Talk:Aethon

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Comments[edit]

Ovid. Metamorphoses VIII, 738-878 says that Aethon was god of famine. Does it say anything else (genealogy for example)? Redge(Talk) 15:02, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not this again.[edit]

The eagle that ate Prometheus' liver was not named Aethon. The word is simply an epithet applied to the eagle meaning "tawny," "fiery" or the like: "The shining eagle which was eating out the heart of Prometheus he killed with arrows," according to Mary Grant's translation at [1] Since aethon is a loan-word from Greek, consider also the mention of an aithon aietos (shining eagle) ad Hom. Il. 15.690.

Granted, a few horses in myth are given this name, but that is a special case; the horses (and other pets) of important mythic figures are often named. Spectacular monsters also rate names in myth: the Chimera, the Hydra, Typhoeus, etc.

The Caucasian Eagle (at it is often called), however, is neither of these things. It is simply a wild animal that causes trouble for Prometheus. The instructive parallel would be the unnamed animals that figure in the Labors of Heracles: the Stymphalian Birds, the Cretan Bull, the Nemean Lion, the Erymanthean Boar and so on. The eagle has no name.

P.S. The point made about famine is confused, as well. The Greek word for famine is limos, with aithon again serving as an epithet. See Callimachus' Hymn to Demeter at [2]; cf. Hes. Op. 363. According to a fr. 70 of the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women, Erysichthon was called Aithon due to the "burning" hunger he suffered as punishment for offending Demeter. Ifnkovhg (talk) 10:31, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this again[edit]

You might do well to read the German Wikipedia article on Ethon https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethon as well as consulting with the Getty Museum who have published a children's book on Greek monsters including Ethon, the Encyclopedia Mythica, and oh hell, just google Ethon and see what you get. Just about every secondary and primary source refers to the eagle as Ethon EliRabett (talk) 17:17, 13 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]