Polyeidos
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Polyeidos or Polyidus (Greek, "seeing many things"), son of Coeranus, was a famous seer from Corinth
.
. Given that Melampus had two sons, Abas
and Mantius
, different sources made Coeranus, father of Polyeidos, son or grandson of either of the two. Briefly, the two alternate lineages were:
According to a scholiast on Homer
' s Iliad
, Polyeidos had two sons, Euchenor and Cleitus, by Eurydameia, daughter of Phyleus
. Pausanias makes Polyeidus father of Coeranus, Manto
and Astycrateia, and calls Euchenor his grandson through Coeranus.
, which runs as follows. One day, Glaucus
, son of King Minos
and Queen Pasiphaë
of Crete
, was playing with a mouse
and suddenly disappeared. The Kuretes told Minos: "A marvelous creature has been born amongst you: whoever finds the true likeness for this creature will also find the child."
They interpreted this to refer to a newborn calf in Minos' herd. Three times a day, the calf changed color from white to red to black. Polyeidos observed the similarity to the ripening of the fruit of the mulberry
or the blackberry
, and Minos sent him to find Glaucus.
Searching for the boy, Polyeidos saw an owl
driving bee
s away from a wine-cellar in Minos' palace. Inside the wine-cellar was a cask of honey, with Glaucus dead inside. Minos demanded Glaucus be brought back to life and shut Polyeidos up in the wine-cellar with a sword. When a snake
appeared nearby, Polyeidos killed it with the sword. Another snake came for the first, and after seeing its mate dead, the second serpent left and returned with an herb
which then brought the first snake back to life. With the herb Polyeidos resurrected the child.
Minos refused to let Polyeidos leave Crete
until he taught Glaucus the art of divination
. Polyeidos did so, but then, at the last second before leaving, he asked Glaucus to spit in his mouth. Glaucus did so and forgot everything he had been taught.
The story of Polyeidos and Glaucus was the subject of a lost play of Euripides
, his Bellerophon, and of one by Aeschylus
, and Sophocles' lost The Mantises.
as to how to find and tame Pegasus
, in order to kill the Chimera.
Polyeidos was said to have come to Megara
to purify Alcathous, son of Pelops
, for the accidental murder of the latter's son Callipolis. The tomb of his two daughters was shown at Megara.
Polyeidos also appears in one of the stories collected in Pseudo-Plutarch
's On Rivers: he explains to Lysippe
, mother of Teuthras
, the source of her son's insanity.
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...
, Polyeidos or Polyidus (Greek, "seeing many things"), son of Coeranus, was a famous seer from Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
.
Genealogy
Polyeidos was a descendant of another renowned seer, MelampusMelampus
In Greek mythology, Melampus, or Melampous , was a legendary soothsayer and healer, originally of Pylos, who ruled at Argos. He was the introducer of the worship of Dionysus, according to Herodotus, who asserted that his powers as a seer were derived from the Egyptians and that he could understand...
. Given that Melampus had two sons, Abas
Abas (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the name Abas is attributed to several individuals:*Abas, king of Argos.*the son of Poseidon and Arethusa. A Thracian by birth, Abas founded a tribe known as the Abantians or Abantes. Abas and his Abantian followers migrated to the island of Euboea, where he subsequently...
and Mantius
Mantius
In Greek mythology, Mantius was the son of Melampus and Iphianassa and the father of Clitus, Polypheides and, in some versions, of Oicles....
, different sources made Coeranus, father of Polyeidos, son or grandson of either of the two. Briefly, the two alternate lineages were:
- Melampus - Abas - Coeranus - Polyeidos
- Melampus - Mantius - Cleitus - Coeranus - Polyeidos
According to a scholiast on 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 Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, Polyeidos had two sons, Euchenor and Cleitus, by Eurydameia, daughter of Phyleus
Phyleus
In Greek mythology, Phyleus was a son of King Augeas of Elis and father of Meges. He supported Heracles instead of his father and was exiled. After Heracles killed Augeas and his other sons, he gave Phyleus the kingdom. During the time of his exile, Phyleus led a colony of Epeans to the island of...
