AEGAEUS (Aigaios) - Phaeacian River-God of Greek Mythology (original) (raw)

Greek Mythology >> Greek Gods >> Rustic Gods >> River Gods >> Aegaeus (Aigaios)

Translation

River Aegaeus

AIGAIOS (Aegaeus) was a river-god of Skherie (Scheria), the mythical island home of the Phaiakes (Phaeacians).

The Phaiakian island was sometimes identified as Black Korkyra (Corcyra).

PARENTS

Presumably OKEANOS & TETHYS

OFFSPRING

MELITE, THE AIGAIIDES (Argonautica 4.538 & 4.1141)

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

Homer, Odyssey 5. 452 ff (trans. Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"[After Odysseus' raft was destroyed in a storm, he was carried by the waves to the isle of the Phaiakes (Phaeacians) :] And when in his swimming he [Odysseus] came abreast of a flowing river, where he thought the ground best to land on, being clear of rocks and sheltered from winds besides, he hailed the outflowing stream as a god and prayed to him in his heart thus : ‘Hear me, Lord, whosoever you may be. I find in you an answer to all my prayers, as I seek a refuge from the sea and from the threatenings of Poseidon. Do not even the Deathless Ones owe compassion to a mortal who comes to them as a wanderer and a suppliant? Such a man am I, approaching your stream, approaching your knees, after much distress. Have pity upon me, Lord; a suppliant is what I claim to be.’
So he prayed, and the god forthwith checked his stream and held back his waves; he stilled the waters before Odysseus and brought him safe to the river's mouth." [N.B. This river is presumably the Aigaios.]

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 1141 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) :
"[At the wedding of Jason and Medea on the island of the Phaiakes (Phaeacians) :] Nymphai (Nymphs) gathered flowers for them . . . Some of these Nymphai were daughters of the River Aigaios (Aegaeus)."

SOURCES

GREEK

• Homer, The Odyssey - Greek Epic C8th B.C.
• Apollonius Rhodius, The Argonautica - Greek Epic C3rd B.C.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page.