Charnabon
Encyclopedia
Charnabon was a mythological king of the Getae
, mentioned in Sophocles
' tragedy Triptolemos as ruling the Getae, without a precise geographical location of his kingdom. Although the play survived only in brief fragments, the myth of Charnabon and Triptolemus is preserved in the Poetical Astronomy by Hyginus
(who refers to the king as "Carnabon"), and runs as follows.
When Triptolemus
, while on his mission to introduce agriculture in various parts of the world, came to Thrace
, he was at first hospitably received by Carnabon; but then the king treacherously seized his guest and was about to kill him. Triptolemus could not escape, as Carnabon had killed one of the dragons that pulled his chariot. He was rescued by Demeter
, who restored the chariot to him and substituted another dragon. She punished Carnabon for having mistreated Triptolemus so harshly that the rest of his life was made unbearable. After his death, he was placed among the stars as the constellation Ophiuchus
, which reminds of a man holding a serpent as if to kill it, in remembrance of his crime and punishment.
Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
, mentioned in Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' tragedy Triptolemos as ruling the Getae, without a precise geographical location of his kingdom. Although the play survived only in brief fragments, the myth of Charnabon and Triptolemus is preserved in the Poetical Astronomy by Hyginus
Hyginus
Hyginus can refer to:People:*Gaius Julius Hyginus , Roman poet, author of Fabulae, reputed author of Poeticon astronomicon*Hyginus Gromaticus, Roman surveyor*Pope Hyginus, also a saint, Bishop of Rome about 140...
(who refers to the king as "Carnabon"), and runs as follows.
When Triptolemus
Triptolemus
Buzyges redirects here. For the genus of grass skipper butterflies, see Buzyges .Triptolemus , in Greek mythology always connected with Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries, might be accounted the son of King Celeus of Eleusis in Attica, or, according to the Pseudo-Apollodorus , the son of Gaia and...
, while on his mission to introduce agriculture in various parts of the world, came to Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, he was at first hospitably received by Carnabon; but then the king treacherously seized his guest and was about to kill him. Triptolemus could not escape, as Carnabon had killed one of the dragons that pulled his chariot. He was rescued by Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
, who restored the chariot to him and substituted another dragon. She punished Carnabon for having mistreated Triptolemus so harshly that the rest of his life was made unbearable. After his death, he was placed among the stars as the constellation Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is from the Greek "serpent-bearer", and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens. Ophiuchus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century...
, which reminds of a man holding a serpent as if to kill it, in remembrance of his crime and punishment.