In
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 ...
, Paraebius () is a Thracian man, a subject of king
Phineus
In Greek mythology, Phineus (; ), was a king of Salmydessus in Thrace and seer, who appears in accounts of the Argonauts' voyage. Some accounts make him a king in PaphlagoniaScholia on Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.178, 237; Scholia ''ad eund'' 2.1 ...
of
Salmydessus
Salmydessus or Salmydessos (), also Halmydessus or Halmydissos (Ἁλμυδισσός), was a town on the Euxine Sea in ancient Thrace, about northwest of the entrance of the Bosporus, near present day Kıyıköy in European Turkey. The eastern ...
. For years Paraebius suffered greatly due to an injustice committed by his father against a hamadryad nymph, until advice from Phineus led him to salvation. After that, Paraebius became one of Phineus' most loyal and devoted servants. The story of Paraebius is preserved in the second-century BC epic ''
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 ...
'' by
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 ...
, in which
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
and the Argonauts reach
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
and meet Paraebius and the other Thracian people.
Family
Nothing is known about Paraebius' lineage, other than he dwelled somewhere in
Thynia
In the ancient world, Thynia (, ) was a region of Europe along the northern coast of the Propontis, opposite Bithynia on the Asian side.W.H.Race, ''Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica'', Loeb Classical Library (2008), introductory maps It was original ...
, an ancient region in the European coast of the
Propontis
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
sea; he might have been a slave or a farm owner.
Mythology
When Paraebius' father was young, he set out to cut some woods. A hamadryad that dwelled in one of the oak tree stumps he meant to cut down begged him tearfully to spare her tree, but the man foolishly ignored her pleas and felled her oak tree house. The angered hamadryad then lay a terrible curse on him and his children, a curse that Paraebius inherited. For years he toiled and struggled harshly but saw no respite from his labours, and grew poorer and poorer.
Eventually he sook out the seer-king
Phineus
In Greek mythology, Phineus (; ), was a king of Salmydessus in Thrace and seer, who appears in accounts of the Argonauts' voyage. Some accounts make him a king in PaphlagoniaScholia on Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.178, 237; Scholia ''ad eund'' 2.1 ...
and recounted to him his troubles. Phineus then realised that Paraebius was being tormented due to his father's sins, and advised him to build an altar to the wronged nymph and make offerings to her. Paraebius did as told, his prayers were eventually heard and his curse lifted.
Thereafter he was ever loyal to Phineus, and not a day passed that Paraebius forgot about or neglected him. Phineus had often difficulty in making Paraebius leave the house at all.
Years later, when the hero
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
and the
Argonauts
The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...
arrived at Phineus' land, Paraebius received the strangers warmly and prepared sheep for them at Phineus’ command. Phineus then explained Paraebius' story to the foreigners.
Culture
Paraebius' brief tale shares a pattern with other mythological heroes who are asked to spare or save a nymph's tree, and are rewarded or punished accordingly to how they responded to the plea. The narrative of Paraebius' tale interwines hubris, or excessive pride, with powerlessness. Apollonius seems to have been inspired by the similar myth of
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...
and the Thessalian king as related in
Callimachus
Callimachus (; ; ) was an ancient Greek poet, scholar, and librarian who was active in Alexandria during the 3rd century BC. A representative of Ancient Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, he wrote over 800 literary works, most of which ...
' ''Hymn to Demeter'', given that the parallels are too close to be a coincidence.
Legacy
Paraebius is also one of the names given to
dolichognatha
''Dolichognatha'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869. Originally placed with the Archaeidae, it was transferred to the Araneidae in 1967, and to the Tetrag ...
, a genus of tropical and subtropical long-jawed orb-weavers.
See also
*
Erysichthon of Thessaly
In Greek mythology, Erysichthon (; Ancient Greek: Ἐρυσίχθων ὁ Θεσσαλός means "earth-tearer"), also anglicised as Erisichthon, was a king of Thessaly. He was sometimes called Aethon.
Family
Erysichthon was the son of King ...
, who was also cursed for cutting down a nymph’s tree
*
Arcas
In Greek mythology, Arcas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀρκάς) was a hunter who became king of Arcadia. He was remembered for having taught people the arts of weaving and baking bread and for spreading agriculture to Arcadia.
Family
Arcas was the ...
, who married a nymph after saving her tree
*
Rhoecus of Cnidus
In ancient Greek mythology, Rhoecus () is a rich man from Cnidus, an ancient Greek colony on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. According to the tale, Rhoecus saved a nymph and her tree from certain death, so the nymph agreed to be his lover, u ...
, who saved a tree and its nymph
References
Bibliography
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Apollonius Rhodius
Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. The poem is ...
, ''
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 ...
'' translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912
Text available online at the Internet Archive.*
*
*
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*
* {{cite book , title = Reading Epic: An Introduction to the Ancient Narratives , first = Peter , last = Toohey , publisher = Routledge , date = September 2, 2003 , isbn = 0-415-04227-5 , location = London and New York , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W-uIAgAAQBAJ
Mythological Thracians
Characters in the Argonautica