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Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
, Amymone (; , "blameless; innocent") was one of the 50 Danaids as a daughter of
Danaus In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; ''Danaós'') was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's ''Iliad'', " Danaans" ("tribe of Danaus") and " Argives" comm ...
, king of
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. As the "blameless" Danaid, her name identifies her as, perhaps, identical to
Hypermnestra In Greek mythology, Hypermnestra (, ''Hypermnēstra'') was by birth a Libyan princess and by marriage a queen of Argos. She is a daughter of King Danaus, and one of the 50 Danaids. Hypermnestra is most notable for being the only Danaid that be ...
("great wooing" or "high marriage"): the one Danaid who did not assassinate her husband on their wedding night.


Family

Apollodorus Apollodorus ( Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: :''Note: A ...
names Amymone as one of the four daughters of Danaus and his consort
Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliffs, Alexan ...
, the queen of an unnamed country.Apollodorus
2.1.5
/ref> Amymone's only full sisters are
Automate Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...
,
Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...
, and
Scaea In Greek mythology, Scaea (Ancient Greek: Σκαιήν means "left, on the left hand"), was one of the Danaids. Family Scaea was the daughter of Danaus, king of Libya and of Europe, a queen. She was the full sister of other Danaids namely Automat ...
. She was either the wife of
Enceladus Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn and the 18th-largest in the Solar System. It is about in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. It is covered by clean, freshly deposited snow hundreds of meters thick, ...
or
Lynceus In Greek mythology, Lynceus (; Ancient Greek: Λυγκεύς "lynx-eyed") may refer to the following personages. * Lynceus, one of the 50 Sons of Aegyptus. * Lynceus, king in Thrace and husband of Lathusa, friend of Procne. Tereus gave Philomel ...
, both one of the 50 sons of the
Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
king
Aegyptus In Greek mythology, Aegyptus or Ægyptus (; ) was a legendary king of ancient Egypt. He was a descendant of the princess Io through his father Belus, and of the river-god Nilus as both the father of Achiroe, his mother and as a great, great-g ...
.


Mythology


Encounter with Poseidon

Amymone is the subject of multiple, sometimes conflicting myths. She is most well-known for her involvement with Poseidon. In one common telling, Poseidon dried up all the springs around
Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece * Argus (Greek myth), several characters in Greek mythology * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...
due to
Inachus In Greek mythology, Inachus, Inachos or Inakhos (Ancient Greek: Ἴναχος) was the first king of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos. He was one of River gods (Greek mythology), the three thousand sons of Oceanus and Tethys (mythology), Tethys. The In ...
, the first king of Argos, making a sacrifice to Hera and claiming the lands belonged to her instead of Poseidon, whose cult preceded hers in the region. One day, Amymone was sent out to fetch water. On her trip, she spotted a stag and shot an arrow at it. However, she missed and accidentally struck a
satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...
who began to pursue her. Seeing this, Poseidon intervened and took her for himself; afterwards the god revealed the springs of
Lerna In classical Greece, Lerna () was a region of springs and a former lake located in the municipality of the same name, near the east coast of the Peloponnesus, south of Argos. Even though much of the area is marshy, Lerna is located on a geogra ...
to her, a cult site of great antiquity near the shores of the Argolid.Hyginus,
Fabulae
' 169
In another version of the myth, Amymone fell asleep when she was out to fetch water and was attacked by a satyr. Poseidon then intervened and scared the satyr away by throwing his
trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
, and lodged it in a rock. Poseidon questioned why she was there, and after hearing the reason— to fetch water— he had Amymone remove his trident from the rock, where a spring then gushed forth. This fountain, river, or spring created by and named after Amymone is mentioned by multiple ancient authors including Pliny,
Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
, and Apollodorus. They claim the spring is near to the lake of Lerna where the hydra lived. However, authors such as Pausanias claim that the hydra instead lived in the river Amymone. After Poseidon took Amymone, she gave birth to Naupilus, a renowned seafarer and navigator who gave his name to the port city of
Nafplio Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...
(Nauplia).
Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...
wrote a now lost
satyr play The satyr play is a form of Attic theatre performance related to both comedy and tragedy. It preserves theatrical elements of dialogue, actors speaking verse, a chorus that dances and sings, masks and costumes. Its relationship to tragedy is st ...
called ''Amymone'' about the seduction of Amymone by
Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...
, which followed the trilogy that included '' The Suppliants''.


As a Danaid

According to Apollodorus, she is the wife of Prince Enceladus, whom she slew on their wedding night. This would have made her one of the 49 Danaids who killed their husbands, with only Hypermnestra refusing. However, she has also been named as the innocent Danaid who refused to kill her husband, therefore either making Amymone and Hypermnestra the same figure, or replacing Hypermnestra. In this version of the myth, her husband would have been
Lynceus In Greek mythology, Lynceus (; Ancient Greek: Λυγκεύς "lynx-eyed") may refer to the following personages. * Lynceus, one of the 50 Sons of Aegyptus. * Lynceus, king in Thrace and husband of Lathusa, friend of Procne. Tereus gave Philomel ...
and she would have given birth to Abas, the first of the Danaid Dynasty that led to
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
, the legendary founder of
Mycenae Mycenae ( ; ; or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines, Greece, Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos; and sou ...
. Amymone is represented by a water pitcher, a reminder of the sacred springs and lake of Lerna and of the copious wells that made Argos the "well-watered" and, by contrast, a reminder that her sisters were forever punished in
Tartarus In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; ) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's '' Gorgias'' (), souls are judged after ...
for their murderous crimes by being forever forced to carry a jug to fill a bathtub (pithos) without a bottom (or with a leak) to wash away their sins.


References


External links


Carlos Parada, "Greek Mythology Link":
Danaids
Amymone and Poseidon. Continuous Narrative on Roman Mosaics
{{Authority control Danaïdes Princesses in Greek mythology Women of Poseidon Mortal parents of demigods in classical mythology Libyan characters in Greek mythology Mythology of Argos, Peloponnese