Hippopodes
Sign in to saveHippopodes, meaning "horse-footed," is an allegorical creature in Greek mythology that is often associated with greed. According to the myth, the Hippopodes were a tribe of beings with the lower bodies of horses and the upper bodies of men. They were said to have guarded a fabulous treasure, but their insatiable greed made them unwilling to share it with anyone. This greed ultimately led to their downfall. The allegory of the Hippopodes serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of greed and avarice.
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4 sectionsContents
- Ancient sources
- Later accounts
- See also
- References
Hippopodes, meaning "horse-footed," is an allegorical creature in Greek mythology that is often associated with greed. According to the myth, the Hippopodes were a tribe of beings with the lower bodies of horses and the upper bodies of men. They were said to have guarded a fabulous treasure, but their insatiable greed made them unwilling to share it with anyone. This greed ultimately led to their downfall. The allegory of the Hippopodes serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of greed and avarice.
== Ancient sources == According to some ancient geographers, the Hippopodes shared an island with two other legendary races: the Panotti and Oeonae. Pliny the Elder's Natural History locates this island near the Scythian coast; Pomponius Mela's De situ orbis places it in or around the North Sea, mentioning it alongside Denmark and the Orkney Islands (Mela iii. § 56).