Myrmidons

The Myrmidons ( ancient Greek Μυρμιδόνες / Myrmidónes ) are in Greek mythology, an Achaean nation in südthessalischen Phthiotis who had their residence around Phthia and Larisa Kremaste.

In Homer's Iliad describes how moved under the leadership of Peleus ' son Achilles, the small army of Myrmidons into battle at Troy, and this distinguished themselves there by unqualified obedience, courage and superior fighting force. They wore black armor and shields. They played a crucial role in the fall of Troy. After the war brought Neoptolemus, the grandson of Peleus, the Myrmidons home. This epic victory unites the Greek kingdoms into one nation and thus prepares the ground for the unique heyday of the Hellenes.

In the Iliad five Myrmidons are: Alkimedon, Eudorus, Phoenix, Menesto and Pisander.

The Myrmidons are according to tradition, the descendants of the eponymous ancestor king of Phthia Myrmidon ( Phthiotis ), a son of Zeus and " far-sighted " Eurymedusa, a princess of Phthia. She was seduced by Zeus in the form of an ant (Greek μύρμηξ / Myrmex ), hence its name. Others say that Myrmex the name of the mortal man's Eurymedusa was and that Zeus has taken its shape in order to approach her. [ A] His wife was Peisidike, daughter of Aeolus and Enarete with which he the actuator and the Antiphos begat ( which was the first of Peleus invited to stay in Thessaly ). Hyginus gives him the two daughters, Ischylla [Note ] and Eupolemia and Aelianus another son, Erysichthon. [B ]

A legend about their origins says that they once lived on the island of Aegina, the bottom of which, although very fruitful, but on the surface extremely rocky and would therefore have been very bare. Therefore, the inhabitants had for cultivation of the soil on the type of ants, not as if they really originated from the like, but because with extraordinary diligence as the ants by digging the earth, and distributed on the stones to get agriculturally available surfaces, and would no less in the manner of the same self, otherwise very sparingly used underground in the caves. But then they went with with Peleus, when he had been banished from there by his father Aeacus. In Phthia then Peleus was received by King Eurytion, son of the actuator, and this entsündigte him and gave him his daughter Antigone, together with the third part of his country.

The interpretation as " ant - people " (Greek μύρμηκες / Myrmekes ) is mentioned for the first time in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Accordingly, the name is derived because ago that Zeus was once the island of Aegina, at the request of Aeacus, new residents and gave them created from ants. Since the island of its original inhabitants had been robbed by a skilful of the vengeful Hera plague. But there were, as such, both good people than good landlords. This version seems to have borrowed from Ovid by Thucydides ( a Greek historians ), who described a plague in Athens.

The aiginetische saga of the transformation of the ants in humans by Zeus - his son Aeacus ( Αιακός of αῖα earth), the husband of Endeis ( Ένδηΐς of εν and δα earth ) sake - is originally from this Zeus - Myrmidon - Stemma independent and wants merely the autochthony of aiginetischen Aiakiden justify mythical by the derivation of the Erdtier. The Thessalian Stemma originally knows as little as the Ameisenetymologie the aiginetische Sage. [B ] This being said, the port Μύρμηξ ( Murmex ) by Thetis Σηπιάς ( Sipias ) famous coast of Magnesia to think cuttlefish. However, while the unity of the Achaeans Thessaly, the mythical, Myrmidones ', is established with the aiginetischen Achaeans and the origin of these is most likely of those.

Secondary literature

• Jacob Burckhardt Works, Critical Edition: Greek Culture History 2: The Metamorphoses. The Greeks and their gods. Overall balance of Greek life. Volume 20 (Hardcover)
• Myths of ancient cultures. Reclam, Ditzingen 2002
• [ A] Ludwig Preller: Greek Mythology II - heroes. Part C: The Trojan cycle. c. Hellas and the Aeakiden ( Project Gutenberg -DE)
• [B ] Karl pools: Myrmidon. In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (ed.): Concise Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology. Band 2.2, Leipzig 1897, Sp 3312-3314 ( digitized ).

Swell

• Aeschylus: Myrmidones ( The Myrmidons - A lost work )

• People of Greek mythology