Amymone

One of the daughters of Danaus and Europa. When Danaus arrived in Argos, the country, according to the wish of Poseidon who was indignant at Inachus, was suffering from a drought, and Danaus sent out Amymone to fetch water. Meeting a stag, she shot at it, but hit a sleeping satyr, who rose and pursued her. Poseidon appeared, and rescued the maiden from the satyr, but appropriated her to himself, and then showed her the wells at Lerna.1

According to another form of the tradition, Amymone fell asleep on her expedition in search of water, and was surprised by a satyr. She invoked Poseidon, who appeared and cast his trident at the satyr, which however struck into a rock, so that the satyr escaped. Poseidon, after ravishing the maiden, bade her draw the trident from the rock, from which a threefold spring gushed forth immediately, which was called after her the well of Amymone. Her son by Poseidon was called Nauplius.2

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The story of Amymone was the subject of one of the satyric dramas of Aeschylus, and is represented upon a vase which was discovered at Naples in 1790.

Iconography

Amymone is frequently portrayed on vases and gem stones, usually with her attribute, a pitcher. A fresco in the Casa della Regina Margherita in Pompeii shows her next to Poseidon.

References

Notes

  1. Pseudo-Apollodorus. The Library ii, 1.4.
  2. Hyginus. Fabulae, 169; Lucian. Dialogi Marini, 6; Pausanias. Description of Greece ii, 37.1.

Source

  • Smith, William. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Taylor, Walton, and Maberly.

This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain.