AESEPUS (Aisepos) - Trojan River-God of Greek Mythology (original) (raw)

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Translation

River Aesepus

AISEPOS (Aesepus) was a river-god of the Troad in northern Mysia, Anatolia (modern Turkey).

The Aisepos River had its headwaters in the foothills of Mount Ida near the town of Skepsis (Scepsis) and emptied into the Hellespont in the vicinity of Zeleia. The most important neighbouring rivers were the Grenikos (Grenicus) to the west, and the Rhyndakos (Rhyndacus) and the Askanios (Ascanius) in the east.

PARENTS

[1] OKEANOS & TETHYS (Hesiod Theogony 342)

OFFSPRING

[1] ABARBAREE (Perhaps Homer Iliad 6.21)
[2] THE AISEPIDES (Quintus Smyrnaeus 2.549)

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

Hesiod, Theogony 337 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) :
"Tethys bore to Okeanos (Oceanus) the swirling Potamoi (Rivers), Neilos (the Nile) . . . Nessos and Rhodios, Heptaporos and Haliakmon (Haliacmon), Grenikos (Grenicus) and Aisepos (Aesepus), and Simoeis [in a list of rivers]."

Homer, Iliad 2. 824 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"They who lived in Zeleia below the foot of Mount Ida, who drank the dark water of Aisepos (Aesepus), Trojans."

Homer, Iliad 12. 18 ff :
"[After the departure of the Greeks from Troy, the gods destroyed the fortification wall built by the army :] Poseidon and Apollon took counsel to wreck the wall, letting loose the strength of rivers upon it, all the rivers that run to the sea from the mountains of Ida, Rhesos and Heptaporos, Karesos (Caresus) and Rhodios, Grenikos (Grenicus) and Aisepos (Aesepus), and immortal Skamandros (Scamander) and Simoeis . . . Phoibos (Phoebus) Apollon turned the mouths of these waters together and nine days long threw the flood against the wall, and Zeus rained incessantly, to break the wall faster and wash it seaward. And the shaker of the earth himself holding in his hands the trident guided them, and hurled into the waves all the bastions' strengthening of logs and stones . . . and turned the rivers again to make their way down the same channel where before they had run the bright stream of their water."

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 459 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) :
"By the deep flow of Aisepos' (Aesepus') stream [Memnon was buried], where is a fair grove of the bright-haired Nymphai (Nymphs), the which round his long barrow afterward Aisepos' daughters planted, screening it with many and manifold trees."

SOURCES

GREEK

• Homer, The Iliad - Greek Epic C8th B.C.
• Hesiod, Theogony - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.
• Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy - Greek Epic C4th A.D.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page.