ARISTAEUS
Greek Agriculture God
Also known as Argeos, Aristaios, Nomios
Pastoral God
Particularly keen on Honey and Dairy produce.
The son of Cyrene and Apollo, he had a good education thanks to being taught by the Centaur Chiron and a team of Nymphs. Fond of country pursuits, Aristaeus grew olives