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In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Autolycus (in Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
, – "Lone Wolf") was a son of Hermes
Hermes

Hermes is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. An Twelve Olympians, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures, of invention, of general commerce, and of the cunni...
 and Chione
Chione (daughter of Daedalion)

Chione was the daughter of Daedalion. She was very beautiful, and had countless suitors, including the gods Apollo and Hermes. Apollo waited for nightfall and then approached her in the guise of an old woman....
. He was the husband of Neaera
Neaera

Neaera, Ne?ra, or Neaira can refer to:* Neaera , a German metalcore band.* Neaira , referred in the speech Against Neaera attributed to the Athenian orator Demosthenes....
, or according to Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
 of Amphithea
Amphithea

Amphithea is the name of four women in Greek mythology1. Amphithea, wife of Lycurgus , king of Nemea, and mother of Opheltes 2. Amphithea, daughter of Pronax....
. Autolycus fathered Anticlea
Anticlea

In Greek mythology, Anticlea, , was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea, and mother of Odysseus by Laertes . She is also the granddaughter of the trickster god Hermes ....
 (who married Laertes
Laertes

In Greek mythology, La?rtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus....
 of Ithaca
Ithaca

Ithaca or Ithaka is an island in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of 118 km? and three thousand inhabitants. It is an independent Communities and Municipalities of Greece of the prefecture of Kefalonia and Ithaka Prefecture, and lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia....
 and was the mother of Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
) and several sons of whom only Aesimus is named.

lycus was a "the most accomplished thief and perjurer in the whole world", having even the power of metamorphosing both the stolen goods and himself.






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In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Autolycus (in Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
, – "Lone Wolf") was a son of Hermes
Hermes

Hermes is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. An Twelve Olympians, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures, of invention, of general commerce, and of the cunni...
 and Chione
Chione (daughter of Daedalion)

Chione was the daughter of Daedalion. She was very beautiful, and had countless suitors, including the gods Apollo and Hermes. Apollo waited for nightfall and then approached her in the guise of an old woman....
. He was the husband of Neaera
Neaera

Neaera, Ne?ra, or Neaira can refer to:* Neaera , a German metalcore band.* Neaira , referred in the speech Against Neaera attributed to the Athenian orator Demosthenes....
, or according to Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
 of Amphithea
Amphithea

Amphithea is the name of four women in Greek mythology1. Amphithea, wife of Lycurgus , king of Nemea, and mother of Opheltes 2. Amphithea, daughter of Pronax....
. Autolycus fathered Anticlea
Anticlea

In Greek mythology, Anticlea, , was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea, and mother of Odysseus by Laertes . She is also the granddaughter of the trickster god Hermes ....
 (who married Laertes
Laertes

In Greek mythology, La?rtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus....
 of Ithaca
Ithaca

Ithaca or Ithaka is an island in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of 118 km? and three thousand inhabitants. It is an independent Communities and Municipalities of Greece of the prefecture of Kefalonia and Ithaka Prefecture, and lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia....
 and was the mother of Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
) and several sons of whom only Aesimus is named.

Life

Autolycus was a "the most accomplished thief and perjurer in the whole world", having even the power of metamorphosing both the stolen goods and himself. Autolycus stole the cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
 of Sisyphus
Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus , was a king punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll down again, and to repeat this throughout eternity....
 as well as the helmet that his grandson, Odysseus, wore during the Trojan War
Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta....
. He is also purported to have been the one who took Eurytus
Eurytus

In Greek mythology, Eurytus is the name of numerous characters....
' mares (or cattle), leading to the murder of one his sons, Iphitus, by Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
.

It was by his wife Amphithea that he had Anticlea, who gave him his first grandson. Autolycus greatly wished that he would have a grandson, and after Odysseus was born, Euryclea (the wet nurse
Wet nurse

A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeding a baby that is not her own. These children may be known as milk-siblings and in some cultures share a special relationship....
) sat the child upon his knee and told him to find a name: Autolycus chose Odysseus ("the child of anger") because he was highly displeased with a large number of people. Afterwards, when Odysseus was staying with Autolycus, he was wounded by a boar during the chase on Parnassus, and it was by the scar of this wound that Odysseus was subsequently recognized by his aged nurse when he returned from Troy.

