Lycurgus (Thrace)

Lycurgus or Lykurgos ( Greek  Λυκοῦργος ) is in Greek mythology the king of the Edonians in Thrace and, according to Homer, the son of Dryas ( Iliad , 6th song).

When Dionysus submits to Thrace, Lycurgus opposes him and captures all of Dionysus' companions. The god himself escapes by throwing himself into the sea and being taken in by Thetis . Rhea now beats Lykurgos with madness or in a wine frenzy, he thinks his son Dryas is a vine and kills him with an ax by chopping off his limbs. Thrace becomes sterile. Dionysus returns from the sea and now announces to the residents that the land will only become fertile again when Lykurgos is killed. This is now captured by the Edonians and torn or eaten by horses on Mount Pangaion ; or this is what the panthers of Dionysus do.

After Homer he is blinded by Zeus and comes to an end quickly. According to other versions, his madness drives him to suicide .

See also

• Mythology in Thracians

literature

• Karl Kerényi : The mythology of the Greeks - The stories of gods and mankind , dtv, Munich 1994. ISBN 3-423-30030-2
• Michael Grant and John Hazel: Lexicon of Ancient Myths and Figures . dtv, Munich 2004. ISBN 3-423-32508-9
• Robert von Ranke-Graves : Greek Mythology - Sources and Interpretation . rororo, Hamburg 2001. ISBN 3-499-55404-6