Argus or Argos Panoptes (, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

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 ...

. Known for his perpetual vigilance, he served the goddess Hera as a watchman. His most famous task was guarding Io, a priestess of Hera, whom Zeus had transformed into a heifer. Argus's constant watch, with some of his eyes always open, made him a formidable guardian. His eventual slaying by Hermes, on Zeus's orders, is a prominent episode in the myths surrounding him, and his eyes were then incorporated into the peacock's tail by Hera in his honor.

Mythology

Argus Panoptes () was the guardian of the heifer-

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

Io and the son of Arestor. According to Asclepiades, Argus Panoptes was a son of Inachus, and according to Cercops he was a son of Argus and Ismene, daughter of Asopus.

Acusilaus Acusilaus, Acusilas, Acousileos, or Akousilaos () of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos, son of Cabas or Scabras, was a Greece, Greek logographer (history), logographer and mythographer who lived in the latter half of the 6th century BC but whose work surv ...

says that he was earth-born ( autochthon), born from Gaia. Probably Mycene (in another version the son of

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; , a poetic form of ('), meaning 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea (), is the personification of Earth. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenogenic—of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (S ...

) was a primordial

whose

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

''Panoptes'', "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred eyes. The epithet ''Panoptes'' was applied to the

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

, and was taken up as an epithet by

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, ''Zeus Panoptes''. "In a way,"

Walter Burkert Walter Burkert (; 2 February 1931 – 11 March 2015) was a German scholar of Greek mythology and cult. A professor of classics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, he taught in the UK and the US. He has influenced generations of student ...

observes, "the power and order of Argos the city are embodied in Argos the neatherd, lord of the herd and lord of the land, whose name itself is the name of the land."The epithet ''Panoptes'', reflecting his mythic role, set by

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

as a very effective watchman of Io, was described in a fragment of a lost poem '' Aigimios'', attributed to Hesiod: In the 5th century and later, Argus' wakeful alertness was explained for an increasingly literal culture as his having so many eyes that only a few of the eyes would sleep at a time: there were always eyes still awake. In the 2nd century AD Pausanias noted at Argos, in the temple of Zeus Larissaios, an archaic image of Zeus with a third eye in the center of his forehead, allegedly

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; , ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology Most scholars take the e ...

's ''Zeus Herkeios'' purloined from Troy. Argus was

's servant. His great service to the Olympian pantheon was to slay the

chthonic In Greek mythology, deities referred to as chthonic () or chthonian () were gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility. The terms "chthonic" and "chthonian" ...

serpent-legged monster

Echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the Family (biology), family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four Extant taxon, extant species of echidnas ...

as she slept in her cave. Hera's defining task for Argus was to guard the white heifer Io from Zeus, who was attracted to her, keeping her chained to the sacred olive tree at the Argive Heraion. She required someone who had at least a hundred eyes spread out, always watching in all directions, someone who would stay awake despite being asleep. Argos was meant to be the perfect guardian. She charged him to "Tether this cow safely to an olive-tree at

Nemea Nemea (; ; ) is an ancient site in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. Formerly part of the territory of Cleonae (Argolis), Cleonae in ancient Argolis, it is today situated in the regional units of Greece, regional unit of Corin ...

". Hera knew that the heifer was in reality Io, one of the many nymphs Zeus was coupling with to establish a new order. To free Io, Zeus had Argus slain by

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

. The messenger of the Olympian gods, disguised as a shepherd, first put all of Argus' eyes asleep with spoken charms, then slew him. Some versions say that Hermes used his wand to close Argus' eyes permanently, while other versions say that Hermes simply hurled a stone at Argus. Either way, Argus' death was the first stain of bloodshed among the new generation of gods. After beheading Argus, Hermes acquired the epithet Argeiphontes or “Argus-slayer”. The sacrifice of Argus liberated Io and allowed her to wander the earth, although tormented by a gadfly sent by Hera, until she reached the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

, named after her, from where she swam to Egypt and gave birth to a love child of Zeus, according to some versions of the myth. According to

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 ...

, Argus had a hundred eyes. Hera had Argus' hundred eyes preserved forever in a

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

's tail so as to immortalise her faithful watchman. In another version, Hera transformed the whole of Argus into a peacock. The myth makes the closest connection of Argus, the neatherd, with the

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

. According to the mythographer

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 ...

, Argus, "being exceedingly strong ... killed the bull that ravaged Arcadia and clad himself in its hide".

