| Minthe | |
|---|---|
Chthonic Naiad nymph | |
 Close-up of mint leaves | |
| Greek | Μίνθη |
| Abode | Underworld |
| Symbols | Mint |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Hades |
Inancient Greek religion andGreek mythology,Minthe orMintha (Ancient Greek:Μίνθη,romanized: Mínthē,lit. 'mint') is anunderworldnaiad associated with the riverCocytus. She was beloved by and mistress toHades, the king of the underworld, but she was transformed into amint plant by either his wifePersephone or her motherDemeter.[1][2] The plant was also called by some as hedyosmos (Ancient Greek:ἡδύοσμος), which means "sweet-smelling".[3]
The ancient Greek nounμίνθη orμίνθα translates to 'mint'.[4][5] According toRobert Beekes, it is of undoubtedlypre-Greek origin due to the variant ending in "-ᾰ".[6] The-nth-/-nthos- element inmenthe has been described as a characteristic of a class of words borrowed from aPre-Greek language: compareakanthos,Zakynthos,labyrinthos,Korinthos, andhyakinthos.[7] The word has been also found in aBronze Age tablet, spelled inLinear B as𐀖𐀲 (mi-ta).[8]
| Greek deities series |
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| Nymphs |
Thenaiad Minthe, daughter of the infernal river-godCocytus, became concubine toHades, the lord of theUnderworld and god of the dead.[9][10] In jealousy, his wifePersephone intervened and metamorphosed Minthe, in the words ofStrabo's account, "into the gardenmint, which some callhedyosmos (lit. 'sweet-smelling')". Amountain nearPylos was named after Minthe, where one of the few temples of Hades inGreece was situated:
Near Pylus, towards the east, is a mountain named after Minthe, who, according to myth, became the concubine of Hades, was trampled under foot by Core, and was transformed into garden-mint, the plant which some call Hedyosmos. Furthermore, near the mountain is a precinct sacred to Hades[11]
Similarly to that, a scholiast onNicander wrote that Minthe became Hades' mistress; for this Persephone tore her into pieces, but Hades turned his dead lover into the fragrant plant that bore her name in her memory.[12][13]Ovid also briefly mentions Minthe and her transformation at the hands of Persephone in hisMetamorphoses, but neglects to mention the story behind it.[14]
According toOppian, Minthe had been Hades' mistress before he had abducted and married Persephone, but he set her aside once he carried off and married his queen. Afterwards, she would boast that she surpassed Persephone in beauty and that Hades would soon return to her and banish Persephone from the subterranean halls. In anger over the nymph'sinsolence, Persephone's motherDemeter trampled her in anger, obliterating Minthe, and thus from the earth sprang the mintherb.[15]
Bell notes that Demeter went through too much pain following Persephone's abduction and partial return to tolerate any adulterous behaviour against her daughter.[16] Oppian writing that she was trampled to death is perhaps an allusion to the verbμινύθω,minytho, meaning "to reduce".[17]Orpheus wrote that Demeter, seeing the mint sad, hated it, and made it barren.[18][19]
According toJulius Pollux'sOnomasticon, Minthe was mentioned by the poetCratinus, an Athenian playwright of the Old Comedy, in his lost playNomoi ("Laws").[20]
The word used in ancient Greek texts to describe Minthe in relation to her affair with Hades isπαλλακή (pallakḗ), translating to 'concubine' or 'young girl'.[21][22] In ancient Greek culture, apallake referred to a man's unmarried consort; she was of lower status than a legally married wife, but stood higher than a common prostitute or ahetaira.[23]
In ancient Greece, mint was used in funerary rites, together withrosemary andmyrtle, and not simply to offset the smell of decay;[24] mint was an element in the fermentedbarley drink called thekykeon that was an essential preparatoryentheogen for participants in theEleusinian Mysteries, which offered hope in theafterlife for initiates.[25] Minthe might have originated from Demeter's mystery cults, alongside figures likeBaubo and the daughters ofCeleus.[17] On the other hand, it has been argued that the myth is of Hellenistic (323 BC to 31 BC) origin instead.[26] It is probable that it emerged as a local story at Hades's shrine near Mount Minthe due to some special connection between the plant and the god.[27]
The mint was highly valued due to its aromatic properties and its capacity as a condiment that brings out the flavour of many foods. Mint was used as an appetising spice, for perfume-making, woven in wreaths, and it would be hung up in rooms in order to improve and fresh up the air.[26] It also was regarded as a powerfulaphrodisiac, hence Minthe's role in becoming the lover of Hades; at the same time it was used as a contraceptive method,[28] as it was believed that consuming it before the act would prevent a pregnancy.[29] Thus the mint, a plant of sterility, was seen as the opponent of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, argues Detienne.[30]
Forbes Irving meanwhile disagrees with this interpretation, as Minthe's connection to Demeter is already established via the kykeon, and while it is true that Hades and Minthe's relationship is a barren one, since no children are produced from the couple, the same is true for Hades and Persephone's.[27] Thepomegranate fruit, central to the myth of Hades and Persephone's marriage, was also both a fertility symbol and a birth control method just like the mint.[28]
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