Talk:Amalthea (mythology)

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Comments[edit]

It could be seen as a connection to the norse gods, that Zeus was suckled by a goat and Odin drove around in a cart drawn by goats. Zeus had a son, Herakles or Hercules, that was famous for his strength; and Odin ( or Wodin ) also had a son, Thor, famous for feats of strength. Also of interest is the similarity between the Fates of Ancient Greece and the Norn or Wierd sisters of the Norse. Three sisters for either pantheon.

POV[edit]

I just removed a large chunk of the article, mostly dealing with the origins of the Greek deities, saying that they were the deities of the ancestors of the Albanian people, and saying the connections between Amalthea and they would be obvious to a 12 year old. If that section had been better written and with some citations for the information given, i probably wouldn't have deleted it. I did also take issue with the claim that the Greeks were Semitic and the Albanians somehow aren't Indo-European, which most scholars agree to, but I'll leave that aside for now. Ryan 04:56, 4 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Unicorn[edit]

It was written the Greeks disassociated Amalthea from the Unicorn, however Amalthea is identified with the constellation, Capricorn. Capricorn's relation to Virgo, the Virgin, may be related to the medieval symbolism of Unicorn and Virgin. If that is the case, the one-horned Amalthea is connected to the manifestations of the Unicorn, with Amalthea being the Greek's version. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gypsyfingers (talk • contribs) 04:33, 16 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Greeks never identified Amalthea with the unicorn (of India), and neither does the Wikipedia article. Medieval associations of the Virgin are related to Virgo, not Capricorn. No "connection" of Amalthea, the goat nymph, with a unicorn, a late arrival in Greek literature, is warranted. This is a good example of why "original research" is not permitted in Wikipedia articles. --Wetman (talk) 09:31, 16 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You didn't read correctly. I didn't say Amalthea was associated to Virgo. Read again. I said, since Amalthea is related to Capricorn which is astrologically related to Virgo. Then, the medieval Unicorn myth which was developed AFTER the Greeks could have derived from the Capricorn/ Virgo relationship. How could the Greeks relate the Unicorn with Amalthea when it was before their time? That does not prove the Greeks did not have A unicorn (not THE unicorn) identification of Amalthea. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gypsyfingers (talk • contribs) 23:35, 1 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No, Gypsyfingers— and anyone else who may be looking in— Amaltheia is not in fact "identified" or "related" to Capricorn in any way— whatever astrobabble vaguely to that effect may be googled up on the Internet. "Amaltheia was placed amongst the stars as the constellation Capra--the group of stars surrounding Capella on the arm (ôlenê) of Auriga the Charioteer:" thus says dependable Theoi Project (click this link and read up on Amaltheia). Capra simply means "she-goat", "nanny-goat".

So, Capricornus, first, is a male goat, and, second, Capricorn is a sea-goat with the rear end of a fish, retaining to this day the image established in its Babylonian origin. There is no connection in a Greek or Latin literary source or any ritual or inscription to join the two, though Amalthea was in fact "set among the stars". Whatever "astrological relation" Capricorn might have with Virgo among hobbyists has nothing whatsoever to do with the goat-nymph Amalthea, subject of this article.

Well then, as for Amalthea placed among the stars, the first place one would look for such catasterisms is Hyginus, Poetic Astronomy, isn't that so? Hyginus' passage about Amalthea may be effortlessly checked in this on-line text.

The circularity Amalthea "relates to" Capricorn "relates to" Virgo "relates to" medieval Virgin "relates to" Unicorn "relates to" Amalthea— whether or not that's being suggested at the opening of this thread above— is just gabble-gabble.

Unicorns are not part of any Greek mythology whatsoever: they are legendary figments of Hellenistic (that's post-Alexander) natural history, and in that way turn up mentioned in Pliny. Quite another ball game played in another ballpark.--Wetman (talk) 06:13, 2 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have replaced the former misleading text with a new section "Amalthea placed among the stars" supported by a quote from Hyginus. --Wetman (talk) 06:41, 2 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Just a friendly suggestion. Perhaps there should be a header for "Amalthea" in popular culture. Amalthea is the name of the Unicorn in the movie "The Last Unicorn". Noblenutria (talk) 08:11, 2 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]