Althaemenes
Encyclopedia
Althaemenes or Althemenes (Gr.
or ) was in Greek mythology
a son of Catreus
, the king of Crete
. He was also the brother of Apemosyne
, Aerope
and Clymene
. An oracle
told Catreus that he would be murdered by one of his children. Althaemenes took Apemosyne and left Crete
for Rhodes
, where they landed at a place which he called Cretenia, and in remembrance of the god of his own native island, he erected on Mount Atabyrus (modern Mount Attavyros in Attavyros
) an altar to Zeus
Atabyrius.
It was in Rhodes that Apemosyne was raped by the Greek god Hermes
, who had captured her by skinning animals and leaving their slippery hides in her path. When she told Althaemenes, he disbelieved her story and kicked her so hard that she died. Years later, Catreus sailed the seas searching for his son, the heir to the throne. In the middle of the night, his ship stopped at Rhodes and was mistaken for a pirate ship. Althaemenes and others attacked the 'invaders', and the prophecy came to pass; Catreus died at the hands of his son, from a javelin blow. When the boy discovered the truth, he prayed that the earth would open up and swallow him, which it did.
This is the story as related in the Bibliotheca
of Pseudo-Apollodorus. The writer Diodorus Siculus
agrees in most of the particulars, except he describes Althaemenes as not being swallowed by the Earth, instead wandering about after the murder, eventually dying of grief. He adds that the Rhodians subsequently worshiped him as a hero.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
or ) was 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...
a son of Catreus
Catreus
In Greek mythology, Catreus was a king of Crete and a son of Minos and Pasiphaë. He had one son, Althaemenes, and three daughters, Apemosyne, Aerope and Clymene. An oracle told Catreus that one of his children would murder him. Terrified he would do so, Althaemenes took Apemosyne and left Crete...
, the king of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. He was also the brother of Apemosyne
Apemosyne
In Greek mythology, Apemosyne was a daughter of Catreus and sister of both Althaemenes, Aerope and Clymene. She was known for being fleet of foot. According to legend, an oracle told Catreus that he would be murdered by one of his children; to prevent this from happening, he sent his children away...
, Aerope
Aerope
Aërope was a name attributed to two distinct figures in Greek mythology.-Wife of Atreus:Aërope was a daughter of Catreus, king of Crete, and granddaughter of Minos. Her father, who had received an oracle that he should lose his life by one of his children, gave her and her sister, Clymene, to...
and Clymene
Clymene
Clymene or Klymenê may refer to*104 Klymene, an asteroid*Clymene dolphin , a dolphin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean*Clymene Moth*In Greek mythology:...
. An oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
told Catreus that he would be murdered by one of his children. Althaemenes took Apemosyne and left Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
for Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, where they landed at a place which he called Cretenia, and in remembrance of the god of his own native island, he erected on Mount Atabyrus (modern Mount Attavyros in Attavyros
Attavyros
Attavyros is a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is a municipal unit. The population is 3,225 ; the land area is 234.350 km². It is the westernmost municipal unit on the...
) an altar to 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...
Atabyrius.
It was in Rhodes that Apemosyne was raped by the Greek god Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
, who had captured her by skinning animals and leaving their slippery hides in her path. When she told Althaemenes, he disbelieved her story and kicked her so hard that she died. Years later, Catreus sailed the seas searching for his son, the heir to the throne. In the middle of the night, his ship stopped at Rhodes and was mistaken for a pirate ship. Althaemenes and others attacked the 'invaders', and the prophecy came to pass; Catreus died at the hands of his son, from a javelin blow. When the boy discovered the truth, he prayed that the earth would open up and swallow him, which it did.
This is the story as related in the Bibliotheca
Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)
The Bibliotheca , in three books, provides a comprehensive summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic legends, "the most valuable mythographical work that has come down from ancient times," Aubrey Diller observed, whose "stultifying purpose" was neatly expressed in the epigram noted by...
of Pseudo-Apollodorus. The writer 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...
agrees in most of the particulars, except he describes Althaemenes as not being swallowed by the Earth, instead wandering about after the murder, eventually dying of grief. He adds that the Rhodians subsequently worshiped him as a hero.