View source for Crotopus

{{short description|King of Argos in Greek mythology}}
'''Crotopus''' or '''Krotopos''' ({{langx|grc|Κρότωπος}}), in [[Greek mythology]], was the eighth king of [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]].<ref name=":0">[[Eusebius]]''. [[Praeparatio evangelica]], [http://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=230 10.9.8; 10.11.2, 10.12.1-3]; [[Chronography]], [http://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=531 66]''</ref>

== Family ==
Crotopus was the son of [[Agenor, son of Triopas|Agenor]] and father of [[Psamathe (Crotopus)|Psamathe]] and [[Sthenelus|Sthenelas]].<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]. ''Description of Greece, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.%201.43.7&lang=original 1.43.7]; [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D16%3Asection%3D1 2.16.1]; [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.%202.19.8&lang=original 2.19.8]''</ref><!--copy & paste plagiarism occurred from this web source: [[Conon (mythographer)|Conon]]. ''[http://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=489#19 Narrations 19]''-->

== Mythology ==
{{More|Psamathe (Crotopus)}}

According to myth, Crotopus condemned to death his own daughter Psamathe, after she gave birth to a child who was [[Apollo]] 's son. Crotopus's city of Argos was consequently punished by Apollo with a plague. There are various versions, but it is in [[Conon (mythographer)|Conon]]'s account that the king must expiate this himself by self-exile:

Crotopus was a terrifying father to Psamathe, and she exposed the child, but the child was found and grew up as a shepherd's boy named [[Linus of Argos|Linus]], until Crotopus's sheepdogs tore the boy apart. As Psamathe grieved over the loss of her child, Crotopus discovered about the secret child, and under the assumption she had acted like a harlot and was lying about Apollo, sentenced her to death. In retribution Apollo brought an unspecified plague ({{langx|el|λοιμός}} {{lang|grc|loimos}}) upon Argos.{{Refn|name=konon|Conon, ''Diēgēseis'' [''Narratives''] 19, summarized by {{harvp|Pache|2004|pp=66–77}} and Frazer (1898), '''III''': p. 536.<ref name=frazer-commentary/>}}

;Festival for Linos
{{More|Linus of Argos}}
An oracle prescribed the veneration of the mother and child, and the Argives held a Festival of Argis (Lamb festival) during the month of [[Ancient Greek calendars#Argos|Arneios]], involving women and girls singing the dirge to Linus (Linos) and the ritualized killing of dogs.

;Tripodiscium
Despite this, the plague persisted. The oracle was consulted once again, and this time Crotopus was to banish himself from his own city of Argos and found a city in the [[Megarid]]; Crotopus settled here, in the city which would be named Tripodiscium (Greek: Tripodiskion).{{Refn|name=konon}}

;Variant tellings
{{More|Psamathe (Crotopus)#Monster}}

Other versions, such as given by [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] and [[Statius]] interpolate the labors of a hero from Argos named [[Coroebus (Argos)|Coroebus]]. In those versions, Apollo first sends a monster (called [[Poena]]{{Efn|Or Poinē, given by Pausanias. Left unnamed by Statius ({{harvp|Pache|2004|p=70}}).}} that snatches babies from the Argives. It is slain by this hero, who must then perform the penance of building the tripod city (which in Conon's version was carried out by Crotopus).<ref name=pausanias>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], translated by Jones, W.H.S.; Ormerod, H.A., ''{{plainlink|url=http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-eng1:1.43 |name=Description of Greece}}'', 1. 43. 7 - 8</ref><ref>Statius, ''Thebaid'', 1.557, quoted in: {{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Ogden|2013b}}|last=Ogden |first=Daniel |author-link=<!--Daniel Ogden--> |title=Dragons, Serpents, and Slayers in the Classical and Early Christian Worlds: A Sourcebook |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=|date=2013-05-30 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bFwWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |pages=100–101 |chapter=10 Lamia, Slain by Eurybatus and Others|isbn=9780199925117 }} {{isbn|0199323747}}</ref><ref>''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities|A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities]]'' ''[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=arnis-cn&highlight=crotopus s.v. Arnis]''. William Smith, LLD. William Wayte. G. E. Marindin. Albemarle Street, London. John Murray. 1890.</ref>

== Reign ==
According to [[Eusebius]], Crotopus reigned for 21 years and during his time, [[Phaethon|Phaethon's]] burning of [[Ethiopia]] and [[Deucalion|Deucalion's]] flood in [[Thessaly]] occurred. Crotopus succeeded his uncle [[Iasus]] as King of Argos upon [[Agenor]]'s death while Sthenelas, his son replaced him on the throne.<ref name=":0" />{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{succession box
| title = [[King of Argos]]
| years = 
| before = [[Agenor of Argos|Agenor]]
| after = [[Sthenelos|Sthenelās]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="10" |CROTOPUS' CHRONOLOGY OF REIGN ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SOURCES
|-
!Kings of Argos
! colspan="2" |''Regnal Years''
!Castor
! colspan="2" |''Regnal Years''
!Syncellus
!''Regnal Years''
!Pausanias
!Tatian
|-
|Precessor
|''1525''
|''46 winters & summers''
|Triopas
|''1527''
|''36 winters & summers''
|Triopas
|''1525''
|Agenor or Iasus
|Triopas
|-
|'''Phoroneus'''
|''1502''
|''21 years''
|Crotopus
|''1509''
|''24 winters & summers''
|Crotopus
|''1500''
|Crotopus
|Crotopus
|-
|Successor
|''1481''
|''11 years''
|Sthenelus
|''1497''
|''24 winters & summers''
|Sthenelus
|''1475''
|Sthenelas
|Sthenelaus
|}

==Modern allusions==
A species of butterfly, ''[[Euselasia |Euselasia crotopus]]'' is possibly named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Euselasia_crotopus/classification/|title=ADW: Euselasia crotopus: CLASSIFICATION|last2=Espinosa|first2=R|website=animaldiversity.org|last3=Parr|first3=C. S|last4=Jones|first4=T|last5=Hammond|first5=G. S|last6=Dewey|first6=T. A|last1=Myers|first1=P|access-date=10 November 2016}}</ref>

==Explanatory notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
;Citations
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=frazer-commentary>{{cite book|editor-last=Frazer |editor-first=J. G. (tr.)|title=Pausanias's Description of Greece |volume=II |place=London |publisher=Macmillan |year=1898|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m_RYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA536 |pages=536–537}}</ref>
}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Pache |editor-first=Corinne Ondine |chapter=Linos and Demophone |title=Baby and Child Heroes in Ancient Greece |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2004 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OR47FBpYDJAC&pg=PA66 |pages=66–77|isbn=9780252029295 }} {{isbn|9780252029295}}
{{Refend}}

[[Category:Kings of Argos]]
[[Category:Princes in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Inachids]]