THE GEGENEES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Giants were common characters from the stories of Ancient Greece, with individuals, and races of giants, seen as worthy opponents for both heroes and gods.
One such race of giants was the Gegenees, a tribe of fierce, uncivilised giants, who were encountered by the Argonauts; an encounter specified in the Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius.
One such race of giants was the Gegenees, a tribe of fierce, uncivilised giants, who were encountered by the Argonauts; an encounter specified in the Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius.
Gegenees Children of Gaia
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The Gegenees were named as children of Gaia; as indeed were many of the giants of Greek mythology, including the Gigantes. The Gegenees were of prodigious size, but their distinguishing feature was the fact that they had six arms, two protruding from their shoulders, and a further two pairs from their rib cage.
The Gegenees were also described as lawless and troublesome, but these were traits of virtually all giants that appeared in Greek mythology. |
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The Home of Gegenees
The home of the Gegenees was an outcrop in the Sea of Marmara, located to the east of the mouth of the River Aesepus. This outcrop of land comprised of a lowland plain, and also a high mountain, and was virtually an island for there was but a narrow, low-lying isthmus attaching it to the mainland of Mysia.
The Gegenees shared their island home with a tribe of men, the Doliones; with the Doliones living on the lowland plain and the Gegenees upon the mountain slopes. Trouble between the two tribes was avoided though, for despite being troublesome in nature, the Gegenees were afraid of the wrath of Poseidon, for the Doliones were his descendants.
The Gegenees shared their island home with a tribe of men, the Doliones; with the Doliones living on the lowland plain and the Gegenees upon the mountain slopes. Trouble between the two tribes was avoided though, for despite being troublesome in nature, the Gegenees were afraid of the wrath of Poseidon, for the Doliones were his descendants.
The Gegenees and the Argonauts
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The Gegenees would be encountered by the Argonauts, the band of heroes who sailed on-board the Argo, during the Argonauts voyage to Colchis.
The Argonauts found safe anchorage off of the land mass, and found a friendly welcome from the king of the Doliones, King Cyzicus. Lulled into a false sense of security by this friendly welcome, half of the Argonauts set off to explore mountainous slopes, whilst the remaining Argonauts brought the Argo into the harbour of Chytus. With the strength of the Argonauts divided into two, the Gegenees saw an opportunity to attack. The giants threw boulders blocking the harbour entrance, believing that their prey, the Argonauts, had now no means of escape. The Gegenees though did not know the type of men they were attacking; for the party that were with the Argo included Heracles, the greatest of all Greek heroes. Heracles took up his famous bow, and unleashed arrow after arrow against the Gegenees, with many of the giants dying as the Hydra poison imbued arrows found their mark. The Gegenees retaliated unleashing their own form of long range weapons, and a fusillade of jagged rocks were thrown at Heracles and the other Argonauts, though none of the heroes were seriously injured. |
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The attack of the Gegenees has been successfully delayed, and it was a delay long enough to ensure that the Argonauts who had gone exploring upon the mountain, were able to return to the side of their comrades. Now, the Gegenees faced the combined force of the Argonauts. The Gegenees were not cowards though, and time after time the rushed forward to attack; it though was a massacre, for one by one the Gegenees fell to the weapons of the Argonauts, until there were no more giants left.
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Colin Quartermain - Gegenees - 14th April 2019