Knowledge (XXG)

Dactyls (mythology)

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Commentary: "According to Pausanias, the art of forging iron was discovered by Glaucus of Chios. Strabo ascribes it to the Idæan Dactyli, and the art of manufacturing utensils of bronze and iron to the Telchines; the former were inhabitants of Crete, the latter of
310:; at any rate, the first hundred men born in Crete were called Idaian Daktyloi, they say, and these were born of nine Kouretes, for each of these begot ten children who were called Idaian Daktyloi." 200:"Idaean fingers"), thus often ten in number, or sometimes multiplied into a race of ten tens. Three is just as often given as their number. They are sometimes instead numbered as thirty-three. 701: 610: 568: 519:
5.7.6: "When Zeus was born, Rhea entrusted the guardianship of her son to the Dactyls of Ida, who are the same as those called Curetes."
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to have been Idaean dactyls who had come west from Phrygia and whose magical practices had made local converts to their secret cult.
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of Crete. They were born in the Diktaion cave by the Nymph Ankhiale as she clutched the earth of Oaxos with both her hands."
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that they were often interchangeable. The Dactyls were both ancient smiths and healing magicians. In some myths, they are in
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surmises that, as the societies of lesser gods mirrored actual cult associations, guilds of smiths corresponded to the
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When Greeks offered a most solemn oath, often they would press their hands against the earth as they uttered it.
234:, they also discovered iron in Crete. Three Phrygian Dactyls, in the service of the Great Mother as Adraste ( 606: 564: 464:. This is all of the public version of this myth that survives. Doubtless, initiates must have known more. 516: 348:
by instigating a race among his four "finger" brothers. This Herakles was the "thumb"; his brothers were
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Later Greek attempts to justify and rationalize the relationships of Dactyls,
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iv) made a story that when Rhea was offended at this childhood companion of
436:. It was said that they had introduced the smithing of copper and iron. Of 155:. Their numbers vary, but often they were ten spirit-men so like the three 624: 401: 389: 356: 341: 285: 481: 449: 314: 281: 263: 160: 573: 492: 453: 441: 437: 409: 405: 296: 255: 231: 148: 143:") were the archaic mythical race of male beings associated with the 140: 16:
Archaic mythical race of male beings associated with the Great Mother
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knew her time of delivery was come, she went to the Idaean Cave on
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invented the art of working metals into usable shapes with fire;
211:"Idaean Dactyls" redirects here. For the Ancient Greek poem, see 457: 350: 277: 267: 186:. As she squatted in labor she dug her fingers into the earth ( 288:
wrote that Celmis was turned into iron when he offended Rhea.
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In Crete, three Dactyls bore names suggestive of healing:
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men, nine in number, remembered by Greeks as dangerous
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4.80; Zenobius attributes the story to a lost play by
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smiths and magicians, and multiplied into an entire
117: 111: 102: 99: 302:"And they suspect that both the Kouretes and the 456:, "wealth", in the form of a bountiful harvest. 460:struck down this impious archaic figure with a 702:Legendary tribes in Greco-Roman historiography 295:, and Corybantes were never fully successful. 280:, she asked Zeus to turn him to diamond-hard 8: 325:), whose sacred place was on the island of 69:Learn how and when to remove this message 509: 284:, like a tempered blade. Zeus obliged. 7: 597: 595: 340:(perhaps the earliest embodiment of 366:(ring finger/healing finger), and 14: 95: 23: 498:Magic in the Graeco-Roman world 388:were the name given to similar 1: 190:), which brought forth these 230:in real life. According to 218:The Dactyls of Mount Ida in 404:but had been supplanted by 299:says of the mythographers: 49:the claims made and adding 718: 484:, named after the Dactyls. 322: 236: 210: 196: 133: 687:Greek legendary creatures 576:itself has not survived. 