Cercopes
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, the Cercopes kerkos "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae
or on Euboea
but roamed the world and might turn up anywhere mischief was afoot. They were two brothers, but their names are given variously, Passalus and Acmon
, Basalas and Achemon, Olus and Eurybatus
, or Sillus and Triballus, depending on the context, but usually known as sons of Theia
and Oceanus
, thus ancient spirits.
They were proverbial as liars, cheats, and accomplished knaves. They once stole Heracles
' weapons, during the time he was the penitent servant of Omphale
in Lydia
. He seized and bound them at Ephesus
and punished them by tying them to a pole he slung over his shoulder with their faces pointing downwards, the only way they appear on Greek vases. The sight of Heracles' dark-tanned posterior set them both to laughing; when Heracles demanded to know what they were laughing at, he joined them in their laughter and let them go. This particular myth is depicted on a metope
at Temple C at Selinus. In another myth, designed to explain their name ("tail-men" in Greek), Zeus
changed the Cercopes into monkeys (from this we have the genus Cercopithecus, identified as the genus of monkeys depicted in Minoan
frescoes). In a myth alluded to in a fragment of Pherecydes
, Zeus turned them to stone for trying to deceive even him; the stone was shown to visitors to Thermopylae.
Monkeys figure in four Minoan frescos at Akrotiri, most famously in the crocus-gathering Xeste 3 fresco, where the monkey's ritual aspect, attending an enthroned female, is interpreted by Nanno Marinatos as servants of the divinity, acting as intermediary between humanity and the divine world. Green monkeys appear in Crete itself in the "House of the Frescoes" at Knossos
, Monkeys are absent from Greek art. In Minoan art, it is assumed that they were exotic pets: "...the monkeys, which were imported to Crete, were pets that would have been placed where they could be seen and used by their owners, rather than simply abandoned in the countryside," Maria C. Shaw concluded. When Greek mythographers attempted to account for the name Pithecusae (“Ape Islands”) given to Ischia
and Procida
by the Bay of Naples, where no monkeys had been seen within human memory, they were reduced to alleging that they must have been deceitful men whom Zeus punished by turning them into apes. When scholars attempted to account for this exotic image they have been forced to search farther afield:
E.H. Kline identified the monkey species in 1991 as guernons, or Green Monkey
s, which have bluish fur over their green skins. Scholars generally assume that the appearance of the blue monkey in Aegean iconography was due to the import of the actual animal from north Africa; they were iconic religious animals in Egypt
Further classical references to the Cercopes can be found in Diodorus Siculus
4.31.7; Nonnus
, in Mythographi Graeci, ed. A. Westermann, Appendix Narrationum, 39, p. 375; Johannes Tzetzes
, Chiliades ii.431, v.73ff.; Zenobius
, Cent. v.10;
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the Cercopes kerkos "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....
or on Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
but roamed the world and might turn up anywhere mischief was afoot. They were two brothers, but their names are given variously, Passalus and Acmon
Acmon
There are several characters named Acmon in Greek mythology:*Acmon , one of the mythical race of Dactyls*Acmon of Phrygia, Phrygian king who gave his name to the district known as Acmonia...
, Basalas and Achemon, Olus and Eurybatus
Eurybatus
Eurybatus can mean:In Greek mythology/history* Eurybatus, one of the Argonauts * One of the commanders of the Battle of Sybota* A warrior who slew the beast lamia...
, or Sillus and Triballus, depending on the context, but usually known as sons of Theia
Theia
In Greek mythology, Theia "goddess" or "divine" , also called Euryphaessa "wide-shining," was a Titan...
and Oceanus
Oceanus
Oceanus ; , Ōkeanós) was a pseudo-geographical feature in classical antiquity, believed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the world-ocean, an enormous river encircling the world....
, thus ancient spirits.
