Niobe - Revision history

Irlandos at 14:08, December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T14:08:27Z

Irlandos at 11:44, January 18, 2007

2007-01-18T11:44:52Z

Irlandos at 11:43, January 18, 2007

2007-01-18T11:43:57Z

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A mortal woman in [[Greek mythology]], '''Niobe''' (Νιόβη), daughter of [[Tantalus]] and either [[Euryanassa]], [[Eurythemista]], [[Clytia]], [[Dione (mythology)|Dione]], or [[Laodice]], and the wife of [[Amphion]], boasted of her superiority to [[Leto]] because she had fourteen children (the ''Niobids''), seven male and seven female,<ref>The number varies. Aelian (''Varia Historia'' xii. 36): "But Hesiod says they were nine boys and ten girls— unless after all the verses are not Hesiod but are falsely ascribed to him as are many others." Nine would make a triple triplet, triplicity being character of numerous sisterhoods (J.E. Harrison, ''A Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion'' (1903), "The Maiden-Trinities" pp 286ff. Ten would equate to a full two hands of male [[Dactyl (mythology)|dactyl]]s.</ref> while [[Leto]] had only two (Apollo and Artemis). [[Apollo]] killed her sons as they practiced athletics, with the last begging for his life (Apollo would have spared his life, but had already released the arrow), and [[Artemis]] killed her daughters. Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions a number of the Niobids were spared ([[Chloris]], usually). Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, either killed himself or was killed by Apollo after swearing revenge. A devastated Niobe fled to [[Mount Sipylus]] of Lydia in [[Asia Minor]] and turned into stone as she wept, or committed suicide. Mount Sipylus has a rock carving of a female face on it that the locals claimed was Niobe, though it was probably originally intended to be [[Cybele]]. The stone is said to have wept tears during the summer. The rock appears to weep because it is porous limestone and rainwater seeps through the pores.

There are various accounts about how and where Niobe perished; the story that returns Niobe from Thebes to her [[Lydia]]n homeland is but one.

The story of Niobe is mentioned by [[Achilles]] to [[Priam]] near the end of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]''. Priam is like Niobe in that he is grieving for his son [[Hector]], who was killed and not buried for several days. Niobe is also referenced in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Antigone]]'': as she is marched toward her death, Antigone compares her own loneliness to that of Niobe.

The story was also mentioned in a [[soliloquy]] by Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2 of ''[[Hamlet]]'', by [[William Shakespeare]]. Hamlet compairs his mother's grief over the dead King Hamlet to Niobe's sadness, in contrast to her hasty marriage to Claudius.

[[Aedon]] was the queen of [[Thebes]] who attempted to kill the son of her rival, Niobe, also her sister-in-law (Aedon was married to [[Zethus]]), and accidentally killed her own daughter, [[Itylus]] instead and thus, the gods again changed her into a nightingale.

Another '''Niobe''', also from Greek mythology, was a daughter of [[Phoroneus]], and the first mortal woman to attract the love of the god [[Zeus]]. By Zeus, this Niobe was the mother of [[Argus]], legendary founder of the Greek city of [[Argos]]. Another child named [[Pelasgus]] is sometimes mentioned as the twin of Argus. This Niobe lived many generations before Niobe, daughter of Tantalus.

==Notes==
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[[Category:Greek mythological people]]

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 A mortal   woman in [[Greek mythology]], '''Niobe''' (Νιόβη), daughter of [[Tantalus]] and either [[Euryanassa]], [[Eurythemista]], [[Clytia]], [[Dione (mythology)|Dione]], or [[Laodice]], and the wife of [[Amphion]], boasted of her superiority to [[Leto]] because she had fourteen children (the ''Niobids''), seven male and seven female,<ref>The number varies. Aelian (''Varia Historia'' xii. 36): "But Hesiod says they were nine boys and ten girls&mdash; unless after all the verses are not Hesiod but are falsely ascribed to him as are many others." Nine would make a triple triplet, triplicity being character of numerous sisterhoods (J.E. Harrison, ''A Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion'' (1903), "The Maiden-Trinities" pp 286ff. Ten would equate to a full two hands of male [[Dactyl (mythology)|dactyl]]s.</ref> while [[Leto]] had only two (Apollo and Artemis).  [[Apollo]] killed her sons as they practiced athletics, with the last begging for his life (Apollo would have spared his life, but had already released the arrow), and [[Artemis]] killed her daughters.  Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions a number of the Niobids were spared ([[Chloris]], usually).  Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, either killed himself or was killed by Apollo after swearing revenge.  A devastated Niobe fled to [[Mount Sipylus]] of Lydia in [[Asia Minor]] and turned into stone as she wept, or committed suicide.  Mount Sipylus has a rock carving of a female face on it that the locals claimed was Niobe, though it was probably originally intended to be [[Cybele]]. The stone is said to have wept tears during the summer. The rock appears to weep because it is porous limestone and rainwater seeps through the pores.
-There are various accounts about how and where Niobe perished; the story that returns Niobe from Thebes to her [[Lydia]]n homeland is but one.
+There are various accounts about how and where Niobe perished; the story that returns Niobe from Thebes to her Lydian homeland is but one.
 The story of Niobe is mentioned by [[Achilles]] to [[Priam]] near the end of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]''. Priam is like Niobe in that he is grieving for his son [[Hector]], who was killed and not buried for several days.  Niobe is also referenced in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Antigone]]'': as she is marched toward her death, Antigone compares her own loneliness to that of Niobe.

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	The story of Niobe is mentioned by [[Achilles]] to [[Priam]] near the end of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]''. Priam is like Niobe in that he is grieving for his son [[Hector]], who was killed and not buried for several days. Niobe is also referenced in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Antigone]]'': as she is marched toward her death, Antigone compares her own loneliness to that of Niobe.		The story of Niobe is mentioned by [[Achilles]] to [[Priam]] near the end of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]''. Priam is like Niobe in that he is grieving for his son [[Hector]], who was killed and not buried for several days. Niobe is also referenced in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Antigone]]'': as she is marched toward her death, Antigone compares her own loneliness to that of Niobe.
−
−	The story was also mentioned in a [[soliloquy]] by Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2 of ''[[Hamlet]]'', by [[William Shakespeare]]. Hamlet compairs his mother's grief over the dead King Hamlet to Niobe's sadness, in contrast to her hasty marriage to Claudius.

	[[Aedon]] was the queen of [[Thebes]] who attempted to kill the son of her rival, Niobe, also her sister-in-law (Aedon was married to [[Zethus]]), and accidentally killed her own daughter, [[Itylus]] instead and thus, the gods again changed her into a nightingale.		[[Aedon]] was the queen of [[Thebes]] who attempted to kill the son of her rival, Niobe, also her sister-in-law (Aedon was married to [[Zethus]]), and accidentally killed her own daughter, [[Itylus]] instead and thus, the gods again changed her into a nightingale.