| Ogyges | |
|---|---|
King ofBoeotia | |
| Other names | Ogygus |
| Predecessor | Calydnus |
| Successor | ?Cadmus |
| Abode | Boeotia |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | ?autochthon;Poseidon andAlistra;Boeotus; ?Cadmus |
| Siblings | unknown |
| Consort | Thebe |
| Offspring | Eleusis, ?Cadmus,Aulis,Alalcomenia, andThelxinia |
Ogyges, also spelledOgygus (Ancient Greek:Ancient Greek:Ὠγύγης or Ὤγυγος,romanized: Ogygos), is a primevalmythological ruler inancient Greece, generally ofBoeotia,[1] but an alternative tradition makes him the first king ofAttica.
Though the original etymology and meaning are "uncertain",[2] the nameOgyges may be related to the GreekOkeanos (Ὠκεανός), theTitan who personified the great worldocean.[3] The Greek wordOgygios (Ὠγύγιος), meaningOgygian, came to mean "primeval, primal," or "from earliest ages" and also "gigantic".[4]
Stories of Ogyges's descent differs widely. Besides Ogyges being one of the aborigines of Boeotia, there are tales that regard him as the son ofPoseidon (byAlistra),[5][AI-generated source?]Boeotus[6][7] or evenCadmus[citation needed].Theophilus, in the 2nd century (Apologia ad Autolycum), says he was one of theTitans.
Ogyges was the husband ofThebe, from whom the land of Thebes in Greece is said to derive its name.[8][AI-generated source?] His children are listed variously as two sons:Eleusinus[9] (for whom the city Eleusis was named) and Cadmus (noted above as his father in other traditions); and three daughters:Aulis,Alalcomenia, andThelxinia.[10]
Ogyges is also known as king of theEctenes, who according toPausanias were the first inhabitants of Boeotia, where the city ofThebes would later be founded.[11] As such, he became the first ruler of Thebes, which was, in that early time, namedOgygia (Ὠγυγία) after him. Subsequently, poets referred to the Thebans asOgygidae (Ὠγυγίδαι).[12]Pausanias, writing from his travels in Boeotia in the 2nd century CE, said: "The first to occupy the land of Thebes are said to have been the Ectenes, whose king was Ogygus, an aboriginal. From his name is derived Ogygian, which is an epithet of Thebes used by most of the poets."[13]
In yet another version of the story, the Boeotian tradition is combined with that of another part of Greece: Ogyges was king of the Ectenes, who were the first people to occupy Boeotia, but he and his people later settled the area then known asActe (Akte). The land was subsequently called Ogygia in his honor but later known as Mount Athos.Sextus Julius Africanus, writing after 221 CE, adds that Ogyges foundedEleusis.[14] In one account, his predecessor was calledKalydnos, son ofOuranos.[15][16]
According to Africanus, Ogygus lived at the time of theExodus of the House of Israel from Egypt.[14]
Ogyges is possibly the namesake for thephantom islandOgygia, mentioned inHomer'sOdyssey. A long-standing tradition begun byEuhemerus in the late 4th century BC and supported byCallimachus, endorsed by modernMaltese tradition, identifies Ogygia with the island ofGozo, the second largest island in theMaltese archipelago. Another possibility for the island is the Niobid namedOgygia.[citation needed]
The historianJosephus mentions Ogyges as the name of the oak by which theHebrew patriarchAbram dwelt while he lived nearHebron.[17] Furthermore,Og, also called "Ogias the Giant", who was king ofBashan in theOld Testament; was described as a giant in Deut 3:11, viewed by theHebrews as having aidedNoah in building theArk, thus Noah allowed him to stay on the deck of the Ark.
The first worldwide flood in Greek mythology, theOgygian deluge occurred during his reign and derives its name from him, though some sources regard it as a local flood, such as an inundation ofLake Copais, a large lake once in the center of Boeotia.[11] Other sources see it as a flood associated with Attica.[12] This latter view was accepted by Africanus, who says "that great and first flood occurred in Attica, whenPhoroneus was king ofArgos, asAcusilaus relates."
When this deluge has been considered global, a similarity is noticed withNoah's flood in theBible. Various dates have been assigned to the event, including 2136 BCE (Varro), and 1793 BCE (Africanus).[14]
Ogyges survived the deluge but many people perished. After his death, the devastated Attica was without kings for 189 years, until the time ofCecrops (Cecrops Diphyes).[18] Africanus says, "But after Ogyges, on account of the great destruction caused by the flood, what is now called Attica remained without a king one hundred and eighty-nine years until the time of Cecrops. ForPhilochorus asserts that thatActaeon who comes after Ogyges, and the fictitious names, never even existed."[19]
It seems thedeluge ofDeucalion of Greek-mythology is the Greek version of the older legend.Deucalion andPyrrha were the only survivors after the great deluge. Their sonHellen, who became ruler ofPhthia in southernThessaly, was the patriarch of theHellenes.
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