Eponyms

Argus Panoptes is referenced in the scientific names of at least eight animals, each of which bears a pattern of eye spots: reptiles '' Cnemaspis argus, Eremias argus, Sibon argus'', '' Sphaerodactylus argus'', and the Argus monitor '' Varanus panoptes'';Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Argus", p. 11). the pheasant '' Argusianus argus''; the fish Cephalopholis argus and the cowry '' Arestorides argus''.

Gallery

File:Io Argos MAN Napoli Inv9556.jpg, Io wearing bovine horns watched over by Argos on Hera's orders, antique fresco from

Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...

File:Io changed into a cow, Mercury cuts of Argus's head.jpg, ''Io changed into a cow, Mercury cuts off Argus' head'' by Bernard Picart (1733) File:Jan van de Velde II - Mercurius and Argus AN01073198 001 l.jpg, ''Mercurius and Argus'' by Jan van de Velde (1615–1641) File:Ubaldo Gandolfi - Mercury Lulling Argus to Sleep, 1770-1775.jpg, ''Mercury Lulling Argus to Sleep'' by

Ubaldo Gandolfi Ubaldo Gandolfi (1728–1781) was an Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor of the late-Baroque period, mainly active in and near Bologna. He is known for his biblical, mythological and allegorical subjects as well as his portraits and nudes. ...

(c. 1770–1775) File:Ubaldo Gandolfi - Mercury About to Behead Argus, 1770-1775.jpg, ''Mercury About to Behead Argus'' by Ubaldo Gandolfi (c. 1770–1775) File:Alejandro de la Cruz - Mercury and Argus, 1773.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' Alejandro de la Cruz(1773) File:Mercury and Argus (Petr Ivanov).jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by Petr Ivanov (1776) File:Argus Guarding Io Who Has Been Transformed into a White Heifer by Jacopo Amigoni.jpg, ''Argus Guarding Io Who Has Been Transformed into a White Heifer'' Jacopo Amigoni (18th century) File:Mercury about to Kill Argus Having Lulled Him to Sleep by Jacopo Amigoni.jpg, ''Mercury about to Kill Argus Having Lulled Him to Sleep'' by Jacopo Amigoni (18th-century) File:Charles-André van Loo (attr) Mercury and Argus.jpg, ''Merkur und Argus'' by Charles-André van Loo (18th century) File:Jan Both - Landscape with Mercury and Argus.jpg, ''Landscape with Mercury and Argus'' by Jan Both (c. 1650) File:Pesaro, mercurio e argo, xvi sec.JPG, ''Mercury and Argus'' File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld - Argos wird von Hermes eingeschläfert und getötet.jpg, ''Argos wird von Hermes'' by

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ...

(1794–1872) File:Bertin Mercury killing Argus.JPG, ''Mercury killing Argus'' by Nicolas Bertin (1700s) File:Hieronymus Cock Die Landschaft mit Merkur und Argus.jpg, ''Die Landschaft mit Merkur und Argus'' by Hieronymus Cock (c. 1558) File:'Mercury and Argus' by Jacob Jordaens and Jan Wildens, 1640s, Norton Simon Museum.JPG, ''Mercury and Argus'' by

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

and Jan Wildens (c. early 1640s) File:Abraham Bloemaert - Mercury, Argus and Io - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mercury, Argus and Io'' by

Abraham Bloemaert Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who used etching and engraving. He initially worked in the style of the " Haarlem Mannerists", but by the beginning of the 17th-century altered his style ...

(c. 1592) File:Abraham Danielsz. Hondius - Mercury and Argos - WGA11644.jpg, Mercury and Argos by Abraham Hondius (2nd half of 17th century) File:Andrea Locatelli - Mercury and Argus - WGA13340.jpg, Mercury and Argus by Andrea Locatelli (1st half of 18th century) File:Bisschop, Cornelis - Mercurius and Argus.jpeg, ''Mercurius, Argus and Io'' by Cornelis Bisschop (17th century) File:Claude Lorrain (imitator of) - Mercury and Argus - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by Follower of

Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...

(17th century) File:Bonifacio de' Pitati - Mercurio uccide Argo.jpg, ''Mercury slaying Argus'' by Bonifazio Veronese File:René-Antoine Houasse - Mercure et Argus (Versailles).jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by

René-Antoine Houasse René-Antoine Houasse (c. 1645–1710) was a decorative French painter. He was a pupil of Charles Le Brun, under whose direction he worked at the Manufacture des Gobelins, and with whom he worked on the decoration of the Château de Versailles ...

