Sybaris (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Sybaris was a drakaina
of Greek mythology. Dwelling on Mount Kriphis, Sybaris terrorized the countryside of Delphi
, devouring livestock and people. The people of the region asked the oracle how to end the depredations. The oracle answered that a young man needed to be sacrificed to the dragon before the people would have peace. The young and handsome Alkyoneus, son of Diomos and Meganeira, was selected to be the victim, but the hero Eurybaros, son of Euphemos and a descendant the river god Axios
, overcome with love for Alkyoneus, took his place and hurled the dragon from the mountainside, striking it against the rocks where a fountain sprung up. The city of Sybaris
was supposed to have been named after the drakaina.
The myth is recorded by Antoninus Liberalis
, who gives Lamia as an alternate name for the creature, perhaps conflating
Sybaris with the better known Lamia
.
Drakaina (mythology)
In Greek mythology, a drakaina is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features. Examples included Campe, Ceto, Delphyne, Echidna, Scylla, Lamia , Poine, and Python ....
of Greek mythology. Dwelling on Mount Kriphis, Sybaris terrorized the countryside of Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
, devouring livestock and people. The people of the region asked the oracle how to end the depredations. The oracle answered that a young man needed to be sacrificed to the dragon before the people would have peace. The young and handsome Alkyoneus, son of Diomos and Meganeira, was selected to be the victim, but the hero Eurybaros, son of Euphemos and a descendant the river god Axios
Vardar
The Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
, overcome with love for Alkyoneus, took his place and hurled the dragon from the mountainside, striking it against the rocks where a fountain sprung up. The city of Sybaris
Sybaris
Sybaris was an ancient city in Magna Graecia on the western shore of the Gulf of Taranto. The wealth of the city during the 6th century BC was so great that the Sybarites became synonymous with pleasure and luxury...
was supposed to have been named after the drakaina.
The myth is recorded by Antoninus Liberalis
Antoninus Liberalis
Antoninus Liberalis was an Ancient Greek grammarian who probably flourished between AD 100 and 300.His only surviving work is the Metamorphoses, , a collection of forty-one very briefly summarised tales about mythical metamorphoses effected by offended deities, unique in that they are...
, who gives Lamia as an alternate name for the creature, perhaps conflating
Conflation
Conflation occurs when the identities of two or more individuals, concepts, or places, sharing some characteristics of one another, become confused until there seems to be only a single identity — the differences appear to become lost...
Sybaris with the better known Lamia
Lamia (mythology)
In ancient Greek mythology, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya who became a child-eating daemon. Aristophanes claimed her name derived from the Greek word for gullet , referring to her habit of devouring children....
.