Classical Mythology

(^606) THE GREEK SAGAS: GREEK LOCAL LEGENDS
punished by being turned into sea-birds. In Ovid, however, they are romantic
lovers. Ceyx left Trachis on a sea voyage and drowned during a storm. Alcy-
one, who had been left in Trachis, learned of her husband's death in a dream.
She found his corpse washed up on the shore and in her grief she became a sea-
bird. As she flew by the corpse and touched it, it came to life and became a bird.
For seven days each winter Aeolus forbids the winds to blow while the halcyon
(alcyone) sits on the eggs in her nest as it floats upon the waves.
TYRO
Tyro, daughter of Salmoneus, was loved by Poseidon, who disguised himself as
the Thessalian river Enipeus (Homer, Odyssey 11. 245):
t
in the form of Enipeus did the Earthshaker lie by her at the mouth of the ed-
dying river. About them rose a crested wave, mountainous in size, which hid
both god and mortal woman.
The children born of this union were twins, Neleus and Pelias. Pelias be-
came king of Iolcus, while Neleus founded Pylos (in Messene), which was sacked
by Heracles. Neleus and all his sons, save only Nestor, were killed.^5 Tyro later
married her uncle Cretheus, the founder and king of Iolcus, and by him she be-
came the mother of Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon. Aeson was the father of Ja-
son, and Pheres, founder of Pherae, was the father of Admetus, husband of Al-
cestis. In order to marry Alcestis, Admetus had to perform the task of harnessing
a lion and a boar together to a chariot.^6
BIAS AND MELAMPUS
The children of Amythaon were Bias and Melampus (see Figure 24.1, p. 574).
Melampus was a seer with the power of understanding the speech of animals.
He had honored a pair of snakes killed by his servants by burning their bodies
and rearing their young, who later licked his ears and so enabled him to un-
derstand the tongues of animals and birds, and from them know what was go-
ing to happen.
Bias was a suitor for the hand of Pero, daughter of Neleus, for whom the
bride-price was the cattle of Phylacus, the king of Phylace (in Phthia). He ap-
pealed to Melampus for help, and Melampus agreed to get the cattle, even
though he knew he would have to spend a year in prison at Phylace. The cattle
were guarded by a monstrous dog, and Melampus was caught in the act of steal-
ing them and imprisoned. After nearly a year, he heard two woodworms say-
ing to each other that they had very nearly finished gnawing through the roof-
beams of the cell. He insisted on being moved to another cell, and shortly
afterward the first cell collapsed. Phylacus then set Melampus free and asked
him how to cure the impotence of his son Iphiclus. Melampus agreed to tell him