#neleus

mythology aesthetics

TYRO, PELIAS, & NELEUS

Inktober 9 - “If we were made of water” by BANKS

So many statues! My friend Kima and I made 16 statue costumes in about a week and a half for the production of Mary Poppins we were just in (the Neleus costume was rented). It was pretty stressful but I'm so happy with how they turned out!

Plus it was lots of fun being one of these marvellous marbles!

"But he escaped doom, and drove loud-bellowing cattle from Phylace to Pylos, and made godlike Neleus pay for his shameful deed, then led the woman to his home for his brother, but Melampus went to the kingdom of other men, to horse-grazing Argos, for it was now fated for him there"

"that he live as ruler over many Argives. There he married a woman and built a high-roofed house, then fathered Antiphates and Mantius, two mighty sons"-Homer, homerbook

"These (the daughters of Proetus), because they had scorned the divinity of Juno, were overcome with madness, such that they believed they had been turned into cows, and left Argos their own country. Afterwards they were cured by Melampus, the son of Amythaon. 'Because of their hideous wantonness they lost their tender beauty…' '…For he shed upon their heads a fearful itch: and leprosy covered all their flesh, and their hair dropped from their heads, and their fair scalps were made bare."

"MELAMPUS Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. i. 118: In the Great Eoiae it is related that Melampus, who was very dear to Apollo, went abroad and stayed with Polyphantes. But when the king had sacrificed an ox, a serpent crept up to the sacrifice and destroyed his servants. At this the king was angry and killed the serpent, but Melampus took and buried it. And its offspring, brought up by him, used to lick his ears and inspire him with prophecy. And so, when he was caught while trying to steal the cows of Iphiclus and taken bound to the city of Aigina, and when the house, in which Iphiclus was, was about to fall, he told an old woman, one of the servants of Iphiclus, and in return was released."-Hesiod, Fragments

"Melampus was a man of exceptional piety and became a friend of Apollo." "Melampus also, they say, brought from Egypt the rites which the Greeks celebrate in the name of Dionysus, the myths about Cronus and the War with the Titans, and, in a word, the account of the things which happened to the gods."

"Melampous, who was a seer, healed the women of Argos of the madness which the wrath of Dionysus had brought upon them, and in return for this benefaction he received from the king of the Argives, Anaxagoras the son of Megapenthes, two-thirds of the kingdom; and he made his home in Argos and shared the kingship with Bias his brother."-Diodorus Siculus, Library 1-7

"Bias and Melampus. The latter lived in the country, and before his house there was an oak, in which there was a lair of snakes. His servants killed the snakes, but Melampus gathered wood and burnt the reptiles, and reared the young ones. And when the young were full grown, they stood beside him at each of his shoulders as he slept, and they purged his ears with their tongues. He started up in a great fright, but understood the voices of the birds flying overhead, and from what he learned from them he foretold to men what should come to pass. He acquired besides the art of taking the auspices, and having fallen in with Apollo at the Alpheus he was ever after an excellent soothsayer."

"Bias wooed Peron, daughter of Neleus. But as there were many suitors for his daughter's hand, Neleus said that he would give her to him who should bring him the kine of Phylacus. These were in Phylace, and they were guarded by a dog which neither man nor beast could come near. Unable to steal these kine, Bias invited his brother to help him. Melampus promised to do so, and foretold that he should be detected in the act of stealing them, and that he should get the kine after being kept in bondage for a year. After making this promise he repaired to Phylace and, just as he had foretold, he was detected in the theft and kept a prisoner in a cell. When the year was nearly up, he heard the worms in the hidden part of the roof, one of them asking how much of the beam had been already gnawed through, and others answering that very little of it was left. At once he bade them transfer him to another cell, and not long after that had been done the cell fell in. Phylacus marvelled, and perceiving that he was an excellent soothsayer, he released him and invited him to say how his son Iphiclus might get children. Melampus promised to tell him, provided he got the kine. And having sacrificed two bulls and cut them in pieces he summoned the birds; and when a vulture came, he learned from it that once, when Phylacus was gelding rams, he laid down the knife, still bloody, beside Iphiclus, and that when the child was frightened and ran away, he stuck the knife on the sacred oak, and the bark encompassed the knife and hid it. He said, therefore, that if the knife were found, and he scraped off the rust, and gave it to Iphiclus to drink for ten days, he would beget a son. Having learned these things from the vulture, Melampus found the knife, scraped the rust, and gave it to Iphiclus for ten days to drink, and a son Podarces was born to him. But he drove the kine to Pylus, and having received the daughter of Neleus he gave her to his brother. For a time he continued to dwell in Messene, but when Dionysus drove the women of Argos mad, he healed them on condition of receiving part of the kingdom, and settled down there with Bias."

