Melampus

The greatest seer in Greek mythology. Melampus (Melampous or Μελάμπους) was a son of Amythaon and Idomene. He was also the brother of Bias. Melampus was an Aeolid (descendant of Aeolus) from Thessaly.

When Pelias drove his brother and half-brothers from Iolcus, Amythaon and his family moved to Pylos where Pelias' brother Neleus ruled.

There are two variations as to how Melampus gained his gift in divination.

In the Great Eoiae, he was staying with a friend named Polyphantes who was sacrificing an ox to the god when a serpent killed some of Polyphantes' servants. Polyphantes angrily killed the snake, but Melampus saved the dead serpent's offspring and brought it up.

But according to Apollodorus, it was Melampus' servants who killed the snake and he saved and reared the dead snake's young ones; here there was no mention of Polyphantes.

Whichever was the case, the young snakes rewarded him by licking his ears while he was asleep, cleaning or purifying his ears out, so that Melampus could understand the languages of animals such as the birds.

Melampus loved his brother enough to use his skill for Bias on several occasions. He helped Bias win his first wife, Pero, who was a daughter of Neleus. Neleus wanted the cattle of King Phylacus of Phylace as his bride price. Melampus went to Phylacus, but was captured and imprisoned. In his cell, after a year had passed, he learned from the woodworms that they had nearly eaten through the wooden rafter. Melampus asked the warder to be moved to another cell. As Melampus left his cell, the roof collapsed in his cell.

Phylacus, upon learning of Melampus' remarkable skills, wanted the seer to help cure his son Iphiclus. Iphiclus was an Argonaut and one of the fastest mortals alive, able to run on top of crops without bending the stalks. Iphiclus was suffering from sexual impotence. Melampus agreed to cure the king's son in return for some of the cattle.

A vulture remembered how the young Iphiclus came to his present condition. When Iphiclus saw his father coming to him with a bloody knife, it frightened the boy. Phylcus left the knife buried in the tree and went to comfort his son. Melampus told the king to scrape the rust off the knife and put it into a cup of wine. When Iphiclus drank the wine, he was cured. Iphiclus' sons, Protesilaus and Podarces, would later fight a war in Troy. Melampus returned to Pylos with the cattle and Bias married Neleus' daughter.

The brothers stayed in Pylos until Pero died. The brothers then moved to Argos. They were asked to come when Proëtus heard of Melampus' ability. Proëtus (Proetus) was the king of Argos (or Tiryns) and he was the father of three daughters, Iphinoë, Iphianassa and Lysippe. His daughters were suffering from madness and leprosy, and roaming through the countryside and mountains. Different sources gave different causes of the madness. Some said that Proetus refused to honour Dionysus, while others said that Hera brought about this affliction.

Melampus demanded that he would receive a third of the kingdom in return for a cure for Proëtus' daughters. Proëtus was indignant at this fee, so the king refused. But after some time had passed, the madness spread to another part of the community.

Proëtus and his advisers realised the danger of further spreading the affliction, and decided to accept Melampus' terms. However, Melampus demanded another third of the kingdom, which was to be given to his brother. The king accepted all of Melampus' demands.

Melampus took some Argive youths with him, driving the women out of the mountains to Sicyon. Iphinoë, Proëtus' eldest daughter, had died on the journey. His other two daughters and the Argive women were cured after they had all undergone thorough purification.

In return for curing his daughters, he married off his daughters to Bias and Melampus. Bias married Iphianassa, while Lysippe became Melampus' wife. Melampus became the father of Antiphates, Abas and Mentius while his brother was the father of Anaxibia. Many of his descendants were also gifted seers, like Polyeidus and Amphiaraus. See the genealogies the Houses of Seers and the House of Proteus.

Their descendants would fight in the ill-fated war against Thebes, known as the Seven Against Thebes.