Antiphates (Laistrygone)
Antiphates ( Greek Ἀντιφάτης ) was in Greek mythology the king of the gigantic, man-eating Laistrygons , whose land was often located in Sicily in ancient times . According to Dictys Cretensis , Antiphates was a son of Laistrygon .
Seven days after Odysseus , who was on his long journey back from Troy to his homeland Ithaca , left the god of the winds, Aiolos , he landed at the city of the Laistrygons, Telepylos . He sent three men to scout. Not far from the city they met the daughter of Antiphates when she was drawing water at the Artakie spring. The girl escorted Odysseus' men to his father's palace. At first they only met the king's wife there, who brought her husband out of a meeting. Antiphates immediately devoured one of the scouts, the others fled to the ships. The Laistrygons, alarmed by the roar of their king, threw huge stones from above onto those eleven ships of Odysseus' fleet that had sailed into the port of Telepylos. Then the giants ate up the crews of the destroyed ships. Odysseus was only able to escape with his own ship because he had tied it to a rock outside the narrow port entrance.
The Roman satirical poet Juvenal states that the name Antiphates was used literally for angry .
literature
- Richard Wagner : Antiphates 2) . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 2523.