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{{short description|Unattested tale from Greek mythology}}
{{Other uses|Acanthus (disambiguation)}}
{{Other uses|Acanthus (disambiguation)}}
[[File:AcanthusmollisPalatineHill.jpg|thumb|330px|''Acanthus mollis'' on the ruins of the [[Palatine Hill]], [[Rome]].]]
{{Greek myth (nymph)}}


'''Acantha''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Ἀκάνθα, [[English language|English translation]]: "thorny") is often claimed to be a minor character in [[Greek mythology]] whose metamorphosis was the origin of the ''[[Acanthus (plant)|Acanthus]]'' plant.<ref name="Coulter and Turner">Coulter, Charles Russell and Turner, Patricia (2000). ''Encyclopedia Of Ancient Deities''. Routledge. pg.62. {{ISBN|1579582702}}.</ref> The tale goes that Acantha was a [[nymph]] loved by the god [[Apollo]]. Acantha however rebuffed Apollo's advances and scratched his face when he tried to rape her. As a result, Apollo transformed her into the Acanthus, a plant with spiny leaves.<ref name="Beeton">[[Samuel Orchart Beeton|Beeton, Samuel Orchart]] (1871). ''Beeton’s Classical dictionary''. Warwick. pg.2. Available at [https://books.google.com/books/about/Beeton_s_Classical_dictionary.html?id=BYIBAAAAQAAJ books.google.co.uk]</ref>
'''Acantha''' ({{lang-grc|Ἀκάνθα|Akántha|thorn}}<ref>“Acantha Definition and Meaning | Collins English Dictionary.” Collins Dictionaries, 2021, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/acantha.</ref>) is often claimed to be a minor character in [[Greek mythology]] whose metamorphosis was the origin of the ''[[Acanthus (plant)|Acanthus]]'' plant.<ref name="Coulter and Turner">Coulter, Charles Russell and Turner, Patricia (2000). ''Encyclopedia Of Ancient Deities''. Routledge. pg.62. {{ISBN|1579582702}}.</ref> Acantha's myth however does not appear in any classical source.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kalliergeia.com/en/acantha-and-callimachus-the-invention-of-the-corinthian-order/ | title = Acantha & Callimachus: Invention of Corinthian Order | website = kalliergeia.com | date = 8 July 2021 | access-date = May 18, 2022}}</ref>


