Agreus
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
Agreus or Argeus and his brother Nomios are two of the Panes, creatures multiplied from the god Pan. They are human in shape, but have the horns of goats. Like Pan, both were the sons of Hermes
, Argeus' mother being the nymph
Sose, a prophetess: he inherited his mother's gift of prophecy, and was also a skilled hunter. Nomios' mother was the dryad Penelope
(not the same as the wife of Odysseus
). He was an excellent shepherd, a seducer of nymphs, and musician upon the shepherd's pipes. Agreus and Nomios could also be understood as epithet
s of Pan, expressing two different aspects of the prime Pan, reflecting his dual nature as both a wise prophet and a lustful beast. Both Agreus (meaning "hunter") and Nomios (meaning "shepherd") are titles of several agricultural gods, including Aristaeus
and Pan himself.
Both of these Panes, along with a dozen others, joined Dionysus
in his wars in India
.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Agreus or Argeus and his brother Nomios are two of the Panes, creatures multiplied from the god Pan. They are human in shape, but have the horns of goats. Like Pan, both were the sons of Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
, Argeus' mother being the nymph
Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
Sose, a prophetess: he inherited his mother's gift of prophecy, and was also a skilled hunter. Nomios' mother was the dryad Penelope
Penelope (dryad)
In Greek mythology Penelope or Penelopeia is a dryad, the daughter of Dryops. She resides on mount Kyllene in Arcadia and is the mother of the god Pan or of Nomios ....
(not the same as the wife of Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
). He was an excellent shepherd, a seducer of nymphs, and musician upon the shepherd's pipes. Agreus and Nomios could also be understood as epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
s of Pan, expressing two different aspects of the prime Pan, reflecting his dual nature as both a wise prophet and a lustful beast. Both Agreus (meaning "hunter") and Nomios (meaning "shepherd") are titles of several agricultural gods, including Aristaeus
Aristaeus
A minor god in Greek mythology, which we read largely through Athenian writers, Aristaeus or Aristaios , "ever close follower of the flocks", was the culture hero credited with the discovery of many useful arts, including bee-keeping; he was the son of Apollo and the huntress Cyrene...
and Pan himself.
Both of these Panes, along with a dozen others, joined Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
in his wars in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Other uses
Agreus was also the name of several other mythological characters.- Agreus, a son of ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and EuboeaEuboea (mythology)Euboea is the name of several women in Greek mythology.#Euboea, a Naiad, daughter of the Boeotian river-god Asopus and of Metope. Poseidon abducted her. The island of Euboea was given her name....
, daughter of MacareusMacareus (son of Aeolus)Macareus or Macar was, in Greek mythology, the son of Aeolus and either Enarete or Amphithea.He and his sister Canace fell in love with each other and had a child together...
. He was the lord of Diphys in EuboeaEuboeaEuboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
, or king of the entire island.
- Agreus, a warrior from EpidaurusEpidaurusEpidaurus was a small city in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros : Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidavros, part of the peripheral unit of Argolis...
, and one of the army of the Seven Against ThebesSeven Against ThebesThe Seven against Thebes is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won...
.
- Agreus, a warrior from CalydonCalydonCalydon was an ancient Greek city in Aetolia, situated on the west bank of the river Evenus. According to Greek mythology, the city took its name from its founder Calydon, son of Aetolus. Close to the city stood Mount Zygos, the slopes of which provided the setting for the hunt of the Calydonian...
, also one of the army of the Seven Against Thebes.
- Agreus, a warrior from PylosPylosPylos , historically known under its Italian name Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It was the capital of the former...
, yet another of the army of the Seven Against Thebes. He was killed by MenoeceusMenoeceusIn Greek mythology, Menoeceus was the father of Creon and Jocasta and both grandfather and father-in-law of Oedipus. Another Menoeceus was the son of Creon, named after his grandfather...
, son of CreonCreonCreon is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes in the legend of Oedipus. He had two children with his wife, Eurydice: Megareus and Haemon...
.