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ARION
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ARION , of Methymna, in See also:Lesbos, a semi-legendary poet and musician, friend of See also:Periander, See also:tyrant of See also:Corinth. He flourished about 625 B.C. Several of the ancients ascribe to him the invention of the dithyramb and of dithyrambic See also:poetry; it is probable, however, that his real service was confined to the organization of that See also:verse, and the See also:conversion of it from a See also:mere drunken See also:song, used in the Dionysiac See also:revels, to a measured antistrophic hymn, sung by a trained See also:body of performers. The name Cycleus given to his See also:father indicates the connexion of the son with the " cyclic " or circular See also:chorus which was the origin of tragedy. According to Suidas he composed a number of songs and proems; none of these is extant; the fragment of a hymn to See also:Poseidon attributed to him (See also:Aelian, Hist. An.xii.45) is See also:spurious and was probably written in See also:Attica in the See also:time of See also:Euripides. Nothing is known of the See also:life of Arion, with the exception of the beautiful See also:story first told by See also:Herodotus (i. 23) and elaborated and embellished by subsequent writers. According to Herodotus, Arion being desirous of exhibiting his skill in See also:foreign countries See also:left Corinth, and travelled through See also:Sicily and parts of See also:Italy, where he gained See also:great fame and amassed a large sum of See also:money. At Taras (See also:Tarentum) he embarked for his homeward voyage in a Corinthian See also:vessel. The sight of his treasure roused the cupidity of the sailors, who resolved to possess themselves of it by putting him to See also:death. In See also:answer to his entreaties that they would spare his life, they insisted that he should either See also:die by his own See also:hand on shipboard or See also:cast himself into the See also:sea. Arion See also:chose the latter, and as a last favour begged permission to sing a parting song. The sailors, desirous of See also:hearing so famous a musician, consented, and the poet, See also:standing on the See also:deck of the See also:ship, in full See also:minstrel's attire, sang a See also:dirge accompanied by his See also:lyre. He then threw himself overboard; but instead of perishing, he was miraculously See also:borne up in safety by a See also:dolphin, supposed to have been charmed by the See also:music. Thus he was conveyed to Taenarum, whence he proceeded to Corinth, arriving before the ship from Tarentum. Immediately on his arrival Arion related his story to Periander, who was at first incredulous, but eventually learned the truth by a stratagem. Summoning the sailors, he demanded what had become of the poet. They affirmed that he had remained behind at Tarentum; upon which they were suddenly confronted by Arion himself, arrayed in the same garments in which he had leapt overboard. The sailors confessed their See also:guilt and were punished. Arion's lyre and the dolphin were translated to the stars. Herodotus and See also:Pausanias (iii. 25. 7) both refer to a See also:brass figure at Taenarum which was supposed to represent Arion seated on the dolphin's back. But this story is only one of several in which the dolphin appears as saving the lives of favoured heroes. For instance, it is curious that Taras, the mythical founder of Tarentum, is said to have been conveyed in this manner from Taenarum to Tarentum. On Tarentine coins a See also:man and dolphin appear, and hence it may be thought that the See also:monument at Taenarum represented Taras and not Arion. At the same time the connexion of See also:Apollo with the dolphin must not be forgotten. Under this See also:form the See also:god appeared when he founded the celebrated See also:oracle at See also:Delphi, the name of which commemorates the circumstance. He was also the god of music, the See also:special preserver of poets, and to him the lyre was sacred. Among the numerous See also:modern versions of the story, particular mention may be made of the See also:pretty ballad by A. W. See also:Schlegel; see also See also:Lehrs, Populare Aufsatze aus dem Alterthum (1844–1846) ; See also:Clement, Arion (1898). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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