In Greek mythology, Perses (/ˈpɜːrsiz/ PUR-seez; Ancient Greek: Πέρσης, romanized: Pérsēs, lit. 'destroyer') is the son of the Titan Crius and Eurybia, and thus brother to Astraeus and Pallas.[1][2] Ancient tradition records very little of Perses other than his marriage and offspring, his role largely being genealogical, existing merely to provide a parentage for other, more important figures.
| Perses | |
|---|---|
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Crius and Eurybia |
| Siblings | Pallas and Astraeus |
| Consort | Asteria |
| Children | Hecate, Chariclo |
Etymology
editHis name is derived from the Ancient Greek word perthō (πέρθω – "to sack", "to ravage", "to destroy").
Mythology
editHesiod "oddly" describes Perses as "eminent among all men in wisdom."[1][3] He was wed to his cousin Asteria, the daughter of Phoebe and Coeus,[4][2] with whom he had one child, Hecate, honoured by Zeus above all others as the goddess of magic, crossroads, and witchcraft.[3] In a lesser-known tradition mentioned by Musaeus, the father of Hecate was the king of the gods Zeus;[5] Zeus kept Asteria as his mistress for some time before giving her to Perses.[6][7]
He might be the Perses that is the father of Chariclo, the wife of Chiron, in some versions.[8]
He was sometimes confused with another Perses (the son of the sun god Helios and Perse), who was made the father of Hecate in some versions.[9]
Family tree
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See also
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Notes
edit- ^ a b Hesiod, Theogony, 375.
- ^ a b Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, 1.8.
- ^ a b Gantz 1993, p. 26.
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony, 404.
- ^ Musaeus as cited by a scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica 3.467
- ^ Fowler 2000, pp. 32–33.
- ^ Diels 1907, p. 487.
- ^ Scholia on Pindar P.4.82
- ^ Diodorus Siculus, Historic Library 4.45.2
References
edit- 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. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Diels, Hermann (1907). Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker: griechisch und deutsch. Vol. 2. Berlin, Germany: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung.
- Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Volume III: Books 4.59-8, translated by C. H. Oldfather, Loeb Classical Library No. 340. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1939. ISBN 978-0-674-99375-4. Online version at Harvard University Press. Online version by Bill Thayer.
- Fowler, Robert L. (2000). Early Greek Mythography. Vol. 2: Commentary. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-814741-1.
- Gantz, Timothy (1993). Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources. Vol. 1. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-5360-9.
- Hesiod, Theogony from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
External links
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