Ascus

A giant, who in conjunction with Lycurgus chained Dionysus and threw him into a river. Hermes, or, according to others, Zeus, rescued Dionysus, conquered (ἐδαμασεν) the giant, flayed him, and made a bag (ἄσκος) of his skin. From this event the town of Damascus in Syria was believed to have derived its name.

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References

Sources

  • Etym. M. and Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Δαμασκός.
  • 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.