Agreus

In Greek mythology Agreus or Argeus and his brother Nomios are two of the Panes, creatures multiplied from the god Pan. They are human in shape, but have the horns of goats. Like Pan, both were the sons of Hermes, Argeus' mother being the nymph Sose, a prophetess: he inherited his mother's gift of prophecy, and was also a skilled hunter. Nomios' mother was the dryad Penelope (not the same as the wife of Odysseus). He was an excellent shepherd, a seducer of nymphs, and musician upon the shepherd's pipes. Agreus and Nomios could also be understood as epithets of Pan, expressing two different aspects of the prime Pan, reflecting his dual nature as both a wise prophet and a lustful beast. Both Agreus (meaning "hunter") and Nomios (meaning "shepherd") are titles of several agricultural gods, including Aristaeus[1] and Pan himself.

Both of these Panes, along with a dozen others, joined Dionysus in his wars in India.[2]

Other uses

Agreus was also the name of several other mythological characters.

References

  1. ^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.81.2.
  2. ^ Nonnus. Dionysiaca, 14.67.
  3. ^ Hyginus. Fabulae, 161.
  4. ^ Statius. Thebaid, 6.911.
  5. ^ Statius. Thebaid, 8.428.
  6. ^ Statius. Thebaid, 10.350.