==Origin of the myth==
== Mythology ==
The tale supposedly goes that Acantha was a [[nymph]] loved by the god [[Apollo]]. Acantha, however, rebuffed [[Apollo]]'s continued advances and scratched his face. As a result, Apollo transformed her into the Acanthus, a plant with spiny leaves.<ref name="Beeton">[[Samuel Orchart Beeton|Beeton, Samuel Orchart]] (1871). ''Beeton's Classical dictionary''. Warwick. pg.2. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=BYIBAAAAQAAJ books.google.co.uk]</ref>
⚫
The story has, over the years, been retold in books,<ref name="Parley">[[Peter Parley|Parley, Peter]] (1839). ''Tales about the mythology of Greece and Rome''. Oxford University Press. pg.347</ref><ref>Gledhill, David (2008). ''The Names of Plants''. Cambridge University Press. pg.33. {{ISBN|0521685532}}.</ref> encyclopedias,<ref name="Coulter and Turner"/><ref name="Evslin">[[Bernard Evslin|Evslin, Bernard]] (2012). ''Gods, Demigods and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology''. Open Road Media. Acantha. {{ISBN|1453272968}}</ref> and journals.<ref>[[Charles Mackay (author)|Mackay, Charles]] (1861), ''A Weekly Journal of Fact and Fiction'', Volumes 1-13, pg.353</ref> Compilers have, however, often omitted reference to classical sources. For instance the first edition of [[John Lemprière|John Lemprière's]] ''[[Bibliotheca Classica]]'', an early encyclopaedia of mythological figures, provides no reference for the story.<ref>[[John Lemprière|Lemprière, John]] (1788). ''Bibliotheca Classica''. T. Cadell. Acantha</ref> In the updated 1839 edition three references are given. These are to [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny the Elder’s]] ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', [[Pedanius Dioscorides]]’ ''[[De Materia Medica]]'' and [[Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius of Alexandria’s]] ''Lexicon''.<ref>[[John Lemprière|Lemprière, John]] (1839). ''A Classical Dictionary, Containing a Copious Account of All the Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors''. Available at [https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Classical_Dictionary_Containing_a_Copi.html?id=i_F5e3lnUjsC books.google.co.uk]</ref> On inspection, however, Pliny makes absolutely no reference to Acantha, Dioscorides refers only to the plant and Hesychius simply explains what the word means.<ref>[[Pliny the Elder]], translation by [[John Bostock (physician)|Bostock, John]] and Riley, H.T (2009). ''Natural History''. BiblioLife. Book XXIV, Chapter 12. {{ISBN|1117234630}}. Available at [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D24%3Achapter%3D12 perseus.tufts.edu]</ref><ref>[[Pedanius Dioscorides|Dioscorides, Pedanius]] (2000). ''De Materia Medica''. Ibidis Press. Book Three, 3.14 & 3.15. {{ISBN|0-620-23435-0}}.</ref><ref>[[Hesychius of Alexandria]] (1520). ''Alphabetical Collection of All Words''. Available at [https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/%CE%93%CE%BB%CF%8E%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%B9/%CE%91 wikisource.org]</ref> A number of latter compilers have similarly not cited classical references when retelling the myth.<ref name="Coulter and Turner"/><ref name="Beeton"/><ref name="Parley"/><ref name="Evslin"/>


