Telchines

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Telchines ( Greek  Τελχῖνες Telchines ) is the name of a mythological pre-Greek primitive people of the Aegean . In local historical traditions, they are the indigenous people of the islands of Rhodes , Crete , Cyprus and Keos . On the Greek mainland the name is attested in connection with individual places such as Teumessos (near Thebes ), Delphi and Sikyon . According to an etymology represented in antiquity, the name of the Telchinen derives from ϑέλγειν ( thélgein , bewitched).

mythology

In Greek mythology , the Telchines are represented as skillful blacksmiths (making the trident for Poseidon ), builders of the first images of gods and inventors of useful things (e.g. the mill ). On the one hand they are in the service of Hephaestus , on the other hand they are said to have the evil eye and magic , which they also use out of envy and malice. In this way they are able to influence the weather, to spoil the vegetation and to change their shape.

According to Diodorus , the Telchines are said to be sons of Thalassa (the sea). He mentions the fable that they together with Chephirah , daughter of Okeanos , the them of Rhea educated entrusted Poseidon. Bakchylides referred to the four Telchines , known by name, Aktaios , Megalesios , Ormenos and Lykos as sons of Nemesis and Tartarus , others as sons of Gaia and Pontus (fragment 52).

Strabo reports that the island of Rhodes was previously called Telchinis "after the Telchins who inhabit the island, who some declare to be witchers and sorcerers, who sprinkled animals and plants with water from the Styx in order to spoil them. Others, on the contrary, say that as excellent artists they were envied by art enemies and that they were subject to such defamation ”.

Modern reception

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lets the Telchinen appear on the Classic Walpurgis Night in Faust II as the forge of Neptune's trident riding on hippocamps and admirer of the moon goddess Luna .

swell

  • Diodor : Historical Library . First division. Metzlersche Buchhandlung, Stuttgart 1831, Fifth Book, 55, p. 567-568 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).
  • Strabo : Earth description in seventeen books . Second volume. Nicolaische Buchhandlung, Berlin and Stettin 1831, Tenth Book, Third Section, § 7, p. 300–303 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive - Greek: Γεωγραφικά, Geôgraphiká . Translated by Christoph Gottlieb Groskurd ).
  • Strabo: Earth description in seventeen books . Second volume. Nicolaische Buchhandlung, Berlin and Stettin 1831, Tenth Book, Third Section, § 19, p. 315 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive - Greek: Γεωγραφικά, Geôgraphiká . Translated by Christoph Gottlieb Groskurd).
  • Strabo: Earth description in seventeen books . Third volume. Nicolaische Buchhandlung, Berlin and Stettin 1831, Fourteenth Book, Second Section, § 7, p. 45 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive - Greek: Γεωγραφικά, Geôgraphiká . Translated by Christoph Gottlieb Groskurd).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Annemarie Ambühl: Telchines . In: Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider (ed.): The new Pauly. Encyclopedia of Antiquity . tape 12 : Antiquity 1. Metzler, Stuttgart 2012, OCLC 932017052 , Sp. 86 (first edition: 2002).
  2. ^ Paul Friedländer: Telchinen . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 5, Leipzig 1924, Col. 241 f. ( Digitized version ).
  3. ↑ Diodorus 5.55
  4. ↑ The songs of Bakchylides (2): The dithyrambs and fragments . Brill, Leiden, New York, Cologne 1997, fragments of unknown origin, p. 108-109 ( digitized version [accessed May 4, 2016]).
  5. ↑ Strabo, Geographica 14.2.7
  6. ^ Johann Wolfgang Goethe: Faust. The tragedy first and second part. Urfaust. Anniversary edition for the 175th anniversary of death. ed. u. come over. v. Erich Trunz , CH Beck, Munich 2006, p. 657 ff.