Proetus had daughters, Lysippe, Iphinoe, and Iphianassa, by Stheneboea. When these damsels were grown up, they went mad, according to Hesiod, because they would not accept the rites of Dionysus, but according to Acusilaus, because they disparaged the xoanon of Hera. In their madness they roamed over the whole Argive land, and afterwards, passing through Arcadia and the Peloponnese, they ran through the desert in the most disorderly fashion. But Melampus, son of Amythaon by Idomene, daughter of Abas, being a seer and the first to devise the cure by means of drugs and purifications, promised to cure the maidens if he should receive the third part of the sovereignty. When Proetus refused to pay so high a fee for the cure, the maidens raved more than ever, and besides that, the other women raved with them; for they also abandoned their houses, destroyed their own children, and flocked to the desert. Not until the evil had reached a very high pitch did Proetus consent to pay the stipulated fee, and Melampus promised to effect a cure whenever his brother Bias should receive just so much land as himself. Fearing that, if the cure were delayed, yet more would be demanded of him, Proetus agreed to let the physician proceed on these terms. So Melampus, taking with him the most stalwart of the young men, chased the women in a bevy from the mountains to Sikyon with shouts and a sort of frenzied dance. In the pursuit Iphinoe, the eldest of the daughters, expired; but the others were lucky enough to be purified and so to recover their wits. Proetus gave them in marriage to Melampus and Bias, and afterwards begat a son, Megapenthes.-Apollodorus, Library

Meanwhile Pelasgian Hera equipped her Argive army; she took the shape of the seer Melampus, and angrily called to Perseus Gorgonslayer in martial words:

But Hera has armed him, and she is fighting openly in the shape of the seer Melampus. Retire and leave the strife, or Hera irreconcilable

may overwhelm you again in her might"-nonnus "Now I think that Melampus the son of Amytheon was not without knowledge of these rites of sacrifice, but was acquainted with them: for Melampus is he who first set forth to the Hellenes the name of Dionysos and the manner of sacrifice and the procession of the phallos. Strictly speaking indeed, he when he made it known did not take in the whole, but those wise men who came after him made it known more at large. Melampus then is he who taught of the phallos which is carried in procession for Dionysos, and from him the Hellenes learnt to do that which they do. I say then that Melampus being a man of ability contrived for himself an art of divination, and having learnt from Egypt he taught the Hellenes many things, and among them those that concern Dionysos, making changes in some few points of them: for I shall not say that that which is done in worship of the god in Egypt came accidentally to be the same with that which is done among the Hellenes, for then these rites would have been in character with the Hellenic worship and not lately brought in; nor certainly shall I say that the Egyptians took from the Hellenes either this or any other customary observance: but I think it most probable that Melampus learnt the matters concerning Dionysos from Cadmos the Tyrian and from those who came with him from Phoenicia to the land which we now call Boeotia." "By saying this he followed the example of Melampus in his request, if one may compare royal power with mere citizenship; for Melampus on his part, when the women in Argos had been seized by madness, and the Argives endeavoured to hire him to come from Pylos and to cause their women to cease from the malady, proposed as payment for himself the half of the royal power; and the Argives did not suffer this, but departed: and afterwards, when more of their women became mad, at length they accepted that which Melampus had proposed, and went to offer him this: but he then seeing that they had changed their minds, increased his demand, and said that he would not do that which they desired unless they gave to his brother Bias also the third share in the royal power. And the Argives, being driven into straits, consented to this also."-Herodotus

