In Greek mythology, Phoenix or Phoinix () was the eponym of Phoenicia who together with his brothers were tasked to find their abducted sister Europa.
Family Phoenix was a son of King AgenorHesiod, Ehoiai 106 (139 MW) = Probus in Vergil, Bucolics 10.18 (III.2 p. 348.11 Thilo-Hagen); Antoninus Liberalis, 40; Dictys Cretensis, 1.9; Malalas, 2.31 & 5.96; Suda, s.v. Phoenician letters of Tyre by either Telephassa,Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Moschus, Europa 37 ff. Argiope,Hyginus, Fabulae 178; Scholia on Euripides, Phoenissae 5 Antiope,Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.165–166 DamnoGantz, p. 208; Pherecydes, fr. 21 Fowler 2000, p. 289 = FGrHist 3 F 21 = Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, 3.1177-87 ff. or Tyro.Malalas, 2.30 He was the brother of Europa,Hesiod, Ehoiai 89 (140 MW) = Scholium D on Homer, Iliad 12.397 (p. 392 van Thiel); cf. Scholia T Homer, Iliad 12.292 (III p. 359.49 Erbse cum apparatu); Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 178; St. Jerome, Chronicon B1444; Malalas, 2.30 Cadmus,Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 178; Palaephatus, On Incredible Tales 3; Malalas, 2.30; Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.166 Cilix,Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 178; Malalas, 2.30; Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.166 Syros,Malalas, 2.30 Isaia and Melia.Gantz, p. 208; Pherecydes fr. 21 Fowler 2000, p. 289 = FGrHist 3 F 21 = Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, 3.1177-87f
In some accounts, Phoenix's father was called King Belus of Egypt and sibling to Agenor, Phineus, Aegyptus, DanausNonnus, Dionysiaca 3.287 ff. and Ninus.Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.159–160 In the latter's version of the myth, Phoenix' mother could be identified as Achiroe, naiad daughter of the river-god Nilus.Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.353
Phoenix was believed to have fathered a number of children with different women. By Cassiopeia, Phoenix had a daughter, Carme,Antoninus Liberalis, 40Pseudo-Clement, Recognitions 10.43-44 - Phoenix was only mentioned as the parent and three sons:Pherecydes, fr. 21 & 3F86 Cilix,Solinus, Polyhistor 38.3 Phineus,Hesiod, Ehoiai 96 (138 MW) = Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, 2.178 (p. 140.1–3 Wendel); FGrHist 4 F; Pseudo-Scymnos, Circuit de la terre 953 ff. and Doryclus, as well as a stepson Atymnius, whose natural father was Zeus;Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, 2.178 by Alphesiboea, he had Adonis.Hesiod, Ehoiai 106 (139 MW) = Probus in Vergil, Bucolics 10.18 (III.2 p. 348.11 Thilo-Hagen); 107 (139 MW) = Ps. Apollodorus, 3.14.4 (p. 159.4 Wagner); Apollodorus, 3.14.4 Phoenix was also credited as the father of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, whose wife was another Cassiopeia.Hyginus, De astronomia 2.9.1
According to early accounts, Europa was not Phoenix's sister, but his daughter,Hesiod, Ehoiai 90 (141 MW; 56 H) = P. Oxyrhynchus papyrus 1358 fr. 1 col. l; 6-13: P. Reinach 77; Homer, Iliad 14. 321; compare to Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Bacchylides, Dithyrambs 17.31; Dictys Cretensis, 1.2 & 1.9; Palaephatus, On Incredible Tales 3; Moschus, Europa 37 ff. while Cadmus was identified as his son.Scholia on Homer, Iliad B, 494, p. 80, 43 ed. Bekk. as cited in Hellanicus' Boeotica Otherwise, Europa was called one of his two daughters by Perimede, daughter of Oeneus, the other one being Astypalaea;Pausanias, 7.4.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 157 she was also included on the list of Phoenix's children by Telephe, daughter of Epimedusa, her siblings in this case being Peirus and Astypale (apparently identical to the aforementioned Astypalaea).Scholia on Euripides, Phoenissae 5
