Phthia (mythology)

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Phthia ( ancient Greek Φθία Phthía or in the Ionic dialect Φθίη Phthíē ) is in Greek mythology , more precisely in Homer , originally a city and then synonymous with the district in southern Thessaly ( central Greece ), which later became part of the Phthiotis landscape . Phthia consists of the Sperchiostal and the north coast of the Gulf of Malia . It is the kingdom of Peleus founded by Aiakos ( Latin Aeacus ) and the birthplace of his son Achilles as well as the home of the Myrmidons .

The founder and eponymous hero of the city of Phthia was Phthios (Latin Phthius ), son of Poseidon and Larissa , brother of Achaios and Pelasgos . However, according to Stephanos of Byzantium , a heroine named Phthia was the eponymous.

The first post- Flood king mentioned is Deucalion , who is said to have invaded the Parnassus mountain pass in Thessaly via Lykorea and expelled the Pelasgians .

Archaeological evidence for a localization of the place has not yet been provided. Although it is mostly associated with the city of Farsala , a region around the Othrys Mountains is generally assumed (there is the region of darkness).

In Plato's work Crito , reference is made at one point to Phthia, concerning a dream the philosopher Socrates had while waiting in prison for his execution. He tells his friend Crito that he will arrive at his new home a day later than what Crito is expecting, since he interprets a dream that tells him that he would be executed the day after next:

"Socrates: It seemed to me as if a beautiful, well-formed woman, dressed in white clothes, came up to me, called me and said to me:" O Socrates, may you get to the clumpy Phthia on the third day! "

- Plato (translated by FDE Schleiermacher , 1805) : Crito

Phthia is also the female name of a number of characters in Greek mythology.

literature

Remarks

  1. Homer Iliad 9,363.
  2. Hyginus , Fabulae 14.8.
  3. Pomponius Mela , Chorographia 2.40; Strabon , Geographica 9,5,3.
  4. a b c Otto Höfer : Phthia . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 3.2, Leipzig 1909, Col. 2471 f. ( Digitized version ).
  5. ^ Benjamin Hederich : Thorough mythological lexicon. Leipzig 1770, Sp. 2003 ( online )
  6. Stephanos of Byzantium sv Φθία .
  7. (or Lykoria / Lykoreia , Latin Lycorea "Wolfsberg" of Lycoreus ), Wilhelm Vollmer: Dictionary of Mythology. Hoffmann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1874, p. 316 ( online )
  8. Brockhaus Conversations Lexicon Volume. 7. Amsterdam 1809, pp. 273-274 ( online )
  9. ^ Project textlog.de 2nd dream of Socrates