Myrmidons
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| - | '''Myrmidon''' may refer to: | + | The '''Myrmidons''' (or '''Myrmidones'''; {{lang-el|Μυρμιδόνες}}) are people of ancient [[Greek mythology]]. They are very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's ''[[Iliad]]'', and are commanded by [[Achilles]]. Their [[eponym]]ous ancestor was '''Myrmidon''', a king of Thessalian [[Phthia]] who was a son of [[Zeus]] and "wide-ruling" [[Eurymedousa]], a princess of Phthia. She was seduced by him in the form of an ant. An [[etiology|etiological myth]] of their origins, simply expanding upon their supposed etymology — the name in Classical Greek was interpreted as "[[ant]]-people", from ''μυρμηδών'' (''murmedon'') "ant's nest" and that from ''μύρμηξ'' (''murmex'') "ant" — was first mentioned by [[Ovid]], in ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'': in Ovid's telling, King [[Aeacus]] of [[Aegina]], father of [[Peleus]], pleaded with Zeus to populate his country after a terrible plague. Zeus said his people would number as the ants on his sacred oak, and from the ants sprang the people of [[Aegina]], the Myrmidons. |
| - | * [[Myrmidons]], an ancient nation of Greek mythology | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Myrmidons]]'', a lost tragedy by Greek playwright Aeschylus | + | According to Homer's ''[[Iliad]]'', the Myrmidons were the fiercest warriors in all of Greece. As said in ''Iliad,'' "Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons". |
| - | * [[Myrmidon Books]], independent publisher | + | |
| - | * A member of the [[Myrmidon Club]] | + | ==Later use of the term== |
| - | * [[USS Myrmidon (ARL-16)|USS ''Myrmidon'' (ARL-16)]] | + | The Myrmidons of Greek myth were known for their loyalty to their leaders, so that in pre-industrial [[Europe]] the word "myrmidon" carried many of the same connotations that "[[robot]]" does today. Myrmidon later came to mean "hired ruffian" (according to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'') or "a loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest, or pity - unquestioning followers." |
| - | *[[HMS Myrmidon|HMS ''Myrmidon'']], the name of several British ships | + | |
| - | *[[Myrmidon of Athens]], an Athenian commander of the 4th century BC | + | ''Myrmidons'' is also the title of the first of a trilogy of plays by [[Aeschylus]], collectively known as [[Achilles (play)|''Achilles'']]. The other plays in the trilogy are ''[[Nereids]]'' and ''[[Phrygians]]''. See [[Achilles (play)]] for more. |
| - | *Sergeant Myrmidon, a character from [[The Ballad of Halo Jones]] | + | |
| - | *A fictional monster from the book ''[[Shade's Children]]'' | + | |
| - | *A character class in the ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' series | + | |
| - | *A ship from the game ''[[Eve Online]]'' | + | |
| - | *A unit from the game ''[[Myth: The Fallen Lords]]'' | + | |
| - | *Lowest rank of heroes in ''[[Master of Magic]]'' | + | |
| - | *A fictional battleship from the game ''[[Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X]]'' | + | |
| - | *The scientific name for the creatures more commonly called ''Antlions'' featured in the [[Half-Life (series)|''Half-Life'' series]] | + | |
| - | *An enemy unit from the game ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' | + | |
| - | *A powerful melee unit from the Naga race in ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos]]'' | + | |
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The Myrmidons (or Myrmidones; Template:Lang-el) are people of ancient Greek mythology. They are very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's Iliad, and are commanded by Achilles. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of Thessalian Phthia who was a son of Zeus and "wide-ruling" Eurymedousa, a princess of Phthia. She was seduced by him in the form of an ant. An etiological myth of their origins, simply expanding upon their supposed etymology — the name in Classical Greek was interpreted as "ant-people", from μυρμηδών (murmedon) "ant's nest" and that from μύρμηξ (murmex) "ant" — was first mentioned by Ovid, in Metamorphoses: in Ovid's telling, King Aeacus of Aegina, father of Peleus, pleaded with Zeus to populate his country after a terrible plague. Zeus said his people would number as the ants on his sacred oak, and from the ants sprang the people of Aegina, the Myrmidons.
According to Homer's Iliad, the Myrmidons were the fiercest warriors in all of Greece. As said in Iliad, "Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons".
Later use of the term
The Myrmidons of Greek myth were known for their loyalty to their leaders, so that in pre-industrial Europe the word "myrmidon" carried many of the same connotations that "robot" does today. Myrmidon later came to mean "hired ruffian" (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) or "a loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest, or pity - unquestioning followers."
Myrmidons is also the title of the first of a trilogy of plays by Aeschylus, collectively known as Achilles. The other plays in the trilogy are Nereids and Phrygians. See Achilles (play) for more.
