Athamās - Atamasu (English spelling)

Hero of Greek mythology. Son of Aeolus, god of wind, and king of Boeotia. First married Nephele (Nephele, cloud) and had a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Helle, but eventually divorced. Next, he had two children, Learchus and Melicertes, with Ino. Ino hated the children from her first wife and tried to kill them by roasting the wheat seeds, causing a crop failure. Athamas sent a messenger to Delphi to ask for an oracle, but Ino seduced the messenger and made him report a false oracle that the crop failure would end if Phrixus was sacrificed. However, just before Phrixus was about to be killed, his mother Nephele gave him the golden sheep given to her by Hermes and allowed him to escape with Helle. Phrixus successfully reached Colchis and married Chalchiope, daughter of King Aeetes, but Helle fell into the sea and drowned. The place was later called the Hellespont (Sea of ​​Helles).

Another version has it that when Ino tried to raise the infant Dionysus, the goddess Hera became angry and drove them both mad, causing Athamas to kill Learchus, and Ino and Melicertes to throw themselves into the sea and become Leucothea, while her daughter was transformed into Palaimon.

[Masahiro Ogawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ギリシア神話の英雄。風の神アイオロスの子で、ボイオティアの王。最初ネフェレ（ネフェレー。雲）と結婚して息子フリクソスと娘ヘレ（ヘレー）をもうけるが、やがて離婚し、次に妻イノとの間にレアルコスとメリケルテスの2子を得た。先妻の子を憎んだイノは、彼らを殺そうとして種麦をあぶらせ、不作を招いた。アタマスはデルフォイに神託を求めて使者を送るが、イノはその使者を誘惑し、フリクソスを犠牲にすれば不作はやむという偽りの神託を報告させた。しかしフリクソスが殺されようという寸前、母ネフェレがヘルメスから授かった金毛の羊を彼に与えてヘレとともに逃がした。フリクソスは首尾よくコルキスに着き、アイエテス王の娘カルキオペを妻とするが、ヘレは海中に落ちて溺死(できし)する。その場所は、のちにヘレスポントス（ヘレの海）とよばれた。

　別の説ではイノが幼児のディオニソスを育てようとしたので、女神ヘラが怒って彼らを発狂させ、アタマスはレアルコスを殺し、イノはメリケルテスとともに海中に身を投げて海神レウコテアに、また娘はパライモンにそれぞれ変身したといわれる。

［小川正広］

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