"At this spring, there is an epigram in Greek verses inscribed on stone to the effect that the water is unsuitable for bathing, and also injurious to vines, because it was at this spring that Melampus cleansed the daughters of Proetus of their madness by sacrificial rites, and restored those maidens to their former sound state of mind. The inscription runs as written below [in Greek]: Swain, if by noontide thirst thou art opprest When with thy flocks to Cleitor's bounds thou'st hied, Take from this fount a draught, and grant a rest To all thy goats the water nymphs beside. But bathe not in't when full of drunken cheer, Lest the mere vapour may bring thee to bane; Shun my vine-hating spring — Melampus here From madness once washed Proetus' daughters sane, And all th' offscouring here did hide, when they From Argos came to rugged Arcady." -Vitruvius, Architecture

"and by others to the fact that Melampus used these cleansing waters for the purification of the Proetides"-Strabo, Geography

"Anybody who would believe that sort of thing would also assuredly not deny that snakes by licking the ears of the augur Melampus gave him the power to understand the language of birds,"

"Melampus is well known for his skill in the arts of divination. From him one kind of hellebore is called melampodion. Some hold that the discovery is due to a shepherd called Melampus, who noticed that his she-goats were purged after browsing upon the plant, and by administering the milk of these goats cured the daughters of Proetus of their madness. Wherefore it is well to give here together an account of every kind of hellebore." -Pliny the Elder, Natural History

"In Aegosthena is a sanctuary of Melampus, son of Amythaon, and a small figure of a man carved upon a slab. To Melampus they sacrifice and hold a festival every year. They say that he divines neither by dreams nor in any other way."

"For in the reign of Anaxagoras, son of Argeus, son of Megapenthes, the women were smitten with madness, and straying from their homes they roamed about the country, until Melampus the son of Amythaon cured them of the plague on condition that he himself and his brother Bias had a share of the kingdom equal to that of Anaxagoras."

"These cattle must have been of Thessalian stock, having once belonged to Iphiclus the father of Protesilaus. Neleus demanded these cattle as bride gifts for his daughter from her suitors, and it was on their account that Melampus went to Thessaly to gratify his brother Bias. He was put in bonds by the herdsmen of Iphiclus, but received them as his reward for the prophecies which he gave to Iphiclus at his request." "Some Greeks say that Chiron, others that Pylenor, another Centaur, when shot by Heracles fled wounded to this river and washed his hurt in it, and that it was the Hydra's poison which gave the Anigrus its nasty smell. Others again attribute the quality of the river to Melampus the son of Amythaon, who threw into it the means he used to purify the daughters of Proetus."

"Above Nonacris are the Aroanian Mountains, in which is a cave. To this cave, legend says, the daughters of Proetus fled when struck with madness; Melampus by secret sacrifices and purifications brought them down to a place called Lusi." Well, the daughters of Proetus were brought down by Melampus to Lusi, and healed of their madness in a sanctuary of Artemis."-Pausanias, Description of Greece

"But others say that Melampus son of Amythaon brought over from Egypt to Hellas the festivals of Deo, her grief so famed in song" 'They say that Melampus brought from Egypt the customary rites performed in honour of Dionysus among the Greeks, and the mythological tales concerning Kronos, and those concerning the war of the Titans, and the entire history of the sufferings of the gods." -Eusebius, Preparation of the Gospels

