Karpos
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In Greek mythology, Karpos (Latin: Carpus, literally "fruit"), was a youth renowned for his beauty. He is the son of Zephyros (the west wind) and Khloris (spring, or new vegetation), forming a natural metaphor — the west wind heralds the new growth of spring, which then bears fruit. Carpo (or Xarpo), one of the Horae, is in some ways the feminine equivalent of Karpos; her dominion was autumn, ripening, and harvesting.
[edit] Karpos and Kalamos
In stories such as Nonnus's Dionysiaca, Karpos is the beloved of Kalamos. While swimming together in the Meander river, Karpos accidentally drowned. In his grief, Kalamos changed into a reed, which was to forever sound a song of lamentations as it rustled in the wind.
[edit] Etymology
The word Karpos derives from the Proto-Indo-European language root "kerp-" or "karp-" meaning "to gather", "to pluck" or "to harvest". Cognates can be found in many Indo-European languages including modern English in words such as "harvest" (via Germanic), "carpet", "excerpt" and "scarce" (via Latin). Coming to English directly from the Greek "karpos" are the following:
- the prefix "carpo-" — meaning fruit. eg. carpophagous, "fruit-eating"
- the suffixes "-carp" and "-carpous" — also meaning fruit. eg. ascocarp, pericarp
- Carpel — the female reproductive organ of a flower
- Carpology - the study of fruits and seeds
- Carp — a fruiting body of a fungus
- The proper name Carpophorus (lit. "fruit-bearing")