They were proverbial as liars, cheats, and accomplished knaves. They once stole Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
' weapons, during the time he was the penitent servant of Omphale
Omphale
In Greek mythology, Omphale was a daughter of Iardanus, either a king of Lydia, or a river-god. Omphale was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor; according to Bibliotheke she was the wife of Tmolus, the oak-clad mountain king of Lydia; after he was gored to death by a bull, she continued...
in Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
. He seized and bound them at Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
and punished them by tying them to a pole he slung over his shoulder with their faces pointing downwards, the only way they appear on Greek vases. The sight of Heracles' dark-tanned posterior set them both to laughing; when Heracles demanded to know what they were laughing at, he joined them in their laughter and let them go. This particular myth is depicted on a metope
Metope
"Metope" might refer to the following:*metope , the space between two triglyphs of a Doric frieze*Metope , a river nymph in Greek mythology*Metope , electronic music producer Michael Schwanen...
at Temple C at Selinus. In another myth, designed to explain their name ("tail-men" in Greek), Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
changed the Cercopes into monkeys (from this we have the genus Cercopithecus, identified as the genus of monkeys depicted in Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
frescoes). In a myth alluded to in a fragment of Pherecydes
Pherecydes
Pherecydes was the name of:*Pherecydes of Syros, a pre-Socratic philosopher and author from the island of Syros, by some believed to have influenced Pythagoras...
, Zeus turned them to stone for trying to deceive even him; the stone was shown to visitors to Thermopylae.
Monkeys figure in four Minoan frescos at Akrotiri, most famously in the crocus-gathering Xeste 3 fresco, where the monkey's ritual aspect, attending an enthroned female, is interpreted by Nanno Marinatos as servants of the divinity, acting as intermediary between humanity and the divine world. Green monkeys appear in Crete itself in the "House of the Frescoes" at Knossos
Knossos
Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
, Monkeys are absent from Greek art. In Minoan art, it is assumed that they were exotic pets: "...the monkeys, which were imported to Crete, were pets that would have been placed where they could be seen and used by their owners, rather than simply abandoned in the countryside," Maria C. Shaw concluded. When Greek mythographers attempted to account for the name Pithecusae (“Ape Islands”) given to Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...
and Procida
Procida
Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the province of Naples, in the region of Campania. The population is about ten...
by the Bay of Naples, where no monkeys had been seen within human memory, they were reduced to alleging that they must have been deceitful men whom Zeus punished by turning them into apes. When scholars attempted to account for this exotic image they have been forced to search farther afield:
The story of Herakles and the Cercopes has been interpreted as a reminiscence of Phoenician traders bringing apes to Greek markets. See O. Keller, Thiere des classischen Alterthums (Innsbruck, 1887), p. 1. The interpretation may perhaps be supported by an Assyrian bas-relief which represents a Herculean male figure carrying an ape on his head and leading another ape by a leash, the animals being apparently brought as tribute to a king. See O. Keller, op. cit., p. 11, fig. 2; Perrot et Chipiez, Histoire de l'Art dans l'Antiquité, ii.547, fig 254.
E.H. Kline identified the monkey species in 1991 as guernons, or Green Monkey
Green Monkey
The green monkey , also known as the Callithrix monkey, is an Old World monkey with golden-green fur and pale hands and feet. The tip of the tail is golden yellow as are the backs of the thighs and cheek whiskers. It does not have a distinguishing band of fur on the brow, like other Chlorocebus...
s, which have bluish fur over their green skins. Scholars generally assume that the appearance of the blue monkey in Aegean iconography was due to the import of the actual animal from north Africa; they were iconic religious animals in Egypt
Further classical references to the Cercopes can be found in Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
4.31.7; Nonnus
Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis , was a Greek epic poet. He was a native of Panopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid, and probably lived at the end of the 4th or early 5th century....
, in Mythographi Graeci, ed. A. Westermann, Appendix Narrationum, 39, p. 375; Johannes Tzetzes
John Tzetzes
John Tzetzes was a Byzantine poet and grammarian, known to have lived at Constantinople during the 12th century.Tzetzes was Georgian on his mother's side...
, Chiliades ii.431, v.73ff.; Zenobius
Zenobius
Zenobius was a Greek sophist, who taught rhetoric at Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian .-Biography:He was the author of a collection of proverbs in three books, still extant in an abridged form, compiled, according to the Suda, from Didymus of Alexandria and "The Tarrhaean"...
, Cent. v.10;