Sybaris (monster)
Sybaris is a female monster in Greek mythology .
According to a metamorphosis legend handed down by the Greek mythographer Antoninus Liberalis , the Sybaris, also known as Lamia , lived in a large cave on the Kirphis mountain , which belongs to the southern foothills of the Parnassus and was located near the Krisa settlement in southwestern Phocis and a port of Delphi . The monster devoured people and cattle and regularly devastated the entire area. When the Delphians asked their oracles for advice, they received the answer that they had to sacrifice one of their youths to the monster in order to be freed from its devastation. Alkyoneus , the only son of Diomos and Meganeira, was chosen for this by lot . Decorated with a wreath, the priests led him to the Sybaris cave. But on the way there Alkyoneus met the hero Eurybatos , son of Euphemos, a descendant of the river god Axios by divine providence . Moved by the beauty of the sacrifice, Eurybatos decided to save the boy. He took the wreath that marked the sacrifice and allowed Alkyoneus to lead him to the cave. Then he fought the beast successfully and threw it down the rock. At the place where it struck, a spring called Sybaris sprang up. The city of Sybaris in Lucania (southern Italy) is also said to have got its name after the monster.
literature
- Hans von Geisau : Sybaris 1). In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 5, Stuttgart 1975, column 439.