June 15: International Working Animal Day

The seer Melampous had the ability to talk to animals, ever since a snake had licked his ears. This talent came in handy when a desperate king asked for his help to cure his son’s severe anxiety disorder. Melampous found out the cause of the boy’s distress from some eagle-eyed vultures and solved the case. He later also cured the cursed daughters of king Proitos. As a punishment for their intolerable vanity, they had gone mad and roamed the countryside, convinced to be cows. After healing them, probably with the help of mice or squirrels, he married the prettiest of the three and acquired half of her father’s kingdom as a bonus. Now obviously, this sudden wealth attracted people with malicious intentions and on a trip overseas, he was kidnapped. This time, it were insects that saved the day. In his cell, he heard termites boasting about eating away the foundations of the building. He warned the guards right before it collapsed and everybody was out in time. Upon which he was respectfully released and went on to inspire blockbuster movies till today.

Dancing Maenad, Relief, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Melampus cures the daughters of Proetus, Cameo Brooch,

Cabinet des Médailles et Antiques, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France

Did you know...

• It’s said that Melampous used potions based on hellebore extract. The hellebore plant was commonly used in medicine, although it’s rather toxic. (Cfr.“The Christmas Rose”)