== Origin of the myth ==
⚫
The myth does not appear in the ''[[Thesaurus Linguae Latinae]]'',<ref>''[[Thesaurus Linguae Latinae]]''. Available at [http://www.degruyter.com/databasecontent?dbid=tll&dbsource=%2Fdb%2Ftll degruyter.com]</ref> a volume which includes every Latin word, including proper names.<ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]''. Available at [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/591803/Thesaurus-Linguae-Latinae britannica.com]</ref> The ''[[Thesaurus Linguae Graecae]]'', a similarly comprehensive source containing a complete repository of Ancient Greek texts from [[Homer]] through to A.D. 200,<ref>Bowen, Alan C. (1988). ''Ancient Philosophy''. Volume 8, Issue 1, page 136.</ref> is also absent the myth.<ref>''[[Thesaurus Linguae Graecae]]''. Available at [http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/canon/fontsel stephanus.tlg.uci.edu] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.is/20141106191933/http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/canon/fontsel |date=November 6, 2014 }}</ref> The story is not present in either the ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]]'',<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]]''. Available a [http://www.limc-france.fr/presentation limc-france.fr]</ref> a work praised for its breadth and quality,<ref>Hansen, William (2005). ''Classical Mythology: A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans''. pg.14. {{ISBN|0195300351}}</ref><ref>Hard, Robin (2008). ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology''. pg.691. {{ISBN|0415478901}}</ref> or ''[[Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft|Der Neue Pauly]]'',<ref>''[[Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft|Der Neue Pauly]]''. Available at [http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/reference-works referenceworks.brillonline.com]</ref> an encyclopaedia considered an unparalleled masterpiece of classical German scholarship.<ref>Bernhard Kytzler: ''[http://www.zeit.de/1979/06/kathedrale-der-gelehrsamkeit Kathedrale der Gelehrsamkeit.]'' In: ''Die Zeit.'' Hamburg 1979,6 (2. Febr.), S. 39. (German)</ref><ref>Wolfgang Schuller: ''Einführung in die Geschichte des Altertums.'' Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, S. 140. (German)</ref>
⚫
The story has, over the years, been retold in books,<ref name="Parley">[[Peter Parley|Parley, Peter]] (1839). ''Tales about the mythology of Greece and Rome''. [[Oxford University Press]]. pg.347</ref><ref>Gledhill, David (2008). ''The Names of Plants''. Cambridge University Press. pg.33. {{ISBN|0521685532}}.</ref> encyclopedias,<ref name="Coulter and Turner"/><ref name="Evslin">[[Bernard Evslin|Evslin, Bernard]] (2012). ''Gods, Demigods and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology''. Open Road Media. Acantha. {{ISBN|1453272968}}</ref> and journals.<ref>[[Charles Mackay (author)|Mackay, Charles]] (1861), ''A Weekly Journal of Fact and Fiction'', Volumes 1-13, pg.353</ref> Compilers have, however, often omitted reference to classical sources. For instance the first edition of [[John Lemprière|John Lemprière's]] ''[[Bibliotheca Classica]]'', an early encyclopaedia of mythological figures, provides no reference for the story.<ref>[[John Lemprière|Lemprière, John]] (1788). ''Bibliotheca Classica''. T. Cadell. Acantha</ref> In the updated 1839 edition three references are given. These are to [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny the Elder's]] ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', [[Pedanius Dioscorides]]' ''[[De Materia Medica]]'' and [[Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius of Alexandria's]] ''Lexicon''.<ref>[[John Lemprière|Lemprière, John]] (1839). ''A Classical Dictionary, Containing a Copious Account of All the Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors''. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=i_F5e3lnUjsC books.google.co.uk]</ref> On inspection, however, Pliny makes absolutely no reference to Acantha, Dioscorides refers only to the plant and Hesychius simply explains what the word means.<ref>[[Pliny the Elder]], translation by [[John Bostock (physician)|Bostock, John]] and Riley, H.T (2009). ''Natural History''. BiblioLife. Book XXIV, Chapter 12. {{ISBN|1117234630}}. Available at [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D24%3Achapter%3D12 perseus.tufts.edu]</ref><ref>[[Pedanius Dioscorides|Dioscorides, Pedanius]] (2000). ''De Materia Medica''. Ibidis Press. Book Three, 3.14 & 3.15. {{ISBN|0-620-23435-0}}.</ref><ref>[[Hesychius of Alexandria]] (1520). ''Alphabetical Collection of All Words''. Available at [https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/%CE%93%CE%BB%CF%8E%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%B9/%CE%91 wikisource.org]</ref> A number of latter compilers have similarly not cited classical references when retelling the myth.<ref name="Coulter and Turner"/><ref name="Beeton"/><ref name="Parley"/><ref name="Evslin"/>


⚫
The myth does not appear in the ''[[Thesaurus Linguae Latinae]]'',<ref>''[[Thesaurus Linguae Latinae]]''. Available at [http://www.degruyter.com/databasecontent?dbid=tll&dbsource=%2Fdb%2Ftll degruyter.com]</ref> a volume which includes every Latin word, including proper names.<ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]''. Available at [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/591803/Thesaurus-Linguae-Latinae britannica.com]</ref> The ''[[Thesaurus Linguae Graecae]]'', a similarly comprehensive source containing a complete repository of Ancient Greek texts from [[Homer]] through to A.D. 200,<ref>Bowen, Alan C. (1988). ''Ancient Philosophy''. Volume 8, Issue 1, page 136.</ref> is also absent the myth.<ref>''[[Thesaurus Linguae Graecae]]''. Available at [http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/canon/fontsel stephanus.tlg.uci.edu] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20141106191933/http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/canon/fontsel |date=November 6, 2014 }}</ref> The story is not present in either the ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]]'',<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]]''. Available a [http://www.limc-france.fr/presentation limc-france.fr]</ref> a work praised for its breadth and quality,<ref>Hansen, William (2005). ''Classical Mythology: A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans''. pg.14. {{ISBN|0195300351}}</ref><ref>Hard, Robin (2008). ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology''. pg.691. {{ISBN|0415478901}}</ref> or ''[[Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft|Der Neue Pauly]]'',<ref>''[[Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft|Der Neue Pauly]]''. Available at [http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/reference-works referenceworks.brillonline.com]</ref> an encyclopaedia considered an unparalleled masterpiece of classical German scholarship.<ref>Bernhard Kytzler: ''[http://www.zeit.de/1979/06/kathedrale-der-gelehrsamkeit Kathedrale der Gelehrsamkeit.]'' In: ''Die Zeit.'' Hamburg 1979,6 (2. Febr.), S. 39. (German)</ref><ref>Wolfgang Schuller: ''Einführung in die Geschichte des Altertums.'' Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, S. 140. (German)</ref>
⚫
==See also==

