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Spartoi
- In Greek mythology, the Spartoi were a group of legendary warriors who were said to have emerged from a dragon’s teeth sown in the ground. These warriors were known for their bravery and fighting abilities, and they frequently appeared in various myths and legends, such as those from Thebes and Colchis.
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The Spartoi were armed warriors who sprang from the ground when the teeth of a dragon were sown into the earth, hence the name Spartoi means “sown men”. The Spartoi are prominent in two tales for they appear in the adventures of both Cadmus and Jason.
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PARENTS
DRAKON ISMENIOS (sown from its teeth) (Apollodorus 3.22, Pausanias 9.10.1, Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica 3.1179f, Hyginus Fabulae 178, Ovid Metamorphoses 3.874, Seneca Hercules Furens 260, Nonnus Dionysiaca 4.352)
NAMES OF THEBAN SPARTOI
EKHION, OUDAIOS, KHTHONIOS, HYPERENOR, PELOROS (Apollodorus 3.22, Pausanias 9.5.3, Hyginus Fabulae 178, Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius 3.1179)
SPARTI (Spartoi), from the verb speirô, and accordingly signifies "the sown men ;" it is the name given to the armed men who sprang from the dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus, and were believed to be the ancestors of the five oldest families at Thebes. (Apollod. iii. 4. § l; Paus. ix. 5. § 1, 10. § l ; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. iii. 1179, ad Pind. Isthm...
CADMUS & THE SOWING OF THE DRAGON'S TEETH
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 22 ff (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "[Kadmos (Cadmus)] sent some of his men to fetch water from the spring of Ares, but a Serpent (Dragon), said by many to be a child of Ares, guarded the spring and destroyed most of those who had been sent. In outrage Kadmos killed the serpent, and then, following the instructions of Athena, planted its teeth. From this sowing there sprang from the earth armed men, called Spartoi (Sparti). These proceede...
GHOSTS OF THE THEBAN SPARTI
The ghosts of the ancient Spartoi were believed to haunt the sacred field of Ares near Thebes. Seneca, Oedipus 582 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) : "[The seer Teiresias (Tiresias) of Thebes performs necromancy :] Suddenly the earth yawned and opened wide with gulf immeasurable . . . Forth leaped a savage cohort and stood full-armed, the whole viper brood, the troop of brothers [the Spartoi] sprung from Dircaean teeth." [N.B. The Spartoi were ancestors of the Thebans so appear wh...
DESCENDANTS OF THE FIVE THEBAN SPARTI
Some of the descendants of the Spartoi ruled Thebes as regents in between the reigns of the various Kadmeian (Cadmean) kings. These regents included Pentheus--regent for the child Polydoros--, Lykos (Lycus) and Nykteus (Nycteus)--for the young Laios (Laeus)--, and Kreon (Creon)--regent for the princes Polyneikes (Polynices) and Eteokles (Eteocles). The descendants of the Spartoi all bore distinctive spear-shaped birth marks which indentified them as members of the clan. Aeschylus, Seven Again...
GREEK
1. Pindar, Odes - Greek Lyric C5th B.C. 2. Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C. 3. Plato, Laws - Greek Philosophy C4th B.C. 4. Plato, Sophist - Greek Philosophy C4th B.C. 5. Apollodorus, The Library - Greek Mythography C2nd A.D. 6. Apollonius Rhodius, The Argonautica - Greek Epic C3rd B.C. 7. Lycophron, Alexandra - Greek Poetry C3rd B.C. 8. Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History - Greek History C1st B.C. 9. Pausanias, Description of Greece - Greek Travelogue C2nd A.D. 1...
ROMAN
1. Hyginus, Fabulae - Latin Mythography C2nd A.D. 2. Ovid, Metamorphoses - Latin Epic C1st B.C. - C1st A.D. 3. Ovid, Heroides - Latin Poetry C1st B.C. - C1st A.D. 4. Propertius, Elegies - Latin Elegy C1st B.C. 5. Seneca, Hercules Furens - Latin Tragedy C1st A.D. 6. Seneca, Medea - Latin Tragedy C1st A.D. 7. Seneca, Oedipus - Latin Tragedy C1st A.D. 8. Valerius Flaccus, The Argonautica - Latin Epic C1st A.D. 9. Statius, Thebaid - Latin Epic C1st A.D.
In Greek myth, dragon's teeth (Greek: ὀδόντες (τοῦ) δράκοντος, odontes (tou) drakontos) feature prominently in the legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and in Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece.
The Spartoi were a mythical people in Greek mythology, who sprang out of the earth. Their first appearance was in the founding myth of Thebes by Cadmus. He was instructed by the oracle of Delphi to follow a cow and found a city where the animal would stop.
Oct 1, 2024 · Cadmus, following a fearsome battle, finally won, thanks to the divine intervention of Athena. The goddess then told him to sow the defeated dragon’s teeth into the ground. From these teeth emerged fully armed warriors known as the Spartoi, which, in Greek, means “the sowed.”.
Dragon's teeth (mythology) In Greek myth, dragon's teeth feature prominently in the legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and in Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. In each case, the dragons are real and breath fire. Their teeth, once planted, would grow into fully armed warriors.
Mar 24, 2024 · In Greek mythology, the Spartoi were a group of legendary warriors who were said to have emerged from a dragon’s teeth sown in the ground. These warriors were known for their bravery and fighting abilities, and they frequently appeared in various myths and legends, such as those from Thebes and Colchis.
