Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/162

 130 HISTORY OF body, which alone remained, was insufficient to identify the thief, Like Amphiaraos, whom he resembles in more than one respect, Trophonius was swallowed up by the earth near Lebadeia. 1 From Trophonius and Agamedes the Orchomenian genealogy passes to Ascalaphos and lalmenos, the sons of Ares by Astyo- che, who are named in the Catalogue of the Iliad as leaders of the thirty ships from Orchomenos against Troy. Azeus, the grandfather of Astyoche in the Iliad, is introduced as the brother of Erginus 2 by Pausanias, who does not carry the pedigree lower. The genealogy here given out of Pausanias is deserving of the more attention, because it seems to have been copied from the special history of Orchomenos by the Corinthian Kallippus, who again borrowed from the native Orchomenian poet, Chersias : the works of the latter had never come into the hands of Pausanias. It illustrates forcibly the principle upon which these mythical genealogies were framed, for almost every personage in the series is an Eponymus. Andreus gave his name to the country, Atha- mas to the Athamantian plain ; Minyas, Orchomenos, Koronus, Haliartus, Almos and Hyettos, are each in like manner connected with some name of people, tribe, town or village ; while Chryse and Chrysogeneia have their origin in the reputed ancient weal tli of Orchomenos. Abundant discrepancies are found, however, in respect to this old genealogy, if we look to other accounts. Ac- cording to one statement, Orchomenos was the son of Zeus by Isione, daughter of Danaus ; Minyas was the son of Orchome- nos (or rather of Poseidon) by Hermippe, daughter of Boeotos ; the sons of Minyas were Presbon, Orchomenos, Athamas and Diochthondas. 3 Others represented Minyas as son of Poseidon 1 Pausan. ix. 37, 3. A similar story, but far more romantic and amplified, is told by Herodotus (ii. 121), respecting the treasury vault of Ilhampsini- tus, king of Egypt. Charax (ap. Schol. Aristoph. Nub. 508) gives the same tale, but places the scene in the treasury-vault of Augeas, king of Elis, which he says was built by Trophonius, to whom he assigns a totally different genealogy. The romantic adventures of the tale rendered it emi- nently fit to be interwoven at some point or another of legendary history, in any country. 1 Schol. Apollon. Rhod. i. 230. Compare Schol. ad Lycophron. 873.
 * Pansan. ix. 38, 6 ; 29, 1.