Athos (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Athos (/ˈæθɒs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄθως, pronounced [ˈatʰɔːs]) was a giant that Poseidon fought. He is best known for the creation of Mount Athos, a mountain and peninsula in Chalcidice, northern Greece, which is now an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. In Greek it is commonly called Άγιον Όρος, meaning 'Holy Mountain'.
Family[edit]
In one account however, he was said to be the son of Poseidon himself by the Naiad nymph Rhodope, daughter of the river-god Strymon (the modern Struma).[1][2]
Mythology[edit]
The mountain took its name after this Athos, who was attacked by Poseidon, the god of the sea.[3] The citation is incomplete, as it fails to establish that the mountain was named from the giant.[4] Stephanus of Byzantium attributed the story to some lost work by Nicander, where he apparently described Poseidon hurling two blocks with his hands against the gigantic Athos.[5] Eustathius of Thessalonica says that then Poseidon trapped Athos under the mountain.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Scholia on Theocritus, Idylls 7.76
- ^ Larson 2001, p. 173.
- ^ Scholia on the Iliad 14.229b
- ^ a b Nicander 1953, p. 204.
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium 2006, s.v Athos.
Bibliography[edit]
- Anonymous (1891). Jules Nicole (ed.). Scholia eis tēn Homērou Iliada [Scholia on Homer's Iliad] (in Greek). Vol. 1. Paris, France: Hachette.
- Kiessling, T.; Heindorfius, L. F. Τ, eds. (1826). Theocritus, Bion et Moschus. Vol. II. London, United Kingdom.
- Larson, Jennifer (June 28, 2001). Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512294-1.
- Nicander (1953). Gow, A. S. F.; Scholfield A. F. (eds.). Poems and Poetical Fragments. New York-Melbourne-Madrid: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-05822-3.
- Stephanus of Byzantium (2006). Ethica. Vol. 1 (Alpha-Sigma). Translated by Margarethe Billerbeck. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-017449-6.