Apis

A son of Phoroneus by the nymph Laodice, and brother of Niobe. He was king of Argos, established a tyrannical government, and called the Peloponnese after his own name Apia; but he was killed in a conspiracy headed by Thelxion and Telchin.1

In the former of these passages Apollodorus states, that Apis, the son of Phoroneus, was killed by Aetolus; but this is a mistake arising from the confusion of this Apis, with Apis the son of Jason, who was killed by Aetolus during the funeral games celebrated in honor of Azan.2

Apis, the son of Phoroneus, is said, after his death, to have been worshiped as a god, under the name of Serapis (Sarapis); and this statement shows that Egyptian mythuses are mixed up with the story of Apis. This confusion is still more manifest in the tradition, that Apis gave his kingdom of Argos to his brother, and went to Egypt, where he reigned for several fears afterwards.3

Apis is spoken of as one of the earliest lawgivers among the Greeks.4

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References

Notes

  1. Pseudo-Apollodorus. The Library i, 7. 6; ii, 1.1.
  2. Pausanias. Description of Greece v, l.6.
  3. Eusebius. Chronicle, n. 271; Augustine. De Civitate Dei xviii, 5.
  4. Theodoret. Graecarum Affectionum Curatio. Vol. 4, 927, ed. Schulz.

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.