Tinjis
| Tinjis | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
Tingis Tinga |
| Spouse(s) |
Antaeus Heracles |
| Children |
Sufax[1] Iphinoe Barce |
Tinjis (also called Tinga, and also spelled as Tingis) was in Berber and Greek mythology the wife of Antaeus,[2] son of Poseidon and Gaia,[3] and some kind of a female deity.
Myths
The historian and archaeologist Mustapha Ouachi noticed that the city Tangier is geographically related to its myth. The mother of Antaeus was the goddess of the Earth whereas the father of Antaeus was Poseidon who was the god of the sea, according to the Berber legend. In addition, Herodotus considered Poseidon as a Libyan (Berber) god that has been adopted by the Greeks.
The Berbers believed, according to Plutarch, that Heracles consorted with Tinjis after the death of Antaeus and fathered Sufax. According to their myth, Sufax has built the city "Tangier" (which was known as Tingis in the ancient sources) and named it after his mother.[4]
In fact, Tangier is believed to have been built by the Phoenicians before this story. But Tangier seemed to have been an important city in an early short lived kingdom which is known as Mauretania that has been founded by the king Syphax who has a similar name to the mythical king and founder of Tangier: Sufax.[5][6]
Heracles had a son Palaemon by Iphinoe, the daughter of Antaeus and (presumably) Tinjis.[7]
Notes
- ↑ What's it like in Tangier? "According to Berber mythology, Tangier was built by the son of Tinjis, named Sufax."
- ↑ Travel Morocco: Guide, Maps, and Phrasebook. Includes: Rabat, Casablanca... by MobileReference
- ↑ North Africa: The Roman Coast by Ethel Davis
- ↑ City of Tangier - A Celebrity Hotspot
- ↑ Livy, 30.12
- ↑ Syphax or Sophax: king of the Masaeisylians
- ↑ John Tzetzes on Lycophron 662