DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0744
The double axes of Tenedos 669
' Kyknos the son of Poseidon had begotten two children, Hemithea and
Tennes, when he married again. Tennes was accused by his step-mother of
making an attempt upon her. Kyknos believed her, put the young man into a
chest, and, since Hemithea chose to share her brother's danger, dropped them
both into the sea. The chest floated to the island that used to be called Leuk-
ophrys but was afterwards known as Tenedos, taking its name from Tennes.
He became king of the island and made a law that behind those who bore false
witness should stand the public executioner, with axe upraised so that, if con-
victed, they might instantly be put to death. This fearful sight gave rise to the
proverb, the "man of Tenedos," which is applied to persons of fearful aspect.'
A briefer form of the same paragraph is found in Zenobios' col-
lection of proverbs1 together with the statement that the proverb in
question occurred in Menander's Ephesian-.
Different again, at least in its concluding portions, is the account
given by Pausanias, who mentions certain Tenedian axes as among
the objects dedicated at Delphoi near the eastern end of Apollon's
temple3.
'The axes,' he says4, 'are an offering of Periklytos, son of Euthymachos, a
native of Tenedos, and refer to an old tale-5. They say that Kyknos was a son of
Poseidon and reigned as king at Kolonai, Kolonai being a town in the Troad over
against an island called Leukophrys. Kyknos had a daughter named Hemithea
and a son called Tennes by Prokleia—This Prokleia died first, and the second
wife Philonome, daughter of Kragasos, fell in love with Tennes, but failed to win
his affection, and told her husband falsely that Tennes had consorted with her
against her will. Kyknos believed the deceitful tale, put Tennes with his sister
into a chest, and cast them adrift on the .sea. The brother and sister got safely
to the island Leukophrys, which received its present name from Tennes. But
Kyknos was not destined to be ignorant of this deception for ever : he therefore
set sail to find his son, meaning to confess his mistake and ask forgiveness for
his offence. When he had come to an anchorage at the island, and had fastened
the hawsers from his ship to a certain rock or tree, Tennes in anger cut the cables
with an axe. Hence, when people deny a thing stoutly, it is customary to say that
" so-and-so cut this or that with a Tenedian axe." The Greeks declare that Tennes
was slain by Achilles in the act of defending his country. And the Tenedians in
course of time were compelled by their weakness to attach themselves to the
inhabitants of Alexandreia on the mainland of the Troad.'
The same version of the tale is given by Konon6 and Eusta-
1 Zenob. 6. 9. Cp. also Eustath. in Dionys. per. 536, Phot. lex. and Souid. s.v.
TeveSios ^vv-qyopos, Apostol. 16. 26.
2 Menand. Epkesius frag. 5 (Frag. coin. Gr. iv. 126 Meineke).
3 On votive double axes of bronze found at Delphoi see supra p. 628 f.
4 Paus. 10. 14. 1—4.
6 Plout. de Pyth. or. 12 states that the men of Tenedos dedicated their axe at Delphoi
because at a place called Asterion in their island there were crabs the shells of which were
marked like an axe. We gather from Souid. and Phot. lex. s.v. TeveSios ^vvrjyopos and
from Apostol. 16. 26 that these crabs were found in a small river. The place-name
'AffTepLov is again suggestive of ' Minoan' cult (supra i. 543 n. 6, ii. 663).
6 Konon narr. 28.
' Kyknos the son of Poseidon had begotten two children, Hemithea and
Tennes, when he married again. Tennes was accused by his step-mother of
making an attempt upon her. Kyknos believed her, put the young man into a
chest, and, since Hemithea chose to share her brother's danger, dropped them
both into the sea. The chest floated to the island that used to be called Leuk-
ophrys but was afterwards known as Tenedos, taking its name from Tennes.
He became king of the island and made a law that behind those who bore false
witness should stand the public executioner, with axe upraised so that, if con-
victed, they might instantly be put to death. This fearful sight gave rise to the
proverb, the "man of Tenedos," which is applied to persons of fearful aspect.'
A briefer form of the same paragraph is found in Zenobios' col-
lection of proverbs1 together with the statement that the proverb in
question occurred in Menander's Ephesian-.
Different again, at least in its concluding portions, is the account
given by Pausanias, who mentions certain Tenedian axes as among
the objects dedicated at Delphoi near the eastern end of Apollon's
temple3.
'The axes,' he says4, 'are an offering of Periklytos, son of Euthymachos, a
native of Tenedos, and refer to an old tale-5. They say that Kyknos was a son of
Poseidon and reigned as king at Kolonai, Kolonai being a town in the Troad over
against an island called Leukophrys. Kyknos had a daughter named Hemithea
and a son called Tennes by Prokleia—This Prokleia died first, and the second
wife Philonome, daughter of Kragasos, fell in love with Tennes, but failed to win
his affection, and told her husband falsely that Tennes had consorted with her
against her will. Kyknos believed the deceitful tale, put Tennes with his sister
into a chest, and cast them adrift on the .sea. The brother and sister got safely
to the island Leukophrys, which received its present name from Tennes. But
Kyknos was not destined to be ignorant of this deception for ever : he therefore
set sail to find his son, meaning to confess his mistake and ask forgiveness for
his offence. When he had come to an anchorage at the island, and had fastened
the hawsers from his ship to a certain rock or tree, Tennes in anger cut the cables
with an axe. Hence, when people deny a thing stoutly, it is customary to say that
" so-and-so cut this or that with a Tenedian axe." The Greeks declare that Tennes
was slain by Achilles in the act of defending his country. And the Tenedians in
course of time were compelled by their weakness to attach themselves to the
inhabitants of Alexandreia on the mainland of the Troad.'
The same version of the tale is given by Konon6 and Eusta-
1 Zenob. 6. 9. Cp. also Eustath. in Dionys. per. 536, Phot. lex. and Souid. s.v.
TeveSios ^vv-qyopos, Apostol. 16. 26.
2 Menand. Epkesius frag. 5 (Frag. coin. Gr. iv. 126 Meineke).
3 On votive double axes of bronze found at Delphoi see supra p. 628 f.
4 Paus. 10. 14. 1—4.
6 Plout. de Pyth. or. 12 states that the men of Tenedos dedicated their axe at Delphoi
because at a place called Asterion in their island there were crabs the shells of which were
marked like an axe. We gather from Souid. and Phot. lex. s.v. TeveSios ^vvrjyopos and
from Apostol. 16. 26 that these crabs were found in a small river. The place-name
'AffTepLov is again suggestive of ' Minoan' cult (supra i. 543 n. 6, ii. 663).
6 Konon narr. 28.