| Myrmidons | |
|---|---|
| Greek mythology race | |
| In-universe information | |
| Base of operations | Aegina |
| Type | Nation |
| Leader | Achilles |
InGreek mythology, theMyrmidons (orMyrmidones;Ancient Greek:Μυρμῐδόνες,Murmidónes, singular:Μυρμῐδών,Murmidṓn) were an ancientThessalian tribe.[1][2]
In Homer'sIliad, the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded byAchilles.[3] Theireponymous ancestor wasMyrmidon, a king ofPhthiotis, who was a son ofZeus and "wide-ruling"Eurymedousa, a princess of Phthiotis. In one account, Zeus seduced Eurymedousa in the form of anant.[4]
Anetiological myth of their origins, simply expanding upon their supposed etymology—the name in Classical Greek was interpreted as "ant-people", frommyrmedon (Ancient Greek:μῠρμηδών,murmēdṓn, plural:μῠρμηδόνες,murmēdónes), which means "ant-nest"—was first mentioned byOvid in theMetamorphoses. In Ovid's telling, the Myrmidons were simple worker-ants on the island ofAegina.
Hera, queen of the gods, sent aplague to kill all the human inhabitants of Aegina because the island was named for one of the lovers ofZeus. KingAeacus, a son of Zeus and the intended target of Hera along with his mother, prayed to his father for a means to repopulate the island.
As themyrmekes (Ancient Greek: μύρμηκες,múrmēkes, singular: μύρμηξ,múrmēx), the ants of the island, were unaffected by the sickness, Zeus responded by transforming them into a race of men, the Myrmidons.[5][6] They were as fierce and hardy as ants, and intensely loyal to their leader.[7]
After a time, Aeacus exiled his two sons,Peleus andTelamon, for murdering their half-brother,Phocus. Peleus went toPhthia and a group of Myrmidons followed him toThessaly. Peleus's son,Achilles, brought them toTroy to fight in theTrojan War. They feature as the loyal followers of Achilles in most accounts of the Trojan War.
Another tradition states that the Myrmidons had no such remarkable beginnings, but were merely the descendants ofMyrmidon, a Thessalian nobleman, who marriedPeisidice, the daughter ofAeolus, king of Thessaly. Myrmidon was the father of Actor and Antiphus. As king of Phthia, Actor (or his son) invited Peleus to stay in Thessaly.
Achilles was described byLeo the Deacon (born ca. 950) not asHellene, but asScythian, while according to the Byzantine authorJohn Malalas (c. 491–578), his army was made up of a tribe previously known as Myrmidons and "known now asBulgars".[8][9] The 12th-century Byzantine poetJohn Tzetzes also identified the Myrmidons with the Bulgars, whom he also identified with thePaeonians, although the latter may be intended in a purely geographical sense.[10][11] In the 11th century,Michael Attaleiates called theRus' Myrmidons, but this usage did not catch on.[12]
According to Byzantine history scholarAndrew J. Ekonomou, these represent intentional distortions designed to "minimize the valor of pagan heroes, and eventually to extinguish their memory altogether".[8] Anthony Kaldellis, on the other hand, argues that such use of classical ethnonyms for modern peoples "do not really fall under the category of distortion at all".[12]
The Myrmidons of Greek myth were known for their loyalty to their leaders, so that in pre-industrial Europe the word "myrmidon" carried many of the same connotations that "robot" does today. "Myrmidon" later came to mean "hired ruffian", according to theOxford English Dictionary.
Achilles is king of the Myrmidons, a Thessalian Greek tribe, and brought them with him to Troy as his troops.
Myrmidons (= the Thessalian tribe of Achilles)
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