Κέρκωπες
Kerkopes, Cercopes, Monkey-men
Translated by Jennifer Benedict11 Apr 2008Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
There were two brothers on [the] earth, who displayed every sort of wickedness, and they were called Kerkopes, taking this name from the terrible nature of their deeds. For one of them was called Passalos and the other Akmon.1 Their mother Memnonis, seeing these things, told [them] not to meet "Black-bottom", that is, Heracles.2
Xenagoras says that they were changed into apes [piqh/kous ] on account of their wicked behaviour and that the Pithecusae islands were named after them. [But he says that] their names were Kandoulos and Atlas.3
These Kerkopes [were the sons] of Theia and Ocean; they say that they were turned to stone because they tried to deceive Zeus.4 [There is] the proverbial saying "to play the ape" [kerkwpi/zein ] which Chrysippus says is metaphorical from animals fawning with their tails [ke/rkos ].5
Xenagoras says that they were changed into apes [
These Kerkopes [were the sons] of Theia and Ocean; they say that they were turned to stone because they tried to deceive Zeus.4 [There is] the proverbial saying "to play the ape" [
Greek original · Adler’s text
Κέρκωπες· δύο ἀδελφοὶ ἦσαν ἐπὶ γῆς, πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, καὶ ἐλέγοντο Κέρκωπες, ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἔργων δεινότητος οὕτως ἐπονομαζόμενοι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν Πάσσαλος ἐλέγετο, ὁ δὲ Ἄκμων. ἡ δὲ μήτηρ Μεμνονὶς ταῦτα ὁρῶσα ἔλεγε, μὴ περιτυχεῖν Μελαμπύγῳ, τουτέστι τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ. φησὶ δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ Ξεναγόρας εἰς πιθήκους μεταμορφωθῆναι διὰ τὴν κακοήθειαν, καὶ τὰς Πιθηκούσας ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὀνομασθῆναι νήσους. τὰ δὲ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν Κάνδουλος καὶ Ἄτλας. οὗτοι οἱ Κέρκωπες Θείας καὶ Ὠκεανοῦ· οὕς φασιν ἀπολιθωθῆναι διὰ τὸ ἐγχειρεῖν ἀπατῆσαι τὸν Δία. ἡ δὲ παροιμία, Κερκωπίζειν· ἣν ὁ Χρύσιππος ἀπὸ τῶν σαινόντων τῇ κέρκῳ ζῴων φησὶ μετενηνέχθαι.
Betacode
*ke/rkwpes: du/o a)delfoi\ h)=san e)pi\ gh=s, pa=san a)diki/an e)pideiknu/menoi, kai\ e)le/gonto *ke/rkwpes, e)k th=s tw=n e)/rgwn deino/thtos ou(/tws e)ponomazo/menoi. o( me\n ga\r au)tw=n *pa/ssalos e)le/geto, o( de\ *)/akmwn. h( de\ mh/thr *memnoni\s tau=ta o(rw=sa e)/lege, mh\ perituxei=n *melampu/gw|, toute/sti tw=| *(hraklei=. fhsi\ de\ au)tou\s o( *cenago/ras ei)s piqh/kous metamorfwqh=nai dia\ th\n kakoh/qeian, kai\ ta\s *piqhkou/sas a)p' au)tw=n o)nomasqh=nai nh/sous. ta\ de\ o)no/mata au)tw=n *ka/ndoulos kai\ *)/atlas. ou(=toi oi( *ke/rkwpes *qei/as kai\ *)wkeanou=: ou(/s fasin a)poliqwqh=nai dia\ to\ e)gxeirei=n a)path=sai to\n *di/a. h( de\ paroimi/a, *kerkwpi/zein: h(\n o( *xru/sippos a)po\ tw=n saino/ntwn th=| ke/rkw| zw/|wn fhsi\ metenhne/xqai.
Notes (5)
- The name derives from
ke/rkos "tail" (kappa 1402, kappa 1403) and the Kerkopes were mythological dwarvish and simian beings, associated with Thermopylae and Euboea, who feature in myths of Heracles and Omphale. See Lucian, Alexander, or The False Prophet, ps.-Apollonius, Bibliotheca 2.6.3. See also alpha 301, epsilon 3718, and kappa 1406. - 1That is "Stick" and "Anvil". ↩
- 2For "Black-bottom" [
*Mela/mpuc ] see mu 449, where the name seems to be identified not with Heracles, but with the Kerkopes (or a similar race of mythological mischief-makers). cf. ps.-Nonnus, Scholia mythologica 4.9 (on Gregory of Nazianzus PG 36.1005c-d). ↩ - 3Xenagoras FGrH 240 F28. A similar account appears in Harpokration and Photius. See also the scholia to Lucian, Alexander, or The False Prophet 6-8. ↩
- 4Zenobius 1.5 and 5.10. ↩
- 5Zenobius. 4.50. See also kappa 1407. ↩
Linked from6 entries
- ε3715Εὐρυβατεύεσθαιto be a Eurybatus[Meaning] to be wicked. For they say that Eurybatus was one of the Kerkopes who became a burglar -- though others [say] he was a traitor in the time before Croesus.
- κ1406ΚέρκωπεςKerkopes, Cercopes, Tailed-men[Meaning] criminals, sneaks, deceivers, flatterers; [the kind of men] who, as the fox deceives hunting dogs, cheat the less sophisticated with their "tail" [ke/rkos] of words. They say that the Kerkopes became "liars,…
- κ1407Κερκωπίζεινto play the apeThe proverbial saying is a metaphor from animals that wag their tail [kerkos] towards one. But [it would be] more sound to derive it from the Kerkopes, which the story goes are very deceitful and disgusting creatures…
- κ1408Κερκώπηcicada; Kerkope[no gloss]
- κ1410Κέρκωψkerkôps[genitive] kerkôpos: a cheat/rogue. Or a kind of ape. But [the proper name] Kekrops, [genitive] Kekropos, [sc. is different].
- μ613ΜένιπποςMenippos, MenippusA comic poet. His plays include Kerkopes and others.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 21 Dec 2014
- coding — Catharine Roth
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- updated ref in n.3; more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- tweaks and cosmetics, raised status — William Hutton
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict