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River gods (Greek mythology)

River gods in Greek mythology

River gods (Greek mythology)
Summary

River gods in Greek mythology

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In ancient Greek religion and mythology, rivers () were often personified as deities, and in a number of ancient Greek cities river gods were the subject of local worship. In Hesiod's Theogony, the river gods are the offspring of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and the brothers of the Oceanids. In Greek mythology, river deities – such as Inachus, Scamander, and Peneus – are often progenitors of local genealogical lines.

In the Iliad, there are references to sacrifices being made to river deities, including the sacrifice of ephebes' hair. During military campaigns into foreign territory, there is evidence of sacrifices having been made to rivers upon their crossing. River deities could also be invoked as witnesses to an oath.

Depictions of river deities in ancient Greek art often combine anthropomorphic features with bull-like elements such as horns.

Mythology

The river gods were the 3000 sons of the great earth-encircling river Oceanus and his wife Tethys and the brothers of the Oceanids. They were also the fathers of the Naiads and Potamides. The river gods were depicted in one of three forms: a man-headed bull, a bull-headed man with the body of a serpent-like fish from the waist down, or as a reclining man with an arm resting upon an amphora jug pouring water.

Notable river gods include:

  • Achelous, the god of the Achelous River, the largest river in Greece, who gave his daughter in marriage to Alcmaeon, and was defeated by Heracles in a wrestling contest for the right to marry Deianira.
  • Alpheus, who fell in love with the nymph Arethusa, pursuing her to Syracuse, where she was transformed into a spring by Artemis.
  • Asopus, father of many naiads. His daughter Aegina was carried off to the island Aegina by Zeus. Another daughter, Sinope, tricked three amorous gods into leaving her virginity intact.
  • Inachus, the first king of Argos and progenitor of the Argive line through his son Argus.
  • Nilus, Egyptian river god and the father of numerous daughters who mingled with the descendants of Inachus, forming a dynasty of kings in Egypt, Libya, Arabia and Ethiopia.
  • Peneus, river god of Thessaly flowing from the foot of Pindus. He was the father of Daphne and Stilbe, love interests of the god Apollo.
  • Scamander, who fought on the side of the Trojans during the Trojan War, and was offended when Achilles polluted his waters with a large number of Trojan corpses. In response, he overflowed his banks, nearly drowning Achilles. Ancient Greek poet Hesiod mentioned several river gods by name, along with their origin story, in Theogonia ("the birth of the gods"):And Tethys bare to Ocean eddying rivers, Nilus, and Alpheus, and deep-swirling Eridanus, Strymon, and Meander, and the fair stream of Ister, and Phasis, and Rhesus, and the silver eddies of Achelous, Nessus, and Rhodius, Haliacmon, and Heptaporus, Granicus, and Aesepus, and holy Simois, and Peneus, and Hermus, and Caicus fair stream, and great Sangarius, Ladon, Parthenius, Euenus, Ardescus, and divine Scamander. — Theogony, Hesiod. Translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White (1914)

