Clinis
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Clinis or Cleinis was a native of Babylon
and father, by Harpe, of three sons, Harpasus, Lycius, and Ortygius, and of a daughter Artemiche. He venerated Apollo
and Artemis
diligently and was in return favored by the two gods so much that Apollo once took him to the land of the Hyperboreans, where he visited the shrine of the Hyperborean Apollo.
Upon return home, Clinis decided that from now on, he should honor Apollo by sacrificing donkeys to him, just like the Hyperboreans did. But when everything was ready for the sacrifice, Apollo warned Clinis against doing so because donkeys offered by non-Hyperboreans were not the right kind of sacrifice for the god. Then a heated argument arose between the children of Clinis as to whether to continue with the sacrificial rite or not: Lycius and Harpasus insisted on sacrificing the donkeys nevertheless, while Ortygius and Artemiche maintained that the god's word should be obeyed. Finally, Lycius and Harpasus drove the donkeys to the altar; at the moment, Apollo struck the animals with madness, which caused them to attack and devour Clinis and his family. Poseidon
took pity of Harpe and Harpasus and transformed them into birds of the same names; Leto
and Artemis implored Apollo to save Clinis, Ortygius and Artemiche, who were not guilty of the impious act, which the god did, changing the rest of the family into birds as well: Clinis into a hypaietos ("under-eagle"), Lycius into a white raven (which became black after the incident with Coronis), Artemiche into a lark, and Ortygius into a billy-tit (Greek
aigithos), because he had suggested that his father sacrificed billy-goats (Greek aiges) instead of donkeys.
The story is solely known from Antoninus Liberalis
' Metamorphoses; as his own sources, the author cites Boeus and Symmias.
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...
, Clinis or Cleinis was a native of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
and father, by Harpe, of three sons, Harpasus, Lycius, and Ortygius, and of a daughter Artemiche. He venerated Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
diligently and was in return favored by the two gods so much that Apollo once took him to the land of the Hyperboreans, where he visited the shrine of the Hyperborean Apollo.
Upon return home, Clinis decided that from now on, he should honor Apollo by sacrificing donkeys to him, just like the Hyperboreans did. But when everything was ready for the sacrifice, Apollo warned Clinis against doing so because donkeys offered by non-Hyperboreans were not the right kind of sacrifice for the god. Then a heated argument arose between the children of Clinis as to whether to continue with the sacrificial rite or not: Lycius and Harpasus insisted on sacrificing the donkeys nevertheless, while Ortygius and Artemiche maintained that the god's word should be obeyed. Finally, Lycius and Harpasus drove the donkeys to the altar; at the moment, Apollo struck the animals with madness, which caused them to attack and devour Clinis and his family. Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
took pity of Harpe and Harpasus and transformed them into birds of the same names; Leto
Leto
In Greek mythology, Leto is a daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. The island of Kos is claimed as her birthplace. In the Olympian scheme, Zeus is the father of her twins, Apollo and Artemis, the Letoides, which Leto conceived after her hidden beauty accidentally caught the eyes of Zeus...
and Artemis implored Apollo to save Clinis, Ortygius and Artemiche, who were not guilty of the impious act, which the god did, changing the rest of the family into birds as well: Clinis into a hypaietos ("under-eagle"), Lycius into a white raven (which became black after the incident with Coronis), Artemiche into a lark, and Ortygius into a billy-tit (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
aigithos), because he had suggested that his father sacrificed billy-goats (Greek aiges) instead of donkeys.
The story is solely known from Antoninus Liberalis
Antoninus Liberalis
Antoninus Liberalis was an Ancient Greek grammarian who probably flourished between AD 100 and 300.His only surviving work is the Metamorphoses, , a collection of forty-one very briefly summarised tales about mythical metamorphoses effected by offended deities, unique in that they are...
' Metamorphoses; as his own sources, the author cites Boeus and Symmias.