In Nonnus's fifth-century AD epic poem the Dionysiaca, Pyrrhus (Ancient Greek: Πύρρος, romanized: Púrrhos, lit. 'fiery') is a minor figure who was punished by the goddess Rhea for his assault of her. His short story is only mentioned in passing.
Etymology[edit]
The Greek proper name Πύρρος means "fiery, red-coloured" and it is derived from the word πῦρ meaning fire, flame.[1] It was especially used to denote red hair.[2] In Mycenaean Greek the name is attested as pu-wo (Linear B: 𐀢𐀺).[2]
Mythology[edit]
The little-known and otherwise unattested Pyrrhus was a mortal man from Phrygia who lusted after the goddess Rhea, the mother of the gods, and tried to assault her. Rhea changed him into a stone immediately for his hubris.[3][4][5] This happened not far from the site of Niobe's own transformation into a rock after she challenged another goddess, Leto.[3] Pyrrhus's transformation into stone is part of a wider typical theme where a man is punished for his lust that led him to assault a goddess, in this case Rhea.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Liddell & Scott 1940, s.v. πῦρ.
- ^ a b Beekes 2010, s.v. πυρρός.
- ^ a b Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.81-83
- ^ M. Rosemary Wright. "A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations". mythandreligion.upatras.gr. University of Patras. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Levitan & Lombardo 2022, p. 228.
- ^ Forbes Irving 1990, pp. 143, 298.
Bibliography[edit]
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010). Lucien van Beek (ed.). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series. Vol. ΙΙ. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill Publications. ISBN 978-90-04-17419-1.
- Forbes Irving, Paul M. C. (1990). Metamorphosis in Greek Myths. Oxford Classical Monographs. Oxford, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-814730-9.
- Levitan, William; Lombardo, Stanley (August 15, 2022). Tales of Dionysus: The Dionysiaca of Nonnus of Panopolis. Michigan, United States: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-13311-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Online version at Perseus.tufts project.
- Nonnus, Dionysiaca; translated by Rouse, W H D, I Books I-XV. Loeb Classical Library No. 344, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1940. Internet Archive