List of river gods

The following are the sons of Oceanus and Tethys:**

Name of riverRiver godSourcesLocationSon of Oceanus and TethysHes.OvidApol.Plut.Hyg.Pau.OthersTOTAL8926181726221840 (+50*)
Achelous or Akheloios✓✓✓✓✓✓✓Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Callimachus, Apollonius Rhodius, Diodorus Siculus, Statius, Hyginus, Plato, AristotleAetolia✓
Acheron✓✓✓Underworld and Thesprotia*presumably
AcisChanged into a river✓Sicilyson of Pan and nymph Symaethis
Acragas?Sicily
Aeas✓✓Epirus***
Aegaeus✓ApolloniusScheria (Corcyra)*
Aesar✓StraboTyrrhenia or Etruria*
Aesepus✓✓Troad✓
Almo✓✓Latium*
Alpheus✓✓✓✓✓✓Arcadia✓
Amnisos✓Apollonius, CallimachusCrete*
Amphrysos✓✓Thessaly*
Anapus✓✓NonnusSicily*
Anauros?Thessaly
Anigros✓StraboElis*
Apidanus✓✓Thessaly*
ArarRiver named after✓Gallia Celtica (Celtic Gaul)
AraxesRiver named after✓Armeniason of Pylus
Ardescus✓✓Thrace✓
Arnos✓StraboEtruria*
Ascanius✓✓AntoninusMysia*
Asopus✓✓✓Boeotia and Argos✓; some accounts, son of Zeus and Eurynome or Poseidon and either Pero or Celusa
Asterion✓✓Argos*
Axenus or Axius✓✓Paeonia and Macedonia✓
Baphyras?Pieria
Borysthenes✓AntoninusScythia*
Brychon✓LycophronChersonnese*
Caanthus✓✓✓
Caicinus✓✓Bruttium*
Caicus✓✓✓Teuthrania, Mysia✓
Cayster✓✓Lydia*
Cebren✓✓✓PartheniusTroad*
Cephissus✓✓✓✓✓Phocis, Attica, Argos✓
Chremetes✓NonnusLibya*
Cladeus?✓Elis*
Clitumnus?Umbria*
Cocytus✓OppianUnderworld and Thesprotia*
Cratais✓✓*
Crinisus✓✓Virgil, Lycophron, Servius, AelianSicily*
Cydnos✓NonnusCilicia*
Cytheros?✓Elis*
Elisson?StatiusAchaea*
Enipeus✓✓✓Thessaly*
Erasinus✓✓Argos*
Eridanus✓✓✓Attica✓
Eridanus✓✓Virgil, NonnusHyperborea,✓
Erymanthus✓✓AelianAttica*
Euphrates✓✓✓Assyria✓
Eurotas✓ River named after✓✓✓Laconiason of Lelex and Cleocharia or of Myles
Evenus or✓✓✓✓Aetolia✓ ; some accounts, a mortal son of Ares and either Demodice or Stratonice who flung himself to the river Lycormas
Lycormas
Ganges✓✓✓India*
Granicus✓✓✓Troad✓
Haliacmon✓✓Macedonia✓
Halys✓Apollonius, Valerius FlaccusPaphlygonia and Pontos*
Hebrus✓✓LucianCiconia, Thrace*
Heptaporus✓✓Troad✓
Hermus✓✓Lydia*
Hydaspes✓✓NonnusIndia✓; son of Thaumas and Electra
Ilissos✓PlatoAttica*
Imbrasos✓AthenaeusSamos*
Inachus✓✓✓✓✓Argos✓
Indus✓✓✓India or Caria✓
Inopos✓CallimachusDelos*
Ismenus✓✓✓Boeotia✓
Istrus or Ister✓✓Scythia✓
Ladon✓✓✓✓Arcadia✓
Lamos✓NonnusCilicia or Boeotia✓
MarsyasRiver named after✓Phrygiaa satyr; son of Hyagnis and either Olympus or Oeagrus
Maeander✓✓✓✓✓✓Caria✓
Meles✓Hellanicus, EugaeonLydia*
Mincius✓VirgilGallia, Italy*
Nestos or Nessus✓✓Bistonia, Thrace✓
Nilus✓✓✓✓✓Egypt✓
Numicius✓✓Latium, Italy*
Nymphaeus?Quintus SmyrnaeusBithynia and Paphlagonia
Orontes✓✓Syria✓
Pactolus✓✓NonnusLydia*
Parthenius✓✓Paphlagonia✓
Phasis✓✓✓Colchis✓ (sometimes the son of Helios)
Phlegethon or Pyriphlegethon✓Virgil, StatiusUnderworldson of Cocytus
Phyllis✓ApolloniusThynia, Anatolia*
Peneus✓✓✓✓Thessaly✓
Pleistos✓ApolloniusPhocis*
Porpax✓AelianSicily*
Rhesus✓✓Rhesus (Ancient Greek: Ῥῆσος / Rhẽsos, Latin; Rhesus) was a river in Bithynia,{{Cite bookchapter=Rhesuschapter-url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=rhesus-bio-1title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquitiesauthor2=William Wayteauthor3=G. E. Marindinlocation=Albemarle Street, Londonpublisher=John Murrayyear=1890access-date=2023-01-23via=www.perseus.tufts.edu}} Troad, Anatolia (modern-day Hisarlik, Çanakkale, Turkey). Per the Barrington Atlas, the Rhesus is likely Karaath Çay, a tributary of the Biga Çayı (known to antiquity as the Granicus). The Rhesus is alternately called the Rhedas, and was said to flow into the "Thracian Bosphorus at Chalcedon."✓
Rhine✓NonnusSwitzerland/Germany/France/Netherlands*
Rhodius✓✓Troad✓
Rhyndacus✓NonnusPhrygia and Bithynia*
Sangarius or Sagaris✓✓✓✓Phrygia✓
Satnioeis?HomerTroad
Scamander✓✓✓✓✓Troad✓
Selemnus✓✓AchaeaOriginally a mortal man
Simoeis✓✓✓✓✓Troad✓
Spercheus✓✓Malis
Strymon✓✓✓✓✓Edonia, Thrace✓
Symaethus✓✓Sicily*
Tanais✓✓✓Scythia✓
Telmessus✓AelianSicily*
Termessus✓✓Boeotia*
Thermodon✓✓✓Pontos and Assyria✓
Tiberinus✓VirgilLatium, Italy*
Tigris✓✓✓Assyria✓
Tyras✓Scythia*
Titaressus?Homer, Strabo, SenecaThessaly

