In Greek mythology , the Ceryneian hind ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Κερυνῖτις ἔλαφος Kerynitis elaphos , Latin: Elaphus Ceryniti s), was a creature that lived in Ceryneia , Greece and took the form of an enormous female deer , larger than a bull, with golden antlers like a stag, hooves of bronze or brass, and a "dappled hide", that "excelled in swiftness of foot", and snorted fire. To bring it back alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae was the third labour of Heracles .
10-494: Other names and descriptions for it were: doe with the golden horns, golden-horned hind, Ceryneia hind, Cerynitian hind, beast with golden antlers, Parrhasian hind, nimble hind of Maenalus and beast of Maenalus. Frazer says that the hind took its name from the river Cerynites, "which rises in Arcadia and flows through Achaia into the sea". One tradition says that Artemis found a mighty herd of five Ceryneian hinds playing on
20-543: A location in ancient Arcadia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography is the last in a series of classical dictionaries edited by the English scholar William Smith (1813–1893), following A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities and the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . It
30-401: Is said to have borne the inscription ' Taygete dedicated [me] to Artemis'." Because of its sacredness, Heracles did not want to harm the hind and so hunted it for more than a year, from Oenoe to Hyperborea , to a mountain called Artemisius , (a range which divides Argolis from the plain of Mantinea ) before finally capturing the hind near the river Ladon . Euripides says Heracles slew
40-538: The base of Parrhasian hill far away from the banks of the "black-pebbled Anaurus " where they always herded. Artemis was so impressed by the hinds that she yoked four of them to her golden chariot with golden bridles, but purposely let one escape to the Ceryneian hill to be a future labour for Heracles . Whilst in Ceryneia, the hind chased farmers from vineyards. The Ceryneian hind was sacred to Artemis. "The hind
50-470: The creature was a: Chronological listing of classical literature sources for the Ceryneian Hind: [REDACTED] Media related to Ceryneian Hind at Wikimedia Commons Maenalus (Arcadia) Maenalus or Mainalos ( Ancient Greek : Μαίναλος ) was a town of ancient Arcadia , and the capital of the district Maenalia (Μαιναλία), which formed part of the territory of Megalopolis upon
60-677: The foundation of the latter city. Maenalus was in ruins in the time of Pausanias , who mentions a temple of Athena , a stadium, and a hippodrome, as belonging to the place. According to the myth it was founded by Maenalus , son of Lycaon . Its site is tentatively located near the modern Davia . [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Smith, William , ed. (1854–1857). "Eutaea". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London: John Murray. 37°32′58″N 22°15′57″E / 37.5495°N 22.2659°E / 37.5495; 22.2659 This article about
70-510: The golden horns was no other than the reindeer." A doe bearing antlers was unknown in Greece, but the story of the hind is suggestive of reindeer , which, unlike other deer, can be harnessed and whose females bear antlers. The myth relates to the Hyperborea , which may have been the archaic origin of the myth itself, as Robert Graves thought. Authoritative primary source translations say
80-429: The hind and brought it to Artemis for propitiation . Another tradition says he captured it with nets while it was sleeping or that he ran it down , while another says he shot and maimed it with an arrow just before it crossed the river Ladon. Once Heracles captured the hind, and only after explaining to Artemis and Apollo ("who would have wrested the hind from him") that he had only hurt the sacred hind out of necessity,
90-570: Was first published in 1854, and last reissued in 2005. As declared by Smith in the Preface : "The Dictionary of Geography ... is designed mainly to illustrate the Greek and Roman writers, and to enable a diligent student to read them in the most profitable manner." In two massive volumes, the dictionary provides detailed coverage of all the important countries, regions, towns, cities, and geographical features mentioned in Greek and Latin literature, and
100-465: Was he allowed to take it alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae , thus completing his third labour. "Pindar says that in his quest of the hind with the golden horns Hercules had seen "the far-off land beyond the cold blast of Boreas. [ Hyperborea ]" Hence, as the reindeer is said to be the only species of deer of which the female has antlers, Sir William Ridgeway argues ingeniously that the hind with
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