(c. 1688) File:Cornelis van Poelenburch (cirkel) - Mercury wiegt Argus een met zijn muziek.jpg, ''Mercury lulling Argus with his music'' by Circle of Cornelius van Poelenburgh (c. 1650) File:Jacob van Campen - Argus, Mercury and Io - 001.jpg, ''Argus, Mercury and Io'' by Jacob van Campen (c. 1630–1640) File:Johann Carl Loth - Mercury Piping to Argus - WGA13647.jpg, ''Mercury Piping to Argus'' by Johann Carl Loth (c. 1655–60) File:Jean Lemaire - Mercury and Argus - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by Jean Lemaire (1625–1640) File:Mercurio addormenta Argo suonando il flauto - Van Somer.jpg, ''Mercurio addormenta Argo suonando il flauto'' by Hendrick de Somer File:Mercury about to kill Argus having lulled him to sleep by Jacopo Amigoni (1730-1732).jpg, ''Mercury about to Kill Argus Having Lulled Him to Sleep'' by Jacopo Amigoni (1730–1732) File:Mercury and Argus LACMA M.90.20.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by

Carel Fabritius Carel Pietersz. Fabritius (; bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style ...

(between c. 1645 and c. 1647) File:Peter Paul Rubens - Mercury and Argos, 1636-1638.jpg, ''Mercury and Argos'' by Peter Paul Rubens (1636–1638) File:Peter Paul Rubens 080.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

(between 1635 and 1638) File:Pieter van Bloemen - Mercury and Argus.jpg, ''Mercury and Argus'' by Pieter van Bloemen (early 18th century) File:Меркурий усыпляет Аргуса.jpg, ''Hermes is putting Argus's eyes asleep to free Io'' by Nikolay Koshelev (1864) File:Меркурый і Аргус.JPG, ''Mercury and Argus'' by Jan van Kessel the Elder (before 1679) File:Paul Bril - Landscape with Mercury and Argus - WGA03194.jpg, ''Landscape with Mercury and Argus'' by

Paul Bril Paul Bril (1554 – 7 October 1626) was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter and printmaker principally known for his Landscape art, landscapes.Nicola Courtright. "Paul Bril." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. ...

(1606) File:Unknown maker, Flemish, 16th century - Landscape with Mercury and Argus - 71.PB.65 - J. Paul Getty Museum.jpg, ''Landscape with Mercury and Argus'' (c. 1570) File:Mercury Killing Argus LACMA M.71.76.19.jpg, ''Mercury Killing Argus'' by Hendrik Goltzius (1589) File:Mercury Putting Argus to Sleep - etching - 17.5 x 25.2 cm - Washington DC, NGA.jpg, ''Mercury Putting Argus to Sleep'' by Hendrik Goltzius (16th or 17th century) File:Mercury Killing Argus LACMA 65.37.94.jpg, ''Mercury Killing Argus'' by

Antonio Tempesta Antonio Tempesta, also called il Tempestino (1555 – 5 August 1630), was an Italian painter and engraver, whose art acted as a point of connection between Roman Baroque, Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp. Much of his work depicts major ba ...

(1606) File:Godfried Maes - Illustrations to the Metamorphoses of Ovid, Mercury Rescuing Io from Argus (3).jpg, ''Illustrations to the Metamorphoses of Ovid, Mercury Rescuing Io from Argus'' by Godfried Maes (1664 - 1700) File:Francesco de Mura – Giunone affida Io ad Argo.tiff, ''Juno (Hera) commits Io to Argus Panoptes'' by Francesco de Mura (1696–1784)

Notes

References

, ''Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts,

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
*

Apollonius of Rhodes Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Go ...

, ''

Argonautica The ''Argonautica'' () is a Greek literature, Greek epic poem written by Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only entirely surviving Hellenistic civilization, Hellenistic epic (though Aetia (Callimachus), Callim ...

'', edited and translated by William H. Race,

Loeb Classical Library The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a monographic series of books originally published by Heinemann and since 1934 by Harvard University Press. It has bilingual editions of ancient Greek and Latin literature, ...

No. 1, Cambridge, Massachusetts,

, 2009.
Online version at Harvard University Press
* Fowler, R. L. (2013), ''Early Greek Mythography: Volume 2: Commentary'', Oxford University Press, 2013. . * Impelluso, Lucia, ''Gods and Heroes in Art'', Getty Publications, 2003. *

, ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

'', Brookes More, Boston, Cornhill Publishing Co. 1922
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Pausanias, ''Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes''. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Tortel C., (2019), ''Sacralisé, diabolisé: le paon dans les religions de l'Asie à la Méditerranée'', Geuthner, 2019. . * West, M. L., ''Greek Epic Fragments: From the Seventh to the Fifth Centuries BC''. Edited and translated by Martin L. West.

No. 497. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003
Online version at Harvard University Press

External links