Musaeus of Athens: Difference between revisions

'''Musaeus of Athens''' ({{lang-el|Μουσαῖος}}, ''Mousaios'') was a legendary [[polymath]], philosopher, historian, prophet, seer, priest, poet, and musician, said to have been the founder of priestly poetry in [[Attica, Greece|Attica]]. He composed dedicatory and purificatory [[hymns]] and prose treatises, and oracular responses.

A semimythological personage, to be classed with [[Olen (poet)|Olen]], [[Orpheus]], and [[Pamphos|Pamphus]]. He was regarded as the author of various poetical compositions, especially as connected with the mystic rites of Demeter at [[Eleusis]], over which the legend represented him as presiding in the time of Heracles.<ref>(Diod. 4.25.)</ref>

He was reputed to belong to the family of the Eumolpidae, being the son of Eumolpus and Selene. <ref>(Philochor. apud Schol. ad Arist. Ran. 1065; Diog. Laert. Prooem. 3.)</ref> In other variations of the myth he was less definitely called a [[Thracian]]. According to [[Diodorus Siculus]], Musaeus was the son of Orpheus,<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/4B*.html#25 4.25.1&ndash;2].</ref> and according to [[Tatian]] he was the disciple of Orpheus. Others made him the son of [[Antiphemus]], or Antiophemus, and [[Helen of Troy|Helena]]. <ref>Schol. ad Soph. Oed. Col. 1047; Suid. s. v. Μουσαῖος.</ref> [[Alexander Polyhistor]], [[Clement of Alexandria]] and [[Eusebius]] say he was the teacher of Orpheus.

In Aristotle<ref>(Mirab. p. 711a.)</ref> a wife [[Deioce]] is given him; while in the elegiac poem of [[Hermesianax (poet)|Hermesianax]]., quoted by Athenaeus (xiii. p. &nbsp;597), [[Antiope (daughter of Pylon)|Antiope]] is mentioned as his wife or mistress. The [[Suda]] gives him a son [[Eumolpus]]. The scholiast on Aristophanes mentions an inscription said to have been placed on the tomb of Musaeus at Phalerus. According to Diogenes Laërtius he died and was buried at [[Phalerum]], with the epitaph: "Musaeus, to his sire Eumolpus dear, in Phalerean soil lies buried here." According to [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], he was buried on the [[Philopappos Monument|Mouseion Hill]], south-west of the [[Acropolis, Athens|Acropolis]],<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] 25.8</ref> where there was a statue dedicated to a Syrian.<ref>{{cite DGRBM|title=Musaeus|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dmusaeus-bio-2}}</ref>

#. Titanomachia <ref>{{lang-grc|Τιτανογραφία}}</ref> <ref>Schol. ad Apoll. Rhod. iii</ref>

#. Παραλύσεις, Τελεταὶ and Καθαρμοί. <ref>Schol. ad Arist. l.c. ; Plat. Respubl. ii. p. 364, extr.</ref>

* [[Artapanus of Alexandria]], Alexander Polyhistor, [[Numenius of Apamea]], and Eusebius identify Musaeus with [[Moses]] the [[Jewish]] lawbringer.<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_pe_09_book9.htm Eusebius, ''Praeparatio Evangelica'' IX]</ref>