. Pausanias makes Polyeidus father of Coeranus, Manto
Manto (mythology)
There are several distinct figures in Greek mythology named Manto, the most prominent being the daughter of Tiresias. The name Manto derives from Ancient Greek Mantis, "seer, prophet" .-Daughter of Tiresias:...
and Astycrateia, and calls Euchenor his grandson through Coeranus.
Polyeidos and Glaucus
The best known myth concerning Polyeidos is the one that deals with him saving the life of GlaucusGlaucus (son of Minos)
Glaucus was a son of Minos and Pasiphaë. One day, Glaucus while playing with a ball or chasing a mouse fell into a jar of honey and died...
, which runs as follows. One day, Glaucus
Glaucus (son of Minos)
Glaucus was a son of Minos and Pasiphaë. One day, Glaucus while playing with a ball or chasing a mouse fell into a jar of honey and died...
, son of King Minos
Minos
In Greek mythology, Minos was a king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every year he made King Aegeus pick seven men and seven women to go to Daedalus' creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten by The Minotaur. After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades. The Minoan civilization of Crete...
and Queen Pasiphaë
Pasiphaë
In Greek mythology, Pasiphaë , "wide-shining" was the daughter of Helios, the Sun, by the eldest of the Oceanids, Perse; Like her doublet Europa, her origins were in the East, in her case at Colchis, the palace of the Sun; she was given in marriage to King Minos of Crete. With Minos, she was the...
of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, was playing with a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and suddenly disappeared. The Kuretes told Minos: "A marvelous creature has been born amongst you: whoever finds the true likeness for this creature will also find the child."
They interpreted this to refer to a newborn calf in Minos' herd. Three times a day, the calf changed color from white to red to black. Polyeidos observed the similarity to the ripening of the fruit of the mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
or the blackberry
Blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
, and Minos sent him to find Glaucus.
Searching for the boy, Polyeidos saw an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
driving bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s away from a wine-cellar in Minos' palace. Inside the wine-cellar was a cask of honey, with Glaucus dead inside. Minos demanded Glaucus be brought back to life and shut Polyeidos up in the wine-cellar with a sword. When a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
appeared nearby, Polyeidos killed it with the sword. Another snake came for the first, and after seeing its mate dead, the second serpent left and returned with an herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
which then brought the first snake back to life. With the herb Polyeidos resurrected the child.
Minos refused to let Polyeidos leave Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
until he taught Glaucus the art of divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
. Polyeidos did so, but then, at the last second before leaving, he asked Glaucus to spit in his mouth. Glaucus did so and forgot everything he had been taught.
The story of Polyeidos and Glaucus was the subject of a lost play of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
, his Bellerophon, and of one by Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
, and Sophocles' lost The Mantises.
Other stories
It is related that Polyeidos advised BellerophonBellerophon
Bellerophon or Bellerophontes is a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside of Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a...
as to how to find and tame Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
, in order to kill the Chimera.
Polyeidos was said to have come to Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
to purify Alcathous, son of Pelops
Alcathous, son of Pelops
Alcathous was in Greek mythology the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and brother of Atreus and Thyestes. He first married Pyrgo and afterwards Euaechme, and was the father of Echepolis , Callipolis , Iphinoe , Periboea , and Automedusa .Pausanias relates that after Euippus, son of king Megareus,...
, for the accidental murder of the latter's son Callipolis. The tomb of his two daughters was shown at Megara.
Polyeidos also appears in one of the stories collected in Pseudo-Plutarch
Pseudo-Plutarch
Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the unknown authors of a number of pseudepigrapha attributed to Plutarch.Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia...
's On Rivers: he explains to Lysippe
Lysippe
Lysippe is the name of several different women in Greek mythology:* Lysippe, daughter of Thespius and Megamede. She bore Heracles a son, Erasippus.* Lysippe, the Amazon mother of the river god Tanais....
, mother of Teuthras
Teuthras
In Greek mythology, Teuthras was a king of Mysia, and mythological eponym of the town of Teuthrania. He received Auge, the ill-fated mother of Telephus, and either married her or adopted her as his own daughter. Later on, Idas was attempting to dethrone Teuthras and take possession of his kingdom...
, the source of her son's insanity.