In Greek mythology, Abderus or Abderos (Ancient Greek: Ἄβδηρος) was a Greek hero, reputed by some to be one of Heracles' lovers (Eromenos), and reputedly a son of Hermes by some accounts, and eponym of Abdera, Thrace.[Pseudo-Scymnus, Circuit de la terre 646 ff.]
Family
Some sources say he was the son of the god Hermes and a native of
Opuntian Locris in
Locris,
[Apollodorus, 2.5.8] and according to other writers, he was the son of
Thromius the
Locrians.
[Strabo, 7.8.43 p. 331 & 7.8.46] Pindar makes Abderus a son of
Poseidon and
Thronia,
[Pindar, fr. 52b Race.] while
Photius writes that he was brother of
Patroclus,
[ Photius, Bibliotheca excerpts, §190.39] and according to Hellanicus (who considers him the son of Hermes), he was
Heracles' lover.
[Gantz, p. 396; Fowler, p. 287; FGrHist 4 F105.]
Mythology
Abderus was mostly known for his tragic role in . Along with others, he helped Heracles capture the four savage mares of Diomedes the king of the Thracian
Bistoni. Heracles overpowered the grooms and drove the Mares of Diomedes into the sea and left them in the care of Abderus. However, while Heracles was away, the horses devoured Abderus.
[Philostratus of Lemnos, Eikones 2.25] In revenge, Heracles fed Diomedes alive to his own mares.
Heracles was heartbroken upon Abderus's death, weeping, hugging and wailing over what remained of his lover.
Enemy variation
In some very different traditions, instead of helping Heracles with his Eighth Labor, Abderus (or Abdertis) was a servant of Diomedes, and was killed by Heracles together with his master and his four men-devouring horses.
[Hyginus, Fabulae 30][Philostratus, Heroicus 696 & 730]
Notes
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Apollodorus, Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
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Fowler, R. L., Early Greek Mythography: Volume 2: Commentary, Oxford University Press, 2013. . Google Books.
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Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2).
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Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
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Philostratus , Heroica, translation by Jennifer K. Berenson Maclean and Ellen Bradshaw Aitken, Flavius Philostratus: On Heroes, WGRW 3 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002), XX. Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
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Philostratus the Elder. Imagines, translated by Arthur Fairbanks (1864-1944). Loeb Classical Library Volume 256. London: William Heinemann, 1931. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
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Pindar, Nemean Odes. Isthmian Odes. Fragments, edited and translated by William H. Race, Loeb Classical Library No. 485, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1997. . Online version at Harvard University Press.
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Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Abde'rus"
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Strabo, The Geography of Strabo. Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
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On the agones: Philostratus II 25.