{{div col|2}}
Acantha's tale has lifted elements from the myth of [[Oenone (nymph)|Oenone]], a nymph who scratched Apollo's face while he raped her, as attested in the poem ''[[Fasti (poem)|Fasti]]'' by the Roman poet [[Ovid]]; that text however has been extended with various spurious post-Ovidian interpolations, and Oenone's rape is, like Acantha herself, otherwise unattested.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Heroides]]'' 145. The particular passage is excluded from the [[Loeb Classical Library|Loeb]] translation.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | first = Sergio | last = Casali | title = Reviewing ''The Cambridge Heroides'' | journal = The Classical Journal | volume = 92 | number = 3 | date = February 1997 | pages = 305-314, 306-07}}</ref> According to [[Cicero]] a woman named Acantho became the mother of the "fourth [[Sol (Roman mythology)|sun]]" in [[Rhodes]].<ref>[[Cicero]], ''[[De Natura Deorum]]'' [https://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=137#3.53 3.53]</ref>

⚫
== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Syrinx]]
* [[Syrinx]]
* [[Pitys (mythology)]]
* [[Pitys (mythology)]]
Line 16: Line 22:
* [[Leda and the Swan]]
* [[Leda and the Swan]]
* [[Europa (mythology)]]
* [[Europa (mythology)]]
* [[Erinoma]]
* [[Ganymede (mythology)]]
* [[Ganymede (mythology)]]
* [[Clytie (Oceanid)|Clytie]]
* [[Mecon (mythology)|Mecon]]
* [[Asteria (Titaness)|Asteria]]
* [[Myrina (priestess)|Myrina]]
* [[Lotis (mythology)|Lotis]]
* [[Orchis (mythology)|Orchis]]
* [[Amethyste]]
* [[Rhodanthe (mythology)|Rhodanthe]]
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


==References==
== Notes ==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{reflist|30em}}


⚫
[[Category:Metamorphoses into plants in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Nymphs]]
[[Category:Nymphs]]
[[Category:Female lovers of Apollo]]
[[Category:Fakelore]]
[[Category:Mythological Greek characters]]
[[Category:Shapeshifting]]

⚫
{{Metamorphoses in Greco-Roman mythology}}
{{Authority control}}

Revision as of 09:57, 2 February 2024

For other uses, see Acanthus (disambiguation).
Acanthus mollis on the ruins of the Palatine Hill, Rome.

Acantha (Ancient Greek: Ἀκάνθα, romanized: Akántha, lit. 'thorn'[1]) is often claimed to be a minor character in Greek mythology whose metamorphosis was the origin of the Acanthus plant.[2] Acantha's myth however does not appear in any classical source.[3]

Mythology

The tale supposedly goes that Acantha was a nymph loved by the god Apollo. Acantha, however, rebuffed Apollo's continued advances and scratched his face. As a result, Apollo transformed her into the Acanthus, a plant with spiny leaves.[4]

Origin of the myth

The story has, over the years, been retold in books,[5][6] encyclopedias,[2][7] and journals.[8] Compilers have, however, often omitted reference to classical sources. For instance the first edition of John Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica, an early encyclopaedia of mythological figures, provides no reference for the story.[9] In the updated 1839 edition three references are given. These are to Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Pedanius Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and Hesychius of Alexandria's Lexicon.[10] On inspection, however, Pliny makes absolutely no reference to Acantha, Dioscorides refers only to the plant and Hesychius simply explains what the word means.[11][12][13] A number of latter compilers have similarly not cited classical references when retelling the myth.[2][4][5][7]

