Myrmidon (hero)
In Greek mythology, Myrmidon was the eponymous ancestor of the Myrmidons in one version of the myth.
Family
Myrmidon was the son of Zeus and Eurymedusa, daughter of Cleitor or of the river god Achelous.He married Peisidice, daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, and by her became the father of Antiphus and Actor. Also given as his sons were Erysichthon and Dioplethes, father of Perieres, although Erysichthon and Perieres have been ascribed with different parentage. Also, Myrmidon had two daughters: Eupolemeia and Hiscilla.
Mythology
Zeus was said to have approached Eurymedusa in the form of an ant, which was where her son's name came from; others say that Myrmex was the name of Eurymedusa's mortal husband, and that it was his shape that Zeus assumed to approach her.Primary sources
- Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.. .
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica translated by Robert Cooper Seaton, R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912.
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica. George W. Mooney. London. Longmans, Green. 1912. .
- Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists or Banquet of the Learned. London. Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden. 1854. .
- Athenaeus of Naucratis, Deipnosophistae. Kaibel. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1887. .
- Claudius Aelianus, Varia Historia translated by Thomas Stanley edition of 1665.
- Claudius Aelianus, Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, Vol 2. Rudolf Hercher. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1866. .
- Clement of Alexandria, Recognitions from Ante-Nicene Library Volume 8, translated by Smith, Rev. Thomas. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. 1867.
- Hyginus, Astronomica from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies.
- Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies.
Secondary sources
- Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, Band XVI, Halbband 31, Molatzes-Myssi, s. 1107