Polymede, the mother of Jason
Jason

Jason was a late ancient Greece Greek mythology figure, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus....
, was, according to Apollodorus
Apollodorus

Apollodorus of Athens son of Asclepiades, was a Greeks scholar and grammarian. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon, Panaetius, and the grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace....
, a daughter of this Autolycus, and the same writer (ii. 4. § 9) not only describes him as the teacher of Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
 in the art of wrestling
Wrestling

Wrestling is part of the martial arts. A wrestling match consists of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over, or control of, the opponent....
, but mentions him among the Argonauts
Argonauts

In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece....
; the latter of which statements arose undoubtedly from a confusion of this Autolycus with the Thessalian of the same name
Autolycus, son of Deimachus

In Greek mythology, Autolycus was a Thessalian, son of Deimachus, who together with his brothers Deileon and Phlogius joined Heracles in his expedition against the Amazons....
.

Cultural references


Although not as well known as many other Greek mythological figures, Autolycus has appeared in a number of works of fiction.
  • A comic thief in Shakespeare's
    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
     The Winter's Tale
    The Winter's Tale

    The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, first published in the First Folio in 1623. Although it was listed as a comedy when it first appeared, some modern editors have relabeled the play a Romance ....
     boasts that he is named after Autolycus and, like him, is "a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles".
  • He appeared in Diana Wynne Jones' book The Game as a very mischievious brat
  • In the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
    Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

    Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an United States Television program, filmed in New Zealand. It was produced from 1995 to 1999, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek mythology culture hero Heracles....
     and Xena: Warrior Princess
    Xena: Warrior Princess

    Xena: Warrior Princess is an United States television series that aired from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. The series was produced by Renaissance Pictures in association with Universal Studios....
    , Autolycus appeared as a comical antihero, portrayed by cult actor Bruce Campbell
    Bruce Campbell

    Bruce Lorne Campbell is an United States actor, Film producer, writer and Film director. He is best known for his starring role as Ash Williams in the Evil Dead trilogy of horror film/slapstick film, and has since become a B-movie icon....
    . As the self-proclaimed "King of Thieves", he was depicted as a thief of great cunning but even greater ego, which typically resulted in him getting in over his head in one scenario after another.
  • Autolycus is also the name of a fictional racehorse in the 1934 film The Clairvoyant
    The Clairvoyant

    The Clairvoyant, also known as The Evil Mind, is a 1934 in film drama film made in the UK, starring Claude Rains, Fay Wray, and Jane Baxter, and movie director by Maurice Elvey....
    , starring Claude Rains
    Claude Rains

    William Claude Rains was an England award-winning actor and film star whose career spanned 47 years. He later held Cinema of the United States citizenship and was best known for his many roles in Hollywood films....
    .
  • Autolycus is the name of Debbie Aldridge's horse in the BBC Radio 4 series 'The Archers'


Sources


  • Apollodorus. Bibliotheke I, ix, 16; II, iv, 9; vi, 2.
  • Ovid
    Ovid

    Publius Ovidius Naso was a Roman Empire poet known as Ovid to the English language-speaking world, who wrote about love, seduction, and Roman mythology transformation....
    . Metamorphoses
    Metamorphoses (poem)

    The Metamorphoses by the Ancient Rome poet Ovid is a Narrative poetry in fifteen books that describes the Creation myth and history of the world....
     XI, 301-17; Homer
    Homer

    Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
    . Iliad
    ILiad

    The iLiad is an electronic handheld device, or e-book device, which can be used for document reading and editing. Like the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad makes use of an electronic paper display....
     X, 265-271.
  • Homer
    Homer

    Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
    . Odyssey
    Odyssey

    The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Hellenic civilization epic poetrys attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer....
     XI, 84-6; XIX,395-566.


External links