Erigone (daughter of Icarius)

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Erigone , Charles André van Loo (1747).

Erigone ( Greek  Ἠριγόνη ) is in Greek mythology the daughter of Ikarios .

legend

Erigone's father Ikarios was an Attic farmer. He entertained the god Dionysus , who gave him the grapevine as a thank you and taught him the art of viticulture. On behalf of Dionysus, Ikarios set out to spread this knowledge everywhere. Farmers who thought the new drink was poison because of its intoxicating effects murdered Ikarios. Erigone found the body with the help of her dog Maira and then hanged herself from a tree. Maira stayed there until her death.

Then a mad epidemic broke out in Athens , which led to young Athenian women hanging themselves. The Athenians consulted the Delphi Oracle . They were advised to honor Ikarios and Erigone through annual sacrifices. Therefore, the swing festival ( Aiora ) was set up.

The gods put Ikarios, Erigone and Maira under the stars. Erigone became the constellation Virgo .

The fate of the Erigone is described in a poem by Eratosthenes of Cyrene from the 3rd century BC, which has only survived in a few fragments . Chr. Portrayed. The legend is older, but all known versions ultimately go back to the version poetically designed by Eratosthenes.

reception

Gabriele d'Annunzio used the material in his play Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien, which premiered in 1911 .

See also

output

  • Alexandra Rosokoki (ed.): The Erigone des Eratosthenes. An annotated edition of the fragments . Winter, Heidelberg 1995, ISBN 3-8253-0299-7 (critical edition with commentary; pp. 107–114 compilation and investigation of the Ikarios and Erigone festivals)

literature

  • Klaus Geus : Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Studies on the Hellenistic cultural and scientific history . Beck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-48976-1 , pp. 100-110