ANAXAGORAS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Anaxagoras was a King of Argos in Greek mythology, with some telling of how it was during his rule that the kingdom of Argos was divided into three.
Anaxagoras King of Argos
|
Surprisingly little is said about Anaxagoras in surviving sources of Greek mythology. Anaxagoras is said to have been the son of Megapenthes, or his grandson, born to Megapenthes’ son Argeus. In both cases, the mother of Anaxagoras is unnamed.
Megapenthes though was the King of Argos, for he had swapped the Kingdom of Tiryns for Argos, when his cousin, Perseus, had requested it. |
|
Anaxagoras would become King of Argos after Megapenthes, although there are some who say that Argeus first ruled.
Anaxagoras and Melampus
One tale of Anaxagoras tells of Anaxagoras’ son, potentially Alector, struck down with an unknown illness. Anaxagoras called upon Melampus, the famed seer to cure him. Melampus made a sacrifice of an oxen, and when the vultures came to feast upon the carcass, Melampus talked to them.
The vultures advised of a previous sacrifice made by Anaxagoras, which had scared the king’s young son. Anaxagoras had thrown away the sacrificial knife, but unbeknownst to Anaxagoras the knife had embedded itself in a nearby tree, and injuring the hamadryad within it.
The hamadryad has thus cursed the king’s son. Melampus thus removed the knife, and made a medicine from the rust from the knife, thus curing Anaxagoras’ son.
This tale though, is more often told of Phylacus, with the son being Iphiclus.
The vultures advised of a previous sacrifice made by Anaxagoras, which had scared the king’s young son. Anaxagoras had thrown away the sacrificial knife, but unbeknownst to Anaxagoras the knife had embedded itself in a nearby tree, and injuring the hamadryad within it.
The hamadryad has thus cursed the king’s son. Melampus thus removed the knife, and made a medicine from the rust from the knife, thus curing Anaxagoras’ son.
This tale though, is more often told of Phylacus, with the son being Iphiclus.
Anaxagoras and the Division of Argos
|
The second tale of Anaxagoras’ rule tells of the division of Argos into three; and although it is a story also told of the rule of Proetus’, the timing of events make it much more likely that it occurred during Anaxagoras’ reign.
Madness had fallen upon Argos, most probably because the god Dionysus had felt slighted. This madness only affect the women of the country, some tell of this madness seeing the women leave their homes, and wander the land acting as if they were cows. Melampus came to Anaxagoras, and told the king, that he could cure the women of Argos, but in return the king would have to give Melampus a third of his kingdom. Anaxagoras rejected Melampus’ offer, believing that a third of his kingdom was too high a price to pay. As time passed though, more and more women were infected, and so Melampus came to the king again. This time the seer told Anaxagoras, that the price of his help was now two-thirds of his kingdom. This time Anaxagoras agreed, fearing a total loss of his kingdom if the madness continued. Melampus then successfully cured the women of Argos, and whilst Anaxagoras continued to rule a portion of Argos, the other parts were ruled by Melampus, and Melampus’ brother, Bias. |
|
Anaxagoras did have a son named Alector, by a woman unnamed, and his descendent continued to rule until after the Trojan War, whereupon Cylarabes, five generations removed from Anaxagoras, reunited the kingdom of Argos.
|
|
Colin Quartermain - Anaxagoras - 18th February 2024