Pamphus
Family: Athenians · Role: hymn-writer · First appears: Book 7 · Chapter 21
Pamphus, an Athenian hymn-writer, is described in Book 7 as “the most ancient Hymn-writer among the Athenians”; he called Poseidon “the giver of horses and ships with sails.” In Book 8, his verses called Artemis “The Most Beautiful,” and he used Persephone as the goddess’s private name.
In Book 9, Pamphus wrote verses to Eros for the Lycomidae to sing at the mysteries. As sorrow for Linus grew, he called him Œtolinus, and Sappho later learned that name from Pamphus and sang of Adonis and Œtolinus together.
Relationship record
Book 7 · Chapter 21
- with Poseidon (Pamphus described Poseidon in a hymn.) “And Pamphus, the most ancient Hymn-writer among the Athenians, says that Poseidon was ‘the giver of horses and ships with sails.’”
Book 8 · Chapter 35
- with Artemis (Pamphus used the epithet The Most Beautiful for Artemis in his verses.) “I think when Pamphus in his verses called Artemis The Most Beautiful he first learnt this epithet from the Arcadians.”
Book 8 · Chapter 37
- with Persephone (Pamphus gave Persephone her private name.) “but her private name is Persephone, as Homer and still earlier Pamphus have given it”
Book 9 · Chapter 27
- with Eros (interaction) “And after Olen Pamphus and Orpheus wrote verses to Eros for the Lycomidæ to sing at the mysteries”
Book 9 · Chapter 29
- with Linus (Pamphus gave Linus the name Œtolinus.) “And Pamphus, who composed the most ancient Hymns for the Athenians, as the sorrow for Linus grew to such a pitch, called him Œtolinus, (sad Linus).”
- with Sappho (Sappho learned the name Œtolinus from Pamphus.) “And the Lesbian Sappho, having learnt from Pamphus this name of Œtolinus, sings of Adonis and Œtolinus together.”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.