Aristeas

This article is about the Greek poet. For other uses, seeAristeas (disambiguation).

Aristeas(Greek:Ἀριστέας) was a semi-legendaryGreekpoetandmiracle-worker,a native ofProconnesusinAsia Minor,active ca. 7th century BC. TheSudaclaims that, whenever he wished,his soulcould leave his body and return again.In book IV.13-16 ofThe Histories,Herodotusreports:

The birthplace of Aristeas, the poet who sung of these things, I have already mentioned. I will now relate a tale which I heard concerning him both atProconnesusand atCyzicus.Aristeas, they said, who belonged to one of the noblest families in the island, had entered one day into afuller's shop, when he suddenly dropt down dead. Hereupon the fuller shut up his shop, and went to tell Aristeas' kindred what had happened. The report of the death had just spread through the town, when a certain Cyzicenian, lately arrived fromArtaca,contradicted the rumour, affirming that he had met Aristeas on his road toCyzicus,and had spoken with him. This man, therefore, strenuously denied the rumour; the relations, however, proceeded to the fuller's shop with all things necessary for the funeral, intending to carry the body away. But on the shop being opened, no Aristeas was found, either dead or alive. Seven years afterwards he reappeared, they told me, inProconnesus,and wrote the poem called by the Greeks theArimaspeia,after which he disappeared a second time. This is the tale current in the two cities above-mentioned.

Two hundred and forty years after his death, Aristeas is said to have appeared inMetapontuminsouthern Italyto command that a statue of himself be set up and a new altar dedicated to Apollo, saying that since his death he had been travelling with Apollo in the form of a sacredraven.

Arimaspeia

Aristeas was supposed to have authored a poem called theArimaspeia,giving an account of travels in the far North. There he encountered a tribe called theIssedones,who told him of still more fantastic and northerly peoples: the one-eyedArimaspi,who battle gold-guardinggriffins;and theHyperboreans,among whomApollolives during the winter.

Longinusexcerpts a portion of the poem:

A marvel exceeding great is this withal to my soul—

Men dwell on the water afar from the land, where deep seas roll.

Wretches are they, for they reap but a harvest of travail and pain,

Their eyes on the stars ever dwell, while their hearts abide in the main.

Often, I ween, to the Gods are their hands upraised on high,

And with hearts in misery heavenward-lifted in prayer do they cry.

Similarly,in his bookChiliades,Ioannes Tzetzesquotes theArimaspeia.These two accounts form our entire knowledge of the poem, which is otherwise lost.

In popular culture

Neil Gaiman'sSandmancomics refer to this story: Aristeas was a poet who lived around 700 BC, and was transformed into one of many ravens who have acted as both adviser and assistant to the Endless known asDream.Not to be confused with the ravenMatthew,the main raven in the Sandman tale, who existed in human form in the Swamp Thing continuity before his time as a resident of the Dreaming. One of the three permanent guardians of the Sandman's castle-gate is agriffon,who on one occasion tells Matthew that he "was hatched and raised in the mountains of Arimaspia.".

See also

• Dzungarian Gate

References

• Bolton, James David Pennington (1962),Aristeas of Proconnesus,Clarendon Press, Oxford,OCLC1907787