Myconus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Myconus (/ˈmɪkənɒs, -noʊs/,[1][2] also UK: /ˈmiːk-/;[3] Ancient Greek: Μύκονος [ˈmikonos] Mykonos) or Mycon was a local hero and an eponymous first ruler of Mykonos.[4] He was the son or grandson of the god Apollo. Mycon was the father of Xanthippe who fed him with her own breastmilk to prevent him from dying of starvation when he was imprisoned.[5] The daughter was also known as Pero.[6]
The island of Mykonos was also said to have been the location of the Gigantomachy, the great battle between Zeus and Giants and where Hercules killed the invincible giants having lured them from the protection of Mount Olympus. According to myth, the large rocks all over the island are said to be the petrified corpses of the giants.[7]
Notes
- "Mykonos". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- "Mykonos". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
- "Mykonos". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- Stephanus of Byzantium s.v. Andros & Mykonos
- Hyginus, Fabulae 254
- Valerius Maximus, 5.4. ext.1
- Freely, John (4 June 2006). The Cyclades: Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean. I.B.Tauris. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-84511-160-1. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
References
- Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Stephanus of Byzantium, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt, edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849. A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling. Online version at the Topos Text Project.