Greek Myths XS: The Legend of the Ant-People

Most indigenous people have legends about their origins, and in ancient Greece, that was no different. Among the most famous Greek tribes, we find the “Myrmidons”, or “ant-people”. They were the indigenous inhabitants of the island of Oinone, which became the sanctuary of the nymph Aigina, when supreme god Zeus had made her pregnant (in the form of a flame). Their son, Aiakos, grew up to be king, and renamed the island Aigina, after his mother. Now, supreme goddess Hera went wild with jealousy, witnessing this family bliss, and she sent a deadly plague that unalived all the inhabitants. Aiakos turned to his father Zeus in desperation and begged him to repopulate his kingdom. Zeus didn’t want to go to the process of creating people out of clay all over again, and chose to transform ants (“murmèkes”) into humans instead. The Myrmidons would become a force to be reckoned with, fierce and hardy as ants, and loyal to their leaders, of which king Aiakos’ grandson, the hero Achilles, is definitely the most famous one.

Aegina visited by Jupiter, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Myrmidon Statue, Farsala, Greece.

Did you know?

• About Aiakos/Aeacus: cfr. “Three Wise Men”.

• Aegina is one of the Greek islands in the Saronic Gulf.

• About Hera: cfr. “Queen of Heaven”.

• About Achilles: cfr. “A Very Special Child”.

• Aigina/Aegina was the daughter of the rivergod Asopos. When he went to Zeus/Jupiter to complain about his daughter’s ordeal, Zeus literally blew him away.