Idmon
Family: Argonauts · Role: seer · First appears: Book I 1
In Book I, Idmon is revealed as Apollo’s son rather than Abas’s: “Leto’s son himself begat him.” Apollo also taught him prophecy, including how to heed birds and read the signs of burning sacrifice. Among the Argonauts, Idmon clashed with Idas until Jason and the others restrained them, while Iclas mocked his prophetic claims. To Jason, Idmon foretold that the Argonauts would return with the fleece, but that he himself was fated to die in Asia.
In Book II, that fate came upon him when a wild boar fatally wounded him, and his comrades carried him to the ship, where he died in their arms. Apollo later commanded the Boeotians and Nisaeans to honor him as their city’s guardian, but they instead honored Agamestor rather than the god-fearing Idmon.
Relationship record
Life events
- Idmon is revealed as Phoebus’s son rather than Abas’s.(Book I 1)
- Idmon foretells the Argonauts’ return with the fleece and his own death in Asia.(Book I 4)
- With: Jason
- “For you it is the will of heaven and destiny that ye shall return here with the fleece; but meanwhile both going and returning, countless trials await you. But it is my lot, by the hateful decree of a god, to die somewhere afar off on the mainland of Asia.”
- Idmon is fatally wounded by a wild boar and dies in his comrades’ arms.(Book II 7)
- “but Idmon, now at the last gasp, his comrades bore to the ship in sorrow of heart, and he died in his comrades’ arms.”
Book I 1
- parent: Apollo “Leto’s son himself begat him”
- mentor: Apollo “himself taught him the art of prophecy—to pay heed to birds and to observe the signs of the burning sacrifice.”
Book I 4
- with Idas (interaction) “Thus in wrath Idas reviled him, and the strife would have gone further had not their comrades and Aeson’s son himself with indignant cry restrained the contending chiefs”
- pupil: Jason “and quickly he spake outright the will of Leto’s son: “For you it is the will of heaven and destiny that ye shall return here with the fleece; but meanwhile both going and returning, countless trials await you.”
Book II 7
- parent: Abas “And here his destined fate smote Idmon, son of Abas, skilled in soothsaying;”
- with Apollo (Phoebus commanded the worship and civic honouring of Idmon.) “Phoebus strictly commanded the Boeotians and Nisaeans to worship him as guardian of their city, and to build their city round the trunk of the ancient wild olive;”
- with Agamestor (Agamestor was honoured in place of Idmon.) “but they, instead of the god-fearing Aeolid Idmon, at this day honour Agamestor.”
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Extracted from the original text of The Argonautica. Made with Rho MD.