#cercopes

Herakles captures the Kerkopes - images from Wiki Commons

THE KERKOPES (Cercopes) were a pair of monkey-like thieves which plagued the land of Lydia in western Anatolia. They were once captured by Herakles who was so amused with their jokes that he set them free unharmed. The pair later ran afoul of the god Zeus who transformed them into monkeys, or else turned them to stone, as punishment for their crimes. The Kerkopes were sons of the Titan Okeanos (Oceanus) by Theia, a daughter of the Aithiopian (Ethiopian) king Memnon. (source)

Lekythis, Oxford - Ashmolean museum inv.V249 (550-500 a.C.) (source)

Bronze shield band relief, 6th century BC, and sketch. Berlin Archeological Institute B975 © Archeological Institute. Berlin (source, source)

The Cercopes are a pair of trickster brothers from Greek mythology. They are given different names in different legends, including Olus and Eurybatus, and Passalus and Acmon. They were said to live in Thermopylae, but have travelled far and wide to spread mischief.

The pair are known for once stealing Heracles' weapon, only for the hero to bind them to a pole upon which he carried them face down. In another tale, they were turned into monkeys by Zeus for their wicked deeds, and this is how they are often depicted.

Image source.

Monster master list.

mythology aesthetics

THE CERCOPES

I’m a sucker for a good story. Now, don’t get me wrong. I was a news guy for a long time, and – unlike many of today’s politicians – I know that facts do matter. But give me a good myth or fable to relax with, and I’m a happy guy. 

The ancient Greeks and Romans were masters of mythology. They shared many of the same tales, but the names were changed to protect the innocent. Actually, very few of the characters in mythology were innocent. 

Take the guy the Greeks called Heracles and the Romans called Hercules. Same guy, same stories. The greatest hero of his age. You probably know all about his Twelve Labors (if not, you can read about them on Wikipedia or watch the old movies on YouTube). The Labors involved a lot of fighting and smiting, stealing and wheeling and dealing. 

Yup, Heracles/Hercules was a real badass. Literally, as it turns out. 

In the midst of his Twelve Labors, Heracles had a run-in with a couple of devious little sneak-thieves known as the Cercopes. They were the sons of a fortune teller (who went by several names, depending on who was telling the story, but the name I prefer for her is “Sexmonis” because, well, why not?). The mother warned the little stinkers to “stay away from Melampygus.” It’s not clear that the mischievous kids knew that “melampygus” is usually translated as “black-bottom” or “black-butt.” And they clearly didn’t remember my post from way back on the word “callipygian,” which has that same “pygus” root and is used to describe a “nicely-shaped buttocks.” 

Anyway, these brats came upon Heracles while he was sleeping, and tried to rob him. Bad move. He woke up, grabbed them, and tied them to a pole by their ankles. Then, Heracles heaved the pole onto his shoulders and took a walk, while deciding how he would kill them. The cercopes, hanging there upside-down, had a good view under the lion’s skin Heracles was wearing. As they bounced up and down, they got a long look at his arse, covered in black hair and darker than the rest of him, and they burst out in laughter. “Oh,” they probably chuckled, “Melampygus. Now we get it!” 

Heracles presumably asked them (in Greek), “What’s so damn funny?”

“Your arse. Your hairy black arse. You’re a badass.”

“Yeah, mother warned us about the guy with the black butt.” And they started laughing again.

Instead of chopping off their heads – which would have been more in keeping with his usual personality – Heracles started laughing himself. He was so amused, he let the pair go, unharmed. 

That would have been the end of the story, but a short while later, the cercopes ended up annoying Zeus, the king of the gods of Mount Olympus. Big mistake. Zeus turned them into monkeys…which was only fitting, because the word “cercopes” means “men with tails.”