424:(later associated with 336:An Idaean dactyl named 671:The Gods of the Greeks 530:The Gods of the Greeks 448:970) that he lay with 306:were offspring of the 400:race that had reared 329:, were understood by 240:), are usually named 213:Idaean Dactyls (poem) 697:Mythological Cretans 546:, i.1122: "The many 178:or, alternatively, 607:Naturalis Historia 565:Naturalis Historia 34:possibly contains 653:Diodorus, 5.64.4. 376:(little finger). 360:(middle finger), 344:) originated the 79: 78: 71: 36:original research 709: 654: 651: 645: 638: 632: 622: 616: 599: 590: 583: 577: 557: 551: 539: 533: 526: 520: 514: 488:Ephesia Grammata 331:Diodorus Siculus 324: 239: 238: 199: 198: 135: 127: 126: 123: 122: 119: 116: 113: 110: 107: 104: 101: 74: 67: 63: 60: 54: 51:inline citations 27: 26: 19: 717: 716: 712: 711: 710: 708: 707: 706: 677: 676: 663: 658: 657: 652: 648: 639: 635: 623: 619: 602:Pliny the Elder 600: 593: 584: 580: 560:Pliny the Elder 558: 554: 548:Daktyloi Idaioi 540: 536: 527: 523: 515: 511: 506: 470: 418: 382: 380:Rhodian Dactyls 308:Daktyloi Idaioi 216: 209: 197:Δάκτυλοι Ἰδαῖοι 192:daktyloi Idaioi 184:Lasithi Plateau 98: 94: 83:Greek mythology 75: 64: 58: 55: 40: 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 715: 713: 705: 704: 699: 694: 689: 679: 678: 675: 674: 662: 659: 656: 655: 646: 633: 617: 591: 587:Greek Religion 578: 552: 534: 521: 508: 507: 505: 502: 501: 500: 495: 490: 485: 469: 466: 417: 416:Cretan Dactyls 414: 381: 378: 354:(forefinger), 342:the later hero 266:). Of Celmis, 224:Walter Burkert 208: 207:Idaean Dactyls 205: 77: 76: 31: 29: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 714: 703: 700: 698: 695: 693: 690: 688: 685: 684: 682: 672: 668: 665: 664: 660: 650: 647: 643: 637: 634: 630: 626: 621: 618: 613: 612: 608: 603: 598: 596: 592: 588: 582: 579: 575: 571: 570: 566: 561: 556: 553: 549: 545: 544: 538: 535: 531: 525: 522: 518: 513: 510: 503: 499: 496: 494: 491: 489: 486: 483: 479: 478:asteroid moon 475: 472: 471: 467: 465: 463: 459: 455: 451: 447: 443: 440:it was told ( 439: 435: 431: 427: 423: 415: 413: 411: 407: 403: 399: 398:autochthonous 395: 391: 387: 379: 377: 375: 371: 370: 365: 364: 359: 358: 353: 352: 347: 346:Olympic Games 343: 339: 334: 332: 328: 320: 319:Ancient Greek 316: 311: 309: 305: 300: 298: 294: 289: 287: 283: 279: 275: 274: 273:Metamorphoses 269: 265: 261: 257: 253: 249: 245: 244: 233: 229: 225: 221: 214: 206: 204: 201: 193: 189: 185: 181: 177: 173: 168: 166: 162: 158: 154: 150: 147:, whether as 146: 142: 138: 131: 130:Ancient Greek 125: 92: 88: 84: 73: 70: 62: 59:December 2021 52: 48: 44: 38: 37: 32:This article 30: 21: 20: 670: 667:Karl Kerenyi 649: 641: 636: 620: 605: 586: 581: 563: 555: 547: 541: 537: 529: 524: 512: 445: 433: 429: 421: 419: 383: 373: 367: 361: 355: 349: 337: 335: 312: 307: 301: 290: 271: 259: 251: 241: 227: 217: 202: 191: 180:Psychro Cave 169: 145:Great Mother 136: 90: 86: 80: 65: 56: 33: 611:Book 7.56.3 569:Book 7.56.3 543:Argonautica 532:1951:83-85; 462:thunderbolt 384:On Rhodes, 252:Damnameneus 681:Categories 661:References 394:Underworld 327:Samothrace 304:Korybantes 165:Hephaestus 157:Korybantes 43:improve it 642:Geography 629:Sophocles 589:1985:173. 585:Burkert, 528:Kerenyi, 517:Pausanias 426:Asclepius 386:Telchines 176:Mount Ida 47:verifying 640:Strabo, 625:Zenobius 615:Rhodes." 468:See also 446:Theogony 430:Epimedes 422:Paionios 402:Poseidon 390:chthonic 374:Acesidas 357:Epimedes 338:Herakles 323:Κάβειροι 286:Zenobius 228:daktyloi 172:Ankhiale 137:Dáktuloi 134:Δάκτυλοι 91:Daktyloi 673:, 1951. 644:10.3.22 482:243 Ida 454:Ploutos 450:Demeter 408:in his 351:Aeonius 315:Cabeiri 293:Curetes 282:adamant 264:casting 258:), and 237:Ἀδράστη 182:on the 161:Cabeiri 159:or the 141:fingers 128:; from 87:Dactyls 41:Please 692:Cybele 574:Hesiod 493:Goetia 474:Dactyl 442:Hesiod 438:Iasion 434:Iasios 432:, and 412:role. 410:Helios 406:Apollo 297:Strabo 260:Celmis 256:hammer 232:Hesiod 149:Cybele 85:, the 504:Notes 476:, an 363:Iasus 254:(the 248:anvil 246:(the 243:Acmon 220:Crete 170:When 458:Zeus 369:Idas 313:The 278:Zeus 270:(in 268:Ovid 188:Gaia 153:Rhea 480:of 428:), 372:or 250:), 151:or 89:or 81:In 45:by 683:: 669:. 609:, 604:. 594:^ 567:, 562:. 444:, 321:: 132:: 631:. 317:( 262:( 215:. 194:( 139:" 124:/ 121:z 118:l 115:ɪ 112:t 109:k 106:æ 103:d 100:ˈ 97:/ 93:( 72:) 66:( 61:) 57:( 39:.

Index

original research
improve it
verifying
inline citations
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Greek mythology
/ˈdæktɪlz/
Ancient Greek
fingers
Great Mother
Cybele
Rhea
Korybantes
Cabeiri
Hephaestus
Ankhiale
Mount Ida
Psychro Cave
Lasithi Plateau
Gaia
Idaean Dactyls (poem)
Crete
Walter Burkert
Hesiod
Acmon
anvil
hammer
casting
Ovid
Metamorphoses

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