island of Sanos. He was an Epidaurian by birth, and led with him a considerable number of Epidaurian exiles. Androclus and the Ephesians attacked Procles and his son Leogorus, who shared the royal power with him and expelled them. (Paus. vii. 4.2.)
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
Idmon
The physician of Adrastus, of Epidaurus: Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary
- Perseus: Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary(1879)
Famous robbers
Periphetes
Periphetes. A son of Hephaestus and Anticleia, was surnamed Corynetes, [p. 202] that is, Club-bearer, and was a robber at Epidaurus, who slew the travellers he met with an iron club. Theseus at last slew him and took his club for his own use. (Apollod. iii. 16.1; Plut. Thes 38; Paus ii. 1.4; Ov. Met. vii. 437.)
- A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (ed. William Smith)
- Perseus: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898)
- Periphetes: Perseus Encyclopedia
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