Lusus

Lusus (Portuguese Luso ) is a figure of Portuguese national mythology, which was introduced by Luís de Camões in his epic poem The Lusiads erschienenem 1572.

Description

In Camões at the epic of Greek and Roman literature ajar The Lusiads lusus is a son or companion of Bacchus in his campaigns. The eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, where Lusus finally settles, is named after him Lusitania:

And

From lusus is only in flashbacks talk when being referenced within the epic of the history of Portugal. The real action is the discovery of the sea route to India by Vasco da Gama and other offspring of Lusus, the so-called Lusiads, and tries as their ancestor Bacchus to prevent the discovery of the route to India.

Background

The name Lusos was acquired by Camões Portuguese poets of the early 16th century, which still wrote their works in Latin. He chose this antique -sounding name, since it closely modeled in the design of his work on Virgil's Aeneid. He tried with trying to connect to the Roman epic tradition and took it to the ancient topos, a country or ethnic group to create a eponymous hero is based. Lusus has thus held the position of the eponymous hero of the Lusitanians in Camões.

The origin of the name comes from a mistranslation from the Natural History of Pliny ago. In the passage

Said Varro ethnic groups are represented, which are said to have colonized Hispania. Should Lusitania after the Bacchus ( Liber pater here ), organized in honor games ( lusus ) and the rage of his supporters ( lyssa ) have been named Pan was his governor. When translating both lusus as well as the Greek word lyssa been interpreted as a proper name. A Dionysian domination of Hispania appears otherwise only found in Plutarch, who reported, citing the Iberica of Sosthenes of Knidos that Dionysus had conquered after the conquest of India, Spain and Pan there was his governor, who named the land after himself " Pania " which later became " Spania " had become then.

The fact that it was a traditional in Portugal mistranslation, illustrates a note to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. He mentions in the Guerra de Granada, that Luso has a leader and Lyssa to have been a girl from the retinue of Dionysus. Already the ancient Romans Varro and Sallust would have taken the view that these are the namesake of the famous Lusitania as part of Portugal.