Apis (/ˈeɪpɪs/;
Ancient Greek: Ἄπις derived from apios "far-off" or "of the pear-tree"[1][2]) is the name of a figure, or several figures, appearing in the earliest antiquity according to
Greek mythology and
historiography. It is uncertain exactly how many figures of the name Apis are to be distinguished, particularly due to variation of their genealogies. A common element is that an Apis was an early king in the
Peloponnesus that had a territory named after himself and that Apis was often, but not always, ascribed an Egyptian origin. For the sake of convenience, the variant myths are presented here as if they dealt with separate characters.
Apis, according to
Aeschylus[5] was a seer and healer and a son of
Apollo. In The Suppliants, the Argive king
Pelasgus, son of Palaechthon, relates that Apis once came from
Naupactus and freed Argos from throngs of snakes, which "
Earth, defiled by the pollution of bloody deeds of old, had caused to spring up" and plague the country. Apis "worked the cure by sorcery and spells to the content of the Argive land." To commemorate his deed, the relieved territory was henceforth referred to as "the Apian land" (Apia khōra) after his name. Note that "the Apian land" appears to comprise not just Argos: Pelasgus describes his kingdom as stretching so far as the northernmost boundaries of Greece, and comprising the territories of
Paeonia and
Dodona.
Apis, son of
Jason, was a native of
Pallantium,
Arcadia. He participated in the funeral games of
Azan and was accidentally killed by
Aetolus, who ran him over with the chariot. For the murder, Aetolus was sent into exile by the children of Apis.[6]Apollodorus relates the same of Apis, son of Phoroneus, apparently confounding the two mythological namesakes.[7]
Notes
^"Apis is the noun formed from apios, a
Homeric adjective usually meaning ‘far off’ but, when applied to the
Peloponnese (
Aeschylus:
Suppliants), ‘of the pear-tree’" as cited in Robert Graves' The Greek Myths
^Robert Graves (1960). The Greek Myths. Harmondsworth, London, England: Penguin Books. pp. s.v. Endymion.
ISBN978-0143106715.
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.
Apis (/ˈeɪpɪs/;
Ancient Greek: Ἄπις derived from apios "far-off" or "of the pear-tree"[1][2]) is the name of a figure, or several figures, appearing in the earliest antiquity according to
Greek mythology and
historiography. It is uncertain exactly how many figures of the name Apis are to be distinguished, particularly due to variation of their genealogies. A common element is that an Apis was an early king in the
Peloponnesus that had a territory named after himself and that Apis was often, but not always, ascribed an Egyptian origin. For the sake of convenience, the variant myths are presented here as if they dealt with separate characters.
Apis, according to
Aeschylus[5] was a seer and healer and a son of
Apollo. In The Suppliants, the Argive king
Pelasgus, son of Palaechthon, relates that Apis once came from
Naupactus and freed Argos from throngs of snakes, which "
Earth, defiled by the pollution of bloody deeds of old, had caused to spring up" and plague the country. Apis "worked the cure by sorcery and spells to the content of the Argive land." To commemorate his deed, the relieved territory was henceforth referred to as "the Apian land" (Apia khōra) after his name. Note that "the Apian land" appears to comprise not just Argos: Pelasgus describes his kingdom as stretching so far as the northernmost boundaries of Greece, and comprising the territories of
Paeonia and
Dodona.
Apis, son of
Jason, was a native of
Pallantium,
Arcadia. He participated in the funeral games of
Azan and was accidentally killed by
Aetolus, who ran him over with the chariot. For the murder, Aetolus was sent into exile by the children of Apis.[6]Apollodorus relates the same of Apis, son of Phoroneus, apparently confounding the two mythological namesakes.[7]
Notes
^"Apis is the noun formed from apios, a
Homeric adjective usually meaning ‘far off’ but, when applied to the
Peloponnese (
Aeschylus:
Suppliants), ‘of the pear-tree’" as cited in Robert Graves' The Greek Myths
^Robert Graves (1960). The Greek Myths. Harmondsworth, London, England: Penguin Books. pp. s.v. Endymion.
ISBN978-0143106715.
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.