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Iarbas (or Hiarbas) was a legendary Libyan/Berbers figure, who was mentioned by the Greek philosopher and historian Plutarch as well as in works by various Roman authors including Ovid and Virgil. The character is possibly based on a real historical king of Numidia.
" Iarbas was the first being begotten, that he was born in the parched plain, and that he seized (to feed) the sweet acorn of Jupiter."- PlutarchIn Roman mythology and Libyan mythology, Iarbas was the son of Jupiter-Amun (Amun was a North African god associated by the Romans with Jupiter, and known for his oracle) and a Garamantes nymph.Virgil Aeneid 4.198. Iarbas was said to have led an army across the Libyan desert, however he and his army began suffering from severe thirst. Iarbas implored for the assistance of his father Amun for aid, the god sent him a Sheep (the animal of the god) and Iarbas and his army followed the ram to a location, where, the ram struck his hooves to the ground and up sprang a water source, and this is how the libyans began attributing the animal to Amun (libyans origin of the cult of ram worship).
Iarbas became the king of Gaetuli. According to Virgil's Aeneid, he was the prince suitor for the Ancient Carthage queen Dido, Iarbas comments that Carthage is a city of pitiful size and tells Dido how glorious the city could rise from an important marriage with him an infinitly powerful king and a son of Ammon, she however rejected his advances, he then completely drops out of the story after the rejectionVirgil Aeneid 4.213-4.
Variations of the story were referred to by Ovid. In Ovid's Heroides, Dido describes Iarbas as one of her suitors, her own people arranged a forced marriage between her and king Iarbas so that Carthage may rise to glory Aeneas would be handing her over as a captive if he should leave her she told him,Ovid Heroides 7.125. however Aeneas leaves her bitterly to found Rome and she takes her own life from grief of separation. In Ovid's Fasti, Iarbas and the Numidians take over Dido's land after her suicide, resulting in his capturing her palace.Ovid Fasti 3.551-4.
Macrobius, and Pompeius Trogus also tell versions of the myth; in Justin's epitome of Pompeius he is king of the Muxitani.
Silius Italicus, in his epic poem Punica borrows the name of Hiarbas for one of his characters.Martin T. Dinter, "Epitaphic Gestures in Statius and Silius Italicus", in Antony Augoustakis (ed.), Ritual and Religion in Flavian Epic (Oxford University Press, ), pp. 267–286, at 277. Hiarbas is the Gately leader of the Gaetuli, Nasamones and Macae and the father of Asbyte, one of the Carthaginian leaders in the Second Punic War.. He traces his ancestry back to Jupiter.Alison M. Keith, "Engendering Orientalism in Silius' Pvnica", in Antony Agoustakis (ed.), Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus (Brill, 2010), pp. 353–373, at 367. He is killed by the Saguntine hero Murrus.
Iarbas is briefly referenced in Dante's Purgatorio as owning part of the land south of Italy.Dante Purgatorio 31.72. Iarbas is also a character in Christopher Marlowe's play Dido, Queen of Carthage.
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