Elishah
Encyclopedia
Elishah was the son of Javan
according to the Book of Genesis (10:4) as well as the mediaeval, rabbinic Book of Jasher; he is said in Jasher to have been the ancestor of the "Almanim", possibly a reference to Germanic tribes (Alamanni
). An older and more common traditions refers to him as a settler of Greece , particularly Elis in the Peloponese. The Greek Septuagint of Genesis 10 lists Elisa not only as the son of Javan, but also among the sons of Japheth
, possibly a copyist's error.
Lusitanian mythology
traditionally makes Elishah (under the name Lysias/Lísias) an ancestor and predecessor of Lusus
(Elisha being older, had arrived accompanying his uncle Tubal
founding Portalegre in 1900 BC under Iberian king Brigo) Lysias' own tomb claims that he was the first "cultivator" of Lusitania Lusus' reign is traditionally placed in the 16th
-15th
centuries
BC, eg. in the Livro Primeiro da Monarchia Lusitana. All this is debated; Lusus has also been described as coming before Lysias, who would thus be too late to be Elishah or vaguely at the same time, or even the same individual under different names Lusus is sometimes called a son of Baccus and the lineage of Lysias, the other way around, or a mere companion. For this discussion see Livro Primeiro da Monarchia Lusitana, Frei Bernardo de Brito, pp. 242 - 243. The Portuguese
orator and mythographer Father António Vieira
refers to Elishah (under his actual biblical name) as founder and eponym of Lisbon
and Lusitania
(when he came to the Iberia
with his uncle Tubal
), as well as the origin of the name of the mythological
Elysium
. Vieira also identified Elisha's biblical brother Tarshish
as the founder of Tartesos in Andalucia, implying both would have came to Iberia with Tubal (though this isn't the only theory on the identity of Tarshish). Elishah in this Portuguese portrayal is identified with Bacchus
' captain Lysias/Lísias, sometimes also with Lusus and Phoroneus
and is referred as the founder of Portalegre and being buried at the Ermida de São Cristovão (Chapel
of Saint Christopher
) inside the town. A proposed resolutuion of these conflicting versions involves considering an early Lysias, Elishah (maybe the founder of Portalegre in 1900 BC) and Lusus (having as mortal father king Siceleo of Iberia, grandson of Atlante/Atlas, founder of Atlantis
, to be a possible descendant of Elishah, and possibly having Bacchus as his real and divine father) as coming in between this and another Lysias son of Bacchus (the son of Semele
who conquered Spain, not the son of Jupiter
and Io
who conquered India or the son of Jupiter and Proserpina
who was an agrarian and herding culture hero
), who was of a different cast but with the similarity of name to the above claimed be their reincarnation and became the new separate king of the Lusitanians since Lusus.
Judean historian Flavius Josephus related the descendants of Elishah with the Aeolia
ns, one of the ancestral branches of the Greeks
.
Others have identified Elishah with Cypriots
as in ancient times the island or part of it was known as Alashiya
.
Javan
Javan was the fourth son of Noah's son Japheth according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible...
according to the Book of Genesis (10:4) as well as the mediaeval, rabbinic Book of Jasher; he is said in Jasher to have been the ancestor of the "Almanim", possibly a reference to Germanic tribes (Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
). An older and more common traditions refers to him as a settler of Greece , particularly Elis in the Peloponese. The Greek Septuagint of Genesis 10 lists Elisa not only as the son of Javan, but also among the sons of Japheth
Japheth
Japheth is one of the sons of Noah in the Abrahamic tradition...
, possibly a copyist's error.
Lusitanian mythology
Lusitanian mythology
Lusitanian mythology is the mythology of the Lusitanians, the Indo-European people of western Iberia, in the territory comprising most of modern Portugal, Extremadura and a small part of Salamanca....
traditionally makes Elishah (under the name Lysias/Lísias) an ancestor and predecessor of Lusus
Lusus
Lusus is the supposed son or companion of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and divine madness, to whom Portuguese national mythology attributed the foundation of ancient Lusitania and the fatherhood of the its inhabitants, the Lusitanians, seen as the ancestors of the modern Portuguese people...
(Elisha being older, had arrived accompanying his uncle Tubal
Tubal
Tubal, תובל or תבל , in Genesis 10 , was the name of a son of Japheth, son of Noah.Many authors, following the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus , related the name to Iber- Caucasian Iberia...
founding Portalegre in 1900 BC under Iberian king Brigo) Lysias' own tomb claims that he was the first "cultivator" of Lusitania Lusus' reign is traditionally placed in the 16th
16th century BC
The 16th century BC is a century which lasted from 1600 BC to 1501 BC.-Events:* 1700 BC – 1500 BC: Hurrian conquests.* 1595 BC: Sack of Babylon by the Hittite king Mursilis I....
