Melampus Greek A descendant of Aeolis and a cousin of Jason.

Melampus Greek A descendant of Aeolis and a cousin of Jason. Melampus was a seer, taught by the god Apollo, and perhaps the first mortal in Greek mythology to possess prophetic powers. One story has it that Melampus saved the lives of a nest of young snakes. In gratitude they "cleaned out Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) created this bust of the witch Medusa and the snakes that form her hair. It is in the Musei Capitolini in Rome. (Photograph by Marie-Lan Nguyen.) 90 Medea his ears" with their forked tongues so that he could hear and understand the languages of birds and other animals. Melampus used this special knowledge to win a bride for his brother, Bias. The desired maiden was Pero, daughter of King Neleus of Pylos, in the kingdom of Messene on the west-central coast of the Peloponnesus. Neleus asked as bride-price, or dowry, the cattle of a neighboring king, Phylacus. The cattle were guarded by a dog that never slept. Melampus was caught trying to steal them and thrown into a prison cell. During the night, he heard worms gnawing at a beam and saying that the beam would fall by dawn. Melampus demanded a new cell. When the roof of his old cell crashed down, Phylacus was so impressed that he released Melampus. Phylacus then begged Melampus to cure the sickness of his son, Iphiclus, with his magic powers. Melampus heard two birds talking to each other about a knife that had been stuck into an oak tree for many years. By finding the knife and scraping its rust onto Iphiclus, Melampus cured the boy's affliction. As a reward, Melampus was given the cattle and his brother Bias got the bride. In Argos, another kingdom of the Peloponnesus, Melampus helped rid the king's daughters of madness by immersing them in a holy well. As a reward, he won part of the kingdom of King Proetus and took one of the now sane daughters as his bride.