Telephe was probably the same as Telephassa, whom Moschus called Phoenix's wife and not his mother.Moschus, Idylls 2.42 In another account, his children were Cadmus, Europa and Thasus.Conon, Narrations 32 & 37
Mythology When Europa was carried off by Zeus, her three brothers were sent out by Agenor to find her, but the search was unsuccessful. Phoenix eventually settled in a country in Asia or Africa, which he named Phoenicia after himself.Apollodorus, 3.1.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 178 He was said to have founded Bithynia which was previously named Mariandyna.St. Jerome, Chronicon B1424
Malalas recounted the following about Phoenix and Heracles the Tyrian:"Herakles the philosopher, called the Tyrian, lived in the reign of King Phoenix. It was he who discovered the purple-shell. He was wandering on the coastal part of Tyre city when he saw a shepherd dog eating the so-called purple-shell, which is a small maritime species like a sea snail. The shepherd thought the dog was bleeding, and took a clump of sheep’s wool and wiped off what was coming out of the dog’s mouth, and it dyed the wool. Herakles noticed that it wasn’t blood but the virtue of a strange dye, and wondered at it. Recognizing that the dye deposited on the wool came from the purple-shell, and having taken the wool from the shepherd as a great gift, he brought it to Phoenix, the King of Tyre. He too was surprised by the sight of the strange color of the dye. Admiring his discovery, he ordered that wool be dyed from this purple-shell dye and become a royal mantle for him. He was the first to wear this purple mantle, and everyone marveled at his royal raiment, as a foreign spectacle. From then, King Phoenix commanded that no one under his rule dare to wear such virtuous clothing on land or sea, except himself and those who ruled Phoenicia after him, so that they would recognize the King in the army and the crowd from his marvelous and strange clothing."Malalas, 2.32
Genealogical table +Comparative table of Phoenix's familyRelationNamesSourcesHes.Hom.Pher.Hel.Bac.Sch. onPala.Sch. onMos.Ps. Scy.Con.Apd.Dic.Hyg.Pau.Ant.Sol.Non.Mal.Sud.Tzet.St. Jer.Ili.Sch.Eurip.Apl.ParentsAgenor✓✓✓Not named but implied in the context✓✓✓✓Agenor and Damno✓Agenor and Telephassa✓Agenor and Argiope✓Agenor and Tyro✓Agenor and Antiope✓Belus✓Belus and Achiroe✓SiblingsEuropa✓✓✓✓Cadmus✓✓✓✓✓✓Cilix✓✓✓✓✓Thasus✓✓Phineus II✓✓✓Cepheus✓Isaea✓✓Melia✓✓Taygete✓Syros✓Agenor✓✓Aegyptus✓✓Danaus✓✓Phineus I✓✓Ninus✓WifeCassiopeia✓ ✓✓Telephassa✓✓Alphesiboea✓✓Perimede✓ChildrenEuropa✓✓Though Europa was unnamed in this text, she was definitely the daughter of Phoenix who coupled with Zeus.✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓Europa's mother was not named by Apollodorus, if her father was Phoenix.✓✓✓Cadmus✓✓✓Phineus✓✓✓✓✓Cilix✓✓✓Doryclus✓✓Astypale✓✓✓Phoenice✓Peirus✓Thasus✓Adonis✓✓Cepheus✓Carme✓
Argive family tree
Notes
References Antoninus Liberalis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992). Online version at the Topos Text Project. Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website. Conon, Fifty Narrations, surviving as one-paragraph summaries in the Bibliotheca (Library) of Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople translated from the Greek by Brady Kiesling. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Fowler, Robert. L. (2000), Early Greek Mythography: Volume 1: Text and Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2000. . Gaius Julius Hyginus, Astronomica from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Gantz, Timothy, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2). Homer, The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Homer, Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. . Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.