Cycnus of Liguria
| Cycnus | |
|---|---|
 Cycnus changed into a swan | |
| Abode | Liguria |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Sthenelus |
| Consort | Phaethon(lover) |
| Children | Cinyras, Cupavo |
InGreek mythology,Cycnus(Ancient Greek:Κύκνος "swan" ) orCygnuswas a king ofLiguria,a beloved and lover ofPhaethon,who lamented his death and was subsequently turned into aswanand then aconstellation.[1]
Mythology[edit]
Family[edit]
Cycnus was the son ofSthenelusand the lover ofPhaethon(Serviusexplicitly writes "amator", or lover). According to Ovid, he was a distant relative of Phaethon on his mother's side. Servius also mentions that Cycnus had a son named Cupavo.[2]
Transformation[edit]
After Phaethon died, Cycnus sat by the riverEridanosmourning his death. The gods turned him into a swan to relieve him of his sorrow. Even then he retained memories of Phaethon's death, and would avoid the sun's heat because of that.[3]Swansare known for mourning their mate for many days when they die, which suggests that Cygnus and Phaethon were lovers.[4][5][6]According to Virgil, Cycnus lamented Phaethon's death till he grew old, so his gray hair became gray feathers upon his transformation.[7]Pausanias mentions Cycnus, king of the Ligyes (Ligurians), as a renowned musician who after his death was changed into a swan by Apollo.[8]Servius also writes of Cycnus as a musician and a friend of Phaethon, and states that he was changed into a swan and later was placed among the stars byApollo(that is, as the constellationCygnus), who had also once blessed him with talent in singing.[2]Cycnus's talent as a musician may serve the association with the concept of theswan songsuggested in Hyginus's account.[9]
Notes[edit]
- ^William Smith,Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and MythologyCycnus
- ^abServiusonAeneid10.189
- ^Ovid,Metamorphoses2.367-380
- ^Wedderburn, Pete (3 September 2015)."Animals grieve just as people do".The Telegraph.Retrieved25 July2019.
- ^"Lonely Irish swan 'hugs' cars after its mate was killed".IrishCentral.22 October 2018.Retrieved25 July2019.
- ^"The care and treatment of swans and waterfowl with an established worldwide reputation".The Swan Sanctuary.Retrieved25 July2019.
- ^Virgil,Aeneid10.189
- ^Pausanias,1.30.3
- ^Hyginus,Fabulae154
References[edit]
Ancient[edit]
- Pausanias,Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes.Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Vergil,Aeneid.Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910.Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Ovid,Metamorphoses,Volume I: Books 1-8.Translated by Frank Justus Miller. Revised by G. P. Goold.Loeb Classical LibraryNo. 42. Cambridge, Massachusetts:Harvard University Press,1977, first published 1916.ISBN978-0-674-99046-3.Online version at Harvard University Press.
- Hyginus, Gaius Julius,The Myths of Hyginus.Edited and translated by Mary A. Grant, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1960.
- Maurus Servius Honoratus,In Vergilii carmina comentarii. Servii Grammatici qui feruntur in Vergilii carmina commentarii;recensuerunt Georgius Thilo et Hermannus Hagen. Georgius Thilo. Leipzig. B. G. Teubner. 1881.Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
Modern[edit]
- Smith, William,Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology,London (1873).Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
