Aristaeus

Aristaios (Greek Ἀρισταῖος, latin Aristaeus ) in Greek mythology is the son of the god Apollo and the nymph Cyrene. He is regarded as one who taught people to take advantage of the olive tree to operate beekeeping to produce cheese to hunt properly, and to till the fields. Hence his nickname two Agreus come (wild) and Nomios ( νέμω of " grazing ").

Life and legends

Apollo is said to have first given the small Aristaios the nymphs to wind. From this he learned the construction and use of the olive tree, the extraction of honey beekeeping and processing of milk to cheese. He then said to have been informed by the wise centaur Cheiron, who had also taught Asklepios in other arts.

From his native Cyrene, Aristaeus went to Thebes, where he was the husband of Autonoe, the daughter of Cadmus, King of Thebes. Her sons were Actaeon, Charmus and Kalaekarpus.

Aristaeus had a pretty eventful life and where he settled down at times, he left the customer of the olive tree. Also, as a healer had Aristaios, for after he had learned of the death of his son Actaeon, he went to the island Ceon ( Ceam, Ceos ), where he fought the plague. Later, he landed in Sardinia, Sicily and other islands where he brought the people culture, therefore it is also called bearer of culture.

Then Aristaeus went to Thrace, where he met the singer Orpheus. Besides all his good deeds is that Aristaios had tried Eurydice doing violence, which is why these beloved wife of Orpheus was killed. Enraged leaving the nymphs all the bees and all the cattle of Aristaios perish. The but turned to his mother Cyrene, which betrayed him, that he might reconcile through sacrifice of four bulls and four heifers at the Tomb of Eurydice, the nymphs and again Get bees.

From the end of Aristaios is narrated that he was eventually disappeared for no reason. It is said that he had thrown himself into a cave, so people should believe that he was caught up into Divinity.

Swell

• Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica, 2, 500ff.
• Scholion to Apollonius of Rhodes, 2, 489
• Virgil, Georgics, 4, 325
• Pausanias, 10, 17, 3
• Ovid, Metamorphoses, 15, 359ff.