-15th
15th century BC
The 15th century BC is a century which lasted from 1500 BC to 1401 BC.- Events :* 1504 BC – 1492 BC: Egypt conquers Nubia and the Levant.* 1500 BC – 1400 BC: The Rigveda was composed around this time....
centuries
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
BC, eg. in the Livro Primeiro da Monarchia Lusitana. All this is debated; Lusus has also been described as coming before Lysias, who would thus be too late to be Elishah or vaguely at the same time, or even the same individual under different names Lusus is sometimes called a son of Baccus and the lineage of Lysias, the other way around, or a mere companion. For this discussion see Livro Primeiro da Monarchia Lusitana, Frei Bernardo de Brito, pp. 242 - 243. The Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
orator and mythographer Father António Vieira
António Vieira
Father António Vieira was a Portuguese Jesuit and writer, the "prince" of Catholic pulpit-orators of his time.-Life:Vieira was born in Lisbon to Cristóvão Vieira Ravasco, the son of a mulatto woman, and Maria de Azevedo. Accompanying his parents to Brazil in 1614, he received his education at the...
refers to Elishah (under his actual biblical name) as founder and eponym of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
(when he came to the Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
with his uncle Tubal
Tubal
Tubal, תובל or תבל , in Genesis 10 , was the name of a son of Japheth, son of Noah.Many authors, following the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus , related the name to Iber- Caucasian Iberia...
), as well as the origin of the name of the mythological
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...
Elysium
Elysium
Elysium is a conception of the afterlife that evolved over time and was maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects, and cults. Initially separate from Hades, admission was initially reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes...
. Vieira also identified Elisha's biblical brother Tarshish
Tarshish
Tarshish תַּרְשִׁישׁ occurs in the Hebrew Bible with several uncertain meanings:*One of the sons of Javan .* In the Bible Solomon set up a trade with Tarshish and received ivory, apes, and peacocks from Tarshish which are all native to the jungles in India. India's state bird for example is the...
as the founder of Tartesos in Andalucia, implying both would have came to Iberia with Tubal (though this isn't the only theory on the identity of Tarshish). Elishah in this Portuguese portrayal is identified with Bacchus
Bacchus
Bacchus is the Roman name for Dionysus, the god of wine and intoxication.Bacchus can also refer to:* Temple of Bacchus, a Roman temple at a large classical antiquity complex in Baalbek, Lebanon...
' captain Lysias/Lísias, sometimes also with Lusus and Phoroneus
Phoroneus
In Greek mythology, Phoroneus was a culture-hero of the Argolid, fire-bringer, primordial king of Argos and son of the river god Inachus and either Melia, the primordial ash-tree nymph or Argia, the embodiment of the Argolid itself: "Inachus, son of Oceanus, begat Phoroneus by his sister Argia,"...
and is referred as the founder of Portalegre and being buried at the Ermida de São Cristovão (Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of Saint Christopher
Saint Christopher
.Saint Christopher is a saint venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, listed as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman Emperor Decius or alternatively under the Roman Emperor Maximinus II Dacian...
) inside the town. A proposed resolutuion of these conflicting versions involves considering an early Lysias, Elishah (maybe the founder of Portalegre in 1900 BC) and Lusus (having as mortal father king Siceleo of Iberia, grandson of Atlante/Atlas, founder of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, to be a possible descendant of Elishah, and possibly having Bacchus as his real and divine father) as coming in between this and another Lysias son of Bacchus (the son of Semele
Semele
Semele , in Greek mythology, daughter of the Boeotian hero Cadmus and Harmonia, was the mortal mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. In another version of his mythic origin, he is the son of Persephone...
who conquered Spain, not the son of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
and Io
Io (mythology)
Io was, in Greek mythology, a priestess of Hera in Argos, a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to escape detection. His wife Hera set ever-watchful Argus Panoptes to guard her, but Hermes was sent to distract the guardian and slay him...
who conquered India or the son of Jupiter and Proserpina
Proserpina
Proserpina or Proserpine is an ancient Roman goddess whose story is the basis of a myth of Springtime. Her Greek goddess' equivalent is Persephone. The probable origin of her name comes from the Latin, "proserpere" or "to emerge," in respect to the growing of grain...
who was an agrarian and herding culture hero
Culture hero
A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group who changes the world through invention or discovery...
), who was of a different cast but with the similarity of name to the above claimed be their reincarnation and became the new separate king of the Lusitanians since Lusus.
Judean historian Flavius Josephus related the descendants of Elishah with the Aeolia
Aeolia
Aeolia may refer to:*Aeolia, another name for Aeolis in Anatolia*Aeolia, an older name for Thessaly before the Greek Dark Ages*The home of Æolus, son of Hippotes, a character in the Odyssey*Aeolia , a character found in Mother 3...
ns, one of the ancestral branches of the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
.
Others have identified Elishah with Cypriots
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
as in ancient times the island or part of it was known as Alashiya
Alashiya
Alashiya or Alasiya was a state which existed in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, and was situated somewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. It was a major source of goods, especially copper, for Ancient Egypt and other states in the Ancient Near East. It is referred to in a number of the surviving...
.