The myth does not appear in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae,[14] a volume which includes every Latin word, including proper names.[15] The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, a similarly comprehensive source containing a complete repository of Ancient Greek texts from Homer through to A.D. 200,[16] is also absent the myth.[17] The story is not present in either the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae,[18] a work praised for its breadth and quality,[19][20] or Der Neue Pauly,[21] an encyclopaedia considered an unparalleled masterpiece of classical German scholarship.[22][23]

Acantha's tale has lifted elements from the myth of Oenone, a nymph who scratched Apollo's face while he raped her, as attested in the poem Fasti by the Roman poet Ovid; that text however has been extended with various spurious post-Ovidian interpolations, and Oenone's rape is, like Acantha herself, otherwise unattested.[24][25] According to Cicero a woman named Acantho became the mother of the "fourth sun" in Rhodes.[26]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ “Acantha Definition and Meaning | Collins English Dictionary.” Collins Dictionaries, 2021, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/acantha.
  2. ^ a b c Coulter, Charles Russell and Turner, Patricia (2000). Encyclopedia Of Ancient Deities. Routledge. pg.62. ISBN 1579582702.
  3. ^ "Acantha & Callimachus: Invention of Corinthian Order". kalliergeia.com. 8 July 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Beeton, Samuel Orchart (1871). Beeton's Classical dictionary. Warwick. pg.2. Available at books.google.co.uk
  5. ^ a b Parley, Peter (1839). Tales about the mythology of Greece and Rome. Oxford University Press. pg.347
  6. ^ Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. pg.33. ISBN 0521685532.
  7. ^ a b Evslin, Bernard (2012). Gods, Demigods and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology. Open Road Media. Acantha. ISBN 1453272968
  8. ^ Mackay, Charles (1861), A Weekly Journal of Fact and Fiction, Volumes 1-13, pg.353
  9. ^ Lemprière, John (1788). Bibliotheca Classica. T. Cadell. Acantha
  10. ^ Lemprière, John (1839). A Classical Dictionary, Containing a Copious Account of All the Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors. Available at books.google.co.uk
  11. ^ Pliny the Elder, translation by Bostock, John and Riley, H.T (2009). Natural History. BiblioLife. Book XXIV, Chapter 12. ISBN 1117234630. Available at perseus.tufts.edu
  12. ^ Dioscorides, Pedanius (2000). De Materia Medica. Ibidis Press. Book Three, 3.14 & 3.15. ISBN 0-620-23435-0.
  13. ^ Hesychius of Alexandria (1520). Alphabetical Collection of All Words. Available at wikisource.org
  14. ^ Thesaurus Linguae Latinae. Available at degruyter.com
  15. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available at britannica.com
  16. ^ Bowen, Alan C. (1988). Ancient Philosophy. Volume 8, Issue 1, page 136.
  17. ^ Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. Available at stephanus.tlg.uci.edu Archived November 6, 2014, at archive.today
  18. ^ Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Available a limc-france.fr
  19. ^ Hansen, William (2005). Classical Mythology: A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans. pg.14. ISBN 0195300351
  20. ^ Hard, Robin (2008). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. pg.691. ISBN 0415478901
  21. ^ Der Neue Pauly. Available at referenceworks.brillonline.com
  22. ^ Bernhard Kytzler: Kathedrale der Gelehrsamkeit. In: Die Zeit. Hamburg 1979,6 (2. Febr.), S. 39. (German)
  23. ^ Wolfgang Schuller: Einführung in die Geschichte des Altertums. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, S. 140. (German)
  24. ^ Ovid, Heroides 145. The particular passage is excluded from the Loeb translation.
  25. ^ Casali, Sergio (February 1997). "Reviewing The Cambridge Heroides". The Classical Journal. 92 (3): 305–314, 306–07.
  26. ^ Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.53
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