opposite the Peloponnese: i.e. north of the Corinthian Gulf; specifically the small region known as Doris, north-west of Mount Parnassos (Strabo 8. 7. 1), which the Peloponnesian Dorians regarded as their original home. In myth, this was the area ruled by Doros’ son, Aigimios (see p. 90 and note); the movement of the Dorians to the Peloponnese occurs very late in mythological history, see pp. 92 f.

halcyon: a fabulous bird that nests by, or on, the sea during the halcyon days of winter.

sea-swallow: or tern, for the ceux, a poetical bird of uncertain identity. Ap.’s version of this story is probably derived from Hes. Cat. (cf. frs. 15 and 16); in another version, Ceux is killed in a shipwreck and Alcyone throws herself into the sea for love of him, arousing the pity of the gods, who transform them into halcyons (Ov. Met. 11. 410 ff, Hyg. 65).

known as the Aloads: ‘sons of Aloeus’ (for Aloeus was their putative father as the husband of Iphimedeia). For their story, cf. Od. 11. 305 ff.

a cubit. . . a fathom: the English equivalents for the ancient measurements representing the lengths of a man’s forearm and of his outstretched arms (fœthmin Old English). These measured about eighteen inches and six feet respectively.

Ossa . . . Olympos . . . Pelion: tall mountains in the coastal region of Thessaly. This story gave rise to the proverbial phrase, ‘piling Pelion on Ossa’.

imprisoned Ares: in a bronze jar, for thirteen months, and he would have died if the Aloads’ stepmother had not informed Hermes (Il. 5. 385 ff.).

met their death on Naxos: according to Od. 11. 318 they were killed by Apollo, for trying to climb to heaven (cf. Hyg. 28); here their failure in that enterprise is left unexplained, and Artemis causes their death on another occasion because of their designs on herself. It is said elsewhere that they set out to rape Artemis (Hyg. 28, cf. sc. Pind. Pyth. 4. 156) and that Apollo (Hyg.) or Artemis (sc. Il. 5. 385) sent a deer between them. Pindar knew a version of this story (Pyth. 4. 88 f., cf. P. 9. 22. 5).

killed Apis, son of Phoroneus: according to P. 5. 1. 8, this Apis was an Arcadian and a son of Jason (not the famous one); and Aitolos drove over him accidentally at the funeral games for Azan, son of Areas, an Arcadian king. The son of Phoroneus, an Argive, died in another way, see p. 58.

the land of the Curetes: these Curetes, the aboriginal inhabitants of Aetolia (and Acarnania), in the south-western part of mainland Greece to the north of the Corinthian Gulf, should not be confused with the Cretan demigods on p. 28; on the Curetes in general, see Strabo 10. 3.

Evenos had a daughter. . . chasing after him: Homer mentions that Idas drew his bow against Apollo for the sake of a girl ( Il. 9. 559 f.). According to the scholion on ibid. 557, Evenos (like Oinomaos, p. 144) challenged his daughter’s suitors to a chariot race; if they won, they would gain her hand, but when they were overtaken by Evenos, he nailed their heads to the walls of his house. It is possible that the present passage refers to such a race rather than a simple pursuit after an abduction. See also Bacch. 20.

Messene: the land of Messenia, in the south-western Peloponnese, lying to the west of Laconia (rather than the city of Messene, which was of late foundation). Idas’ father Aphareus was a Messenian king, see p. 119 and note.

Sterope . . . to Acheloos: probably following Hes. Cat.;later authors tended to give the Sirens a Muse as a mother (cf. p. 167, and AR 4. 895 f.), befitting their qualities as singers.

the first to receive a vine plant from Dionysos: a story in Hyg. 129 would explain this. When Dionysos fell in love with Althaia, Oineus tactfully absented himself by pretending that he had some rites to perform; and Dionysos slept with his wife, fathering Deianeira (a tradition mentioned by Ap. below), and afterwards presented the vine to Oineus, naming its product oinos, wine, after him.

for jumping over the ditch: an allusion to a lost story. (Some point to the death of Remus in Livy 1. 7. 2, but the comparison is of doubtful relevance.)

placed it in a chest: Bacchylides in the fifth century (5. 140 ff.) is the earliest surviving source for this story.

To hunt this boar: on Meleager and the boar see also Il. 9. 529 ff. (without any mention of Atalante), Bacch. 5. 96 ff. (the earliest surviving source for the story of the log, 136 ff.), DS 4. 34, and Ov. Met. 8. 270 ff. This was the first of the great adventures which brought together major heroes from all parts of Greece; for other catalogues of the participants see Ov. Met. 8. 299 ff. and Hyg. 173.

with a woman: on Atalante see also p. 116 and note.

the sons of Thestios: see p. 39 for their names. Thestios, the brother of Meleager’s mother Aithra, was king of Pleuron in Aetolia.

said by some: this alternative account is largely based on Il. 9. 547 ff. (although Homer does not say that Meleager was killed).

transformed into birds: a later element in the story, often thought to be of Hellenistic origin (though Sophocles may have known of the transformation, see Pliny Nat. Hist. 37. 40). According to Nicander (AL 2), they were transformed by Artemis with a touch of her wand, to become guinea fowl (meleagrides), and transferred to the island of Leros; Deianeira (who had to survive to become Heracles’ wife) and her sister Gorge were saved by the intervention of Dionysos.

sent her. . . to Oineus: cf. DS 4. 35. 1 f.

the sons of Melas: Melas was another brother of Oineus, p. 39.

killed his own brother: according to Pherecydes (sc. Il. 14. 120) Tydeus attacked the sons of Agrios (another brother of Oineus) for plotting against Oineus, and accidentally killed his brother (or his uncle Melas, in sc. Il. 14. 114), who happened to be present. For his subsequent history, see pp. 109–11.

Diomedes: the son of Tydeus remained in Argos, became one of the Epigoni, p. 112, and succeeded to the throne of his father-in-law Adrastos, to become ruler of Argos and Tiryns, and leader of the Argives at Troy, p. 148.