"Now “the one fleeing” means “the one who voluntarily left on behalf of his brother Bias.” Melampus — another story: Melampus, the son of Amythaon, accomplished many other wondrous deeds through his prophetic power, and this became for him his most glorious feat. For of the daughters of Proetus, king of the Argives — Lysippe and Iphianassa — who, because of the reckless folly of their youth, had sinned against Hera (for when they had entered the temple of the goddess, they mocked her, saying that the house of their father was richer than she), therefore being driven mad, Melampus came and promised absolutely to heal them, if he should receive a reward worthy of the healing. For already the disease had lasted ten years, bringing torment not only to the maidens themselves but also to their parents. And when Proetus announced that he would give Melampus a share of the kingdom and whichever of his daughters he wished in marriage, Melampus healed the disease, having soothed Hera by means of supplications and sacrifices. And he took Iphianassa as his wife, earning her as the bridal gift by the fruits of his cures. (This story is from Pherecydes.) “Who once dwelt before”—this refers to Melampus. “Outstanding among the Pylians”—the reading is “with” instead of “among”: dwelling with the Pylians in most splendid halls, for he was a Pylian. The word “through” is missing — “through Neleus” — and the “and” is also superfluous. “Who gave him wealth” — “him” instead of “the same one,” meaning that that man had promised to give the cattle as bride-price, for he had taken the property of the girl from her. When he (Melampus) was assaulted by the cowherds of Iphiclus, he carried off the wealth, looking down on them as ignoble. “Meanwhile” means “until the year was completed.” “Phylacus” is written “Iphiclus.” “Of heavy ruin” means “of mind-blinding madness.” “Harsh-approaching Erinys” means “difficult to come near, and greatly approaching, troublesome to whomever she approaches.” Being extremely violent — that is, terrifying — the Erinys, they say, put into Melampus’ mind the idea of promising Iphiclus’ cattle to Neleus. “Harsh-striking” means “striking excessively,” from the intensifying particle da- and the verb “to strike.”

"Neleus, son of Poseidon, had a daughter named Pero, outstanding in beauty, and he gave her in marriage to no man unless he first drove off from Phylace the cattle that belonged to her mother Tyro, held by Iphiklos. When all others failed, Bias son of Talaos alone undertook the task and persuaded his brother Melampous to carry it out. Although Melampous, being a seer, knew that he would be captured and held for a year, he nevertheless went to Mount Othrys to seize the cattle. The herdsmen and guards caught him stealing them and delivered him to Iphiklos; bound, he was kept under watch by two attendants, a man and a woman — the man treating him kindly, the woman rather badly. When the year was nearly completed, Melampous overheard worms talking above him, saying that they had eaten through the beam. Hearing this, he called his attendants and ordered them to carry him out on his bed — the woman by the feet, the man by the head. They lifted him and carried him outside, and at that very moment the beam collapsed and fell upon the woman, killing her. The surviving attendant reported the event to Phylakos, and Phylakos told Iphiklos. They then came to Melampous and asked who he was; he declared that he was a seer. They promised to give him the cattle if he could discover a way for Iphiklos to have children, and they swore to this. Melampous sacrificed a bull to Zeus and distributed its portions to all the birds; all came except the vulture. Melampous questioned the birds whether any knew a remedy for Iphiklos’ childlessness, and since they did not, they fetched the vulture. The vulture immediately found the cause: long ago Phylakos, enraged after seeing infant Iphiklos commit some strange deed, had pursued him with a knife; failing to catch him, he drove the knife into a wild pear tree, and the bark grew around it. From the terror of that incident Iphiklos lost the power to beget children. The vulture instructed that the knife be recovered from the pear tree and that its rust be scraped off and mixed in wine for Iphiklos to drink for ten days, and that this would give him offspring. When Iphiklos did this, he recovered his virility and begot Podarkes. He then gave the cattle to Melampous, who, taking them to Pylos, gave them to Neleus as the bridal portion for Pero and received her in marriage for his brother Bias. To Bias were born their sons Perialkes, Aretos, and Alphesiboia. The story is found in Pherecydes" -Scholia in Homerum, Scholia in Odysseam