Notes

References

  • Apollodorus, Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
  • Graf, Fritz, "River gods", in Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Antiquity, Volume 12, Prol – Sar, edited by Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider, Brill, 2008. .
  • Hesiod, Theogony, in The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
  • Homer, The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
  • Hyginus, Gaius Julius, Astronomica, in The Myths of Hyginus, edited and translated by Mary A. Grant, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1960.
  • Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie, Clarendon Press Oxford, 1940. Perseus Digital Library.
  • Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873).
  • Rose, Herbert J.; Gods and heroes of the Greeks, London (1957).

References

  1. [[LSJ]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+letter%3D*p%3Aentry+group%3D192%3Aentry%3Dpotamo%2Fs s.v. ποταμός].
  2. Graf, paras. 1–3.
  3. Graf, paras. 4–6.
  4. Graf, para. 7.
  5. [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+337 337–345, 366–370].
  6. Rose, Herbert J. (1957); p 25.
  7. [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus). Apollodorus]], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:3.7.5 3.7.5].
  8. [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus). Apollodorus]], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:1.8.1 1.8.1], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.7.5 2.7.5].
  9. Smith, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dalpheius-bio-1 "Alpheius"].
  10. [[Homer]], ''[[Iliad]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:20.54-20.85 20.74], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:21.200-21.232 21.211 ff.].
  11. θεογονία. [[Henry Liddell. Liddell, Henry George]]; [[Robert Scott (philologist). Scott, Robert]]; ''[[A Greek–English Lexicon]]'' at the [[Perseus Project]]
  12. (1914). "The Theogony".
  13. Hesiod. (1914). "Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica.". William Heinemann.
  14. [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' 334; [[Pseudo-Plutarch]], ''De fluviis''; [[Hyginus (Fabulae). Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#p.5 Preface]
  15. Homer. (2011). "The Iliad of Homer". University of Chicago Press.
  16. Huxley, George. (2002). "Review of Parthenius of Nicaea. The poetical fragments and the ᾽Ερωτικὰ Παθήματα". Hermathena.
  17. (1833). "A Classical Manual: Being a Mythological, Historical, and Geographical Commentary on Pope's Homer and Dryden's Aeneid of Virgil". J. Murray.
  18. [https://ia601306.us.archive.org/34/items/p1dieantikenmn01akaduoft/p1dieantikenmn01akaduoft.pdf Pick В. Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands. Berlin,1898. Bd. 1. S. 152]
  19. Homer,Iliad
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