Tmolus
Encyclopedia
Tmolus was a King of Lydia and husband to Omphale
. He is the eponymous namesake of Mount Tmolus (modern Bozdağ), which lies in Lydia
with the Lydian
capital (later also called Sardis
) at its foot and Hypaepa on its southern slope. In Greek mythology
he figures as a mountain god, a son of Ares
and Theogone and he judged the musical contest between Pan and Apollo.
When Tmolus was gored to death by a bull on the mountain that bears his name, his widow, Omphale, became Queen-regnant of Lydia. Through her, Lydian reign passed into the hands of the Tylonid (Heraclid
) dynasty.
The geography of Tmolus and the contest between Pan and Apollo are mentioned in Ovid
's Metamorphoses
, XI.168.
It has been suggested that there could be another personality named Tmolus, a mythical king of Lydia
, a son of Sipylus and Chthonia, and the husband of Plouto
and stepfather of Tantalus
.
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...
. He is the eponymous namesake of Mount Tmolus (modern Bozdağ), which lies 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....
with the Lydian
Lydians
The Lydians were the inhabitants of Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spoke the distinctive Lydian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian group....
capital (later also called Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
) at its foot and Hypaepa on its southern slope. In Greek mythology
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...
he figures as a mountain god, a son of Ares
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
and Theogone and he judged the musical contest between Pan and Apollo.
When Tmolus was gored to death by a bull on the mountain that bears his name, his widow, Omphale, became Queen-regnant of Lydia. Through her, Lydian reign passed into the hands of the Tylonid (Heraclid
Heraclid
Heraclid can refer to a number of things:*Heracleidae, one who had or claimed descent from the mythological Heracles*Ioan Iacob Heraclid, a Greek soldier and ruler of Moldavia in the 16th century-See also:...
) dynasty.
The geography of Tmolus and the contest between Pan and Apollo are mentioned in Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Metamorphoses
Metamorphoses (poem)
Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem in fifteen books by the Roman poet Ovid describing the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar within a loose mythico-historical framework. Completed in AD 8, it is recognized as a masterpiece of Golden Age Latin literature...
, XI.168.
It has been suggested that there could be another personality named Tmolus, a mythical king of 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....
, a son of Sipylus and Chthonia, and the husband of Plouto
Plouto
In Greek mythology, Plouto or Pluto was a nymph and the mother of Tantalus by Zeus. Her parents were Oceanus and Tethys or Himas, a Lydian that was otherwise unknown...
and stepfather of Tantalus
Tantalus
Tantalus was the ruler of an ancient western Anatolian city called either after his name, as "Tantalís", "the city of Tantalus", or as "Sipylus", in reference to Mount Sipylus, at the foot of which his city was located and whose ruins were reported to be still visible in the beginning of the...
.
Sources and references
- Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 11, tr. Arthur GoldingArthur GoldingArthur Golding was an English translator of more than 30 works from Latin into English. While primarily remembered today for his translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses because of its influence on Shakespeare's works, in his own time he was most famous for his translation of Caesar's Commentaries, and...
. http://www.elizabethanauthors.com/ovid11.htm - Catholic Encyclopaedia (passim)