Marsyas

Family: Greek mythology · Role: satyr · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 24

In Book 1, Athene strikes Marsyas for taking up her flutes. In Book 2, he is a rival of Apollo in a contest; at Delphi, Sacadas plays Apollo’s hymn, appeasing his anger against flute-players.

By Book 10, Olympus is learning to play the pipe near Marsyas. The Phrygians at Celænæ say that Marsyas became the river flowing through their town and invented piping in honour of Cybele.

Relationship record

Life events

• Athene strikes Marsyas for taking up her flutes.(Book 1 · Chapter 24)
  • With: Athene
  • “Here too is Athene pourtrayed striking Marsyas the Silenus, because he would take up her flutes”
• Sacadas played Apollo’s hymn at Delphi, appeasing Apollo’s anger against flute-players.(Book 2 · Chapter 22 · 📍 Delphi)
  • With: Sacadas Apollo
  • “Sacadas, who was the first who played the Hymn to Apollo at Delphi on the flute: and it seems the anger of Apollo against flute-players”
• Marsyas became the river flowing through Celænæ and invented piping in honor of Cybele.(Book 10 · Chapter 30 · 📍 Celænæ)
  • With: Cybele
  • “The Phrygians at Celænæ represent that the river flowing through their town was formerly this piper Marsyas, and that the piping in honour of Cybele was his invention”

Book 1 · Chapter 24

• enemies with Athene (Athene is depicted striking Marsyas.) “Here too is Athene pourtrayed striking Marsyas the Silenus, because he would take up her flutes, when the goddess wished them thrown away.”

Book 2 · Chapter 22

• rivals with Apollo “the contest with Marsyas the Silenus”

Book 10 · Chapter 30

• pupil: Olympus “near him Olympus, a handsome boy, learning to play on the pipe.”
• with Cybele (interaction) “and that the piping in honour of Cybele was his invention”

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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.