Agrius and Oreius (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Agrius or Agrios (/ˈæɡriəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄγριος, lit. 'wild, savage')[1] and Oreios, also Oreius, Orius or Oreus, (Ὄρειος means ‘of the mountain’) were the twin sons of Polyphonte, daughter of Hipponous, and a bear as well as them being the great-grandsons of Ares.[2]
Mythology
Polyphonte was punished by Aphrodite for the former did not worship her, instead becoming a devotee of the virgin goddess Artemis. The goddess of love made her to couple with a bear causing Artemis to have the animals of the forest attack her. Polyphonte fled back to her father and gave birth to twin savage bear-like children named Agrius and Orius. They were of immense strength, but they did not honour the gods and ate whatever stranger they happened upon. Zeus eventually sent Hermes to take care of them, and he decided to chop off their hands and feet. But Ares, Polyphonte's forefather, changed Hermes' mind so the two gods turned them all into birds. Polyphonte became a small owl, Orius became an eagle owl, a bird that presages little good to anyone when it appears, Agrius was turned into a vulture, birds that crave for human flesh and blood. The family's female servant was changed into a woodpecker, for she begged to become a good bird.[3]
Notes
- ^ Montanari, s.v. ἄγριος.
- ^ Antoninus Liberalis, 21
- ^ Antoninus Liberalis, 21 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
References
- Antoninus Liberalis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992). Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Montanari, Franco, The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek, edited by Madeleine Goh and Chad Schroeder, Leiden, Brill, 2015. ISBN 9789004193185.