Stimphalia birds - in ancient Greek mythology, birds of prey living near the Arcadian city of Stymfala . Nursed by Ares and had copper beaks, wings and claws. They attacked both humans and animals. Their most formidable weapons were feathers, which birds rained down on the ground like arrows. They devoured crops in the district, or also ate people [1] .
| Stymphalian birds | |
|---|---|
| Mythology | |
The Third Feat of Hercules
Mycenaean king Eurystheus ordered Hercules to defeat the Stiffali birds. This indescribably difficult task for the hero was helped by Athena Pallas: she gave Hercules two copper tympans forged by Hephaestus . The goddess ordered to set tympans on the mountain near the nesting of terrible birds and strike at them. The deafening sound of tympans was to force the birds to rise into the air, and Hercules should shoot at them from the bow. Hercules scared the birds and shot them [2] , or simply drove them out [3] . According to Pisander , Hercules did not interrupt them, but drove them out with the sound of mole rats (rattles). The birds that survived the battle with Hercules left Greece , flying to the shores of the Black Sea .
According to Pausanias , the birds that are found in Arabia are called the Stephalides. In Stimphalus there was a temple of Artemis of Stimphalia with statues of girls with bird feet [1] .
Argonauts
Birds flew to the island of Arethiada in Ponte Euxinus (near Kerasunt ) and attacked the Argonauts , who sailed by, but they covered themselves with shields [4] . When the Argonauts arrived on the island of Diyu, birds began to throw arrows at them. On the advice of Phineus, they took shields and spears and, imitating the jackets , drove them off with a roar [5] . Or it was on the island of Areya [6] .
Fiction
Stimphalia birds are mutant vultures in the alternative historical universe “Divine World” by Boris Tolchinsky .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Pausanias. Description of Hellas VIII 22, 4
- ↑ Pseudo-Apollodorus. Mythological library II 5, 6
- ↑ Diodorus of Sicily. Historical Library IV 13, 2
- ↑ Apollonius of Rhodes. Argonautics II 1022-1082
- ↑ Gigin. Myths 20
- ↑ Gigin. Myths 30
Literature
- N.A. Kun . Legends and myths of Ancient Greece - M .: CJSC Firm STD, 2005. - 558 p. ISBN 5-89808-013-9