Triptolème

In the Greek Mythology, Triptolème (in Greek old Τριπτόλεμος / Triptólemos ) is the hero thanks to which humanity learn the Agriculture, and thus the Civilization. It spreads the worship of Déméter and creates the Mystères of Éleusis.

Myth

According to the principal tradition, he is the oldest son of Céléos, king of Éleusis in Attique, and of his wife Métanire. According to Phérécyde of Athens, he is the son of Océan and Gaïa, the Earth - what amounts making of him a indigenous. Pausanias affirms that “Cercyon and Triptolème was both wire of a girl of Amphictyon, but that Raros was the father of Triptolème, and Poséidon that of Cercyon. ”

According to the Homeric Anthem in Déméter , Céléos makes warm welcome with Déméter whereas, in the search of her daughter Perséphone, the goddess took the appearance of an old woman. He proposes to him to take care of the one of his sons, Démophon. To make it immortal, Déméter places it each night in fire but it is surprised by Métanire before to have been able to complete the ritual. The goddess is then made recognize and orders in Céléos to make him build a temple with Éleusis “so that,/in the future, by holy practices, men then to reconcile itself has favor. ”

This made, adds the Pseudo-Apollodore, it gives to Triptolème a tank drawn by dragons and grains from Blé so that it to spread of it the culture by all the ground. According to Xénophon, he learns initially agriculture with Héraclès, then with the Dioscures. Ovide tells that during its tour, it goes down to Lyncée, in Scythie. Jealous of the favor which watch the goddess with Triptolème, Lyncée wants to tackle it at the fallen night but is metamorphosed in lynx by Déméter.

On its return to Éleusis, Céléos, jealous also, tries to him to assassinate Triptolème. Déméter the constrained one to abdicate in favor of his/her son, who institutes the Thesmophories. In the Homeric Anthem in Déméter , the goddess also does of it one of the first priests of the mysteries of Éleusis, with Dioclès, Eumolpe, Céléos and Polyxène. According to Pausanias, Triptolème has its own temple with Athens.

According to a remark of Plato ( Apology for Socrate , 41a), it seems to be regarded as a fourth judge with the Enfers, with Minos, Éaque and Rhadamanthe. One sometimes also substitutes it for Minos.

Porphyry of Tyr ( Of the abstinence , IV, 22) made of Triptolème the inventor of the Végétarisme. According to him, the hero enacts three rules: “honors your parents”, “the gods by offerings with fruits” (what for the Greeks honors includes/understands the Céréale S) and “abstain from killing the animals”.

Attributes

Triptolème is represented like an young man carrying the Pétase, a sceptre or ears of corn. It is accompanied by the two goddesses, Déméter and Perséphone, or of the one of them, or a carriage drawn by dragons.

Sources

(I, 5,1-2).
(V, 68,1).
(CXLVII; CCXXVII).
( Déméter , in particular v. 471-480).
(XIII, 190).
(IV, 510 and suiv.), (V, 642-661).
(I, 14,2 and suiv. ; I, 38,1; VII, 18,2).
(41a).
(XIV, 5,12).
(I, 68).
(VI, 3,6).

Random links: