Memnon

Memnon
—Memnonian /mem noh"nee euhn/, adj.
/mem"non/, n.
1. Colossus of, (in ancient Egypt) a colossal statue near Thebes said to produce a musical sound when the rays of the early morning sun struck it. Cf. Vocal Memnon.
2. Class. Myth. an Ethiopian king slain by Achilles in the Trojan War.

* * *

In Greek mythology, a king of the Ethiopians.

The son of Tithonus (of the Trojan royal house) and Eos (Dawn), he fought bravely for his uncle Priam against the Greeks, and was slain by Achilles. Moved by the tears of Eos, Zeus granted him immortality. His companions, changed into birds, came every year to fight and lament over his grave. In Egypt his name was connected with the colossal stone statues of Amenhotep III near Thebes; the harplike sounds these statues emitted when touched by the rays of the rising sun were believed to be the voice of Memnon responding to the greeting of his mother, Eos.

* * *

      in Greek mythology, son of Tithonus (son of Laomedon, legendary king of Troy) and Eos (Dawn) and king of the Ethiopians. He was a post-Homeric hero, who, after the death of the Trojan (Trojan War) warrior Hector, went to assist his uncle Priam, the last king of Troy, against the Greeks. He performed prodigies of valour but was slain by the Greek hero Achilles. According to tradition, Zeus, the king of the gods, was moved by the tears of Eos and bestowed immortality upon Memnon. His companions were changed into birds, called Memnonides, that came every year to fight and lament over his grave. The combat between Achilles and Memnon was often represented by Greek artists, and the story of Memnon was the subject of the lost Aethiopis of Arctinus of Miletus (fl. c. 650 BC).

      In Egypt the name of Memnon was connected with the colossal (70-foot [21-metre]) stone statues of Amenhotep III near Thebes, two of which still remain. The more northerly of these was partly destroyed by an earthquake in 27 BC, resulting in a curious phenomenon. Every morning, when the rays of the rising sun touched the statue, it gave forth musical sounds like the twang of a harp string. This was supposed to be the voice of Memnon responding to the greeting of his mother, Eos. After the restoration of the statue by the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (AD 170) the sounds ceased; they were attributed to the passage of air through the pores of the stone, caused chiefly by the change of temperature at sunrise.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Memnon — may refer to: Saint Memnon the Wonderworker early Christian saint from Egypt, hermit and hegumen of one of Egyptian monasteries Memnon (mythology) and those erroneously named after him in the Graeco Roman era: the Colossi of Memnon, two statues… …   Wikipedia

  • MEMNON — MEM Fils de Tithonos et d’Eôs (l’Aurore), Memnon était un héros légendaire des Grecs qui crurent le reconnaître dans l’un des deux colosses situés de part et d’autre du grand temple funéraire d’Aménophis III, dans la Thèbes occidentale. Taillés… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Memnon — MEMNON, önis, Gr. Μέμνων, ονος, (⇒ Tab. XXXI. & ⇒ VII.) 1 §. Aeltern. Sein Vater war Tithon, Laomedons Sohn und des Priamus Bruder, seine Mutter aber Aurora, die von besagtem Tithon ihn und den Emathion bekam. Apollod. l. III. c. 11. §. 3. 4.… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Memnón — se puede referir a: ● En la mitología griega, Memnón fue un rey de Etiopía e hijo de Titón y Eos. En la Guerra de Troya; el adquirió un ejército a la defensa de Troya y fue muerto por Aquiles. Sin embargo, el primero mató a Antíloco. Después de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Memnon — {{Memnon}} Sohn der Eos* und des Tithonos*, König der Aithiopen, der auf Seiten der Trojaner gegen die Griechen kämpfte, von Achilleus* erschlagen, von seiner göttlichen Mutter entrückt und von Zeus* unter die Unsterblichen aufgenommen wurde. Die …   Who's who in der antiken Mythologie

  • Memnon — [mem′nän΄] n. [L < Gr Memnōn] 1. Gr. Myth. an Ethiopian king killed by Achilles in the Trojan War and made immortal by Zeus 2. a gigantic statue of an Egyptian king at Thebes, said to have emitted a musical sound at sunrise …   English World dictionary

  • Memnon — Mem non, n. [L., from Gr. ?, lit., the Steadfast, Resolute, the son of Tithonus and Aurora, and king of the Ethiopians, killed by Achilles.] (Antiq.) A celebrated Egyptian statue near Thebes, said to have the property of emitting a harplike sound …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Memnon — Memnon, 1) Sohn des Tithonos u. der Eos, König von Assyrien, in Susa residirend, wo er die Königsburg Memnonia baute; nach And. äthiopischer König u. Bezwinger Asiens bis an Susa u. den Choaspes, der von Priamos mit einem goldenen Weinstock… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Memnon — Memnon, im griech. Mythus der Sohn des Eos und des Tithonos, König der Äthiopier, zog seinem Oheim Priamos von Troja zu Hilfe, erlegte den Antilochos, ward aber von Achilleus getötet und erhielt von Zeus auf Bitten der Eos die Unsterblichkeit.… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Memnon — Memnon, Sohn der Eos und des Tithonos, Äthiopierfürst, von Achilleus vor Troja getötet, angeblich Urheber der Memnonsäulen bei Theben, zweier noch vorhandener sitzender Kolosse (Kieselkonglomerat) König Amenophis III. aus dem 2. Jahrtausend v.… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Memnon — Memnon, in der griech. Mythe Sohn der Eos und des Tithonus, König der Assyrer oder Aethiopier, vor Troja von Achilles erschlagen, ohne Zweifel ein orientalischer Sonnengott, dessen Bedeutung die Griechen nicht verstanden. M.ssäulen nannten sie 2… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”