Itylus
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Itylus, or Itylos, was the son of Aedon
, daughter of Pandareus
of Ephesus and wife of King Zethus of Thebes. Envious of Niobe
, the wife of her husband's brother Amphion, who had six sons and six daughters, she formed the plan of killing the eldest of Niobe's sons, but by mistake slew her own son Itylus. Zeus relieved her grief by changing her into a nightingale, whose melancholy tunes are represented by the poet as Aëdon's lamentations about her child. The mythic theme was an ancient one, for Homer
's listeners were expected to know the allusion, when Penelope
reveals to the still- disguised Odysseus
her anguish of a night:
As one of only nine simile
s in the Odyssey that are longer than five lines, the thematic complexity of the image and its multiple points of contact with Penelope's situation has arrested the attention of many readers.
Aedon accidentally killed Itylus "in her madness" and was stricken with grief and guilt. In pity, the gods turned her into a nightingale
, which cries with sadness every night. In an explanatory scholium on this passage, an anonymous scholiast, echoed by Eustathius
, explains that Aedon attempted to kill the son of her sister-in-law and rival, Niobe
, but accidentally killed her own son instead: thus, the gods changed her into a nightingale to weep for eternity. The setting of the episode is Thebes.
Attic authors later than Homer, including the dramatists knew a nightingale myth in which Procne was married to Tereus, who betrayed her by violating her sister Philomela, whose tongue he cut out so that she could not tell. (In some versions, Philomela is the name of the wife, Procne of her mutilated sister.) Philomela wove her story into a robe that she gave to Procne. In a fit of madness Procne murdered her own child by Tereus, Itys. All were changed to birds, the murderous mother to a nightingale.
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...
, Itylus, or Itylos, was the son of Aedon
Aedon
Aëdon is, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Pandareus of Ephesus. According to Homer she was the wife of Zethus, and the mother of Itylus....
, daughter of Pandareus
Pandareus
In Greek mythology, Pandareus was the son of Merops and a nymph. His residence was given as either Ephesus or Miletus. He was said to have been favored by Demeter, who conferred upon him the benefit of never suffering from indigestion, however much food he should eat...
of Ephesus and wife of King Zethus of Thebes. Envious of Niobe
Niobe
Niobe was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, and she was the sister of Pelops and Broteas, all of whom figure in Greek mythology....
, the wife of her husband's brother Amphion, who had six sons and six daughters, she formed the plan of killing the eldest of Niobe's sons, but by mistake slew her own son Itylus. Zeus relieved her grief by changing her into a nightingale, whose melancholy tunes are represented by the poet as Aëdon's lamentations about her child. The mythic theme was an ancient one, for Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's listeners were expected to know the allusion, when Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
reveals to the still- disguised 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....
her anguish of a night:
"I lie on my bed, and the sharp anxieties swarming
thick and fast on my beating heart torment my sorrowing self.
As when PandareosPandareusIn Greek mythology, Pandareus was the son of Merops and a nymph. His residence was given as either Ephesus or Miletus. He was said to have been favored by Demeter, who conferred upon him the benefit of never suffering from indigestion, however much food he should eat...
' daughter, the greenwood nightingale
perching in the deep of the forest foliage sings out
her lovely sing when springtime is just begun, she varying
the mainfold strains of her voice, pours out the melody
mourning Itylos, son of the lord Zethos, her own beloved
child, whom she once killed with the bronze, when the madness was upon her;
So my mind is divided, and starts one way, then another" (Odyssey xix.519-24; Richard Lattimore's translation).
As one of only nine simile
Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by employing the words "like", "as". Even though both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison, similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities, whereas...
s in the Odyssey that are longer than five lines, the thematic complexity of the image and its multiple points of contact with Penelope's situation has arrested the attention of many readers.
Aedon accidentally killed Itylus "in her madness" and was stricken with grief and guilt. In pity, the gods turned her into a nightingale
Nightingale
The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
, which cries with sadness every night. In an explanatory scholium on this passage, an anonymous scholiast, echoed by Eustathius
Eustathius
Eustathius or Eustathios may refer to:* Eustathius of Antioch, Patriarch of Antioch * Eustathius of Sebaste * Eustathius of Cappadocia Neoplatonist, orator, and diplomat...
, explains that Aedon attempted to kill the son of her sister-in-law and rival, Niobe
Niobe
Niobe was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, and she was the sister of Pelops and Broteas, all of whom figure in Greek mythology....
, but accidentally killed her own son instead: thus, the gods changed her into a nightingale to weep for eternity. The setting of the episode is Thebes.
Attic authors later than Homer, including the dramatists knew a nightingale myth in which Procne was married to Tereus, who betrayed her by violating her sister Philomela, whose tongue he cut out so that she could not tell. (In some versions, Philomela is the name of the wife, Procne of her mutilated sister.) Philomela wove her story into a robe that she gave to Procne. In a fit of madness Procne murdered her own child by Tereus, Itys. All were changed to birds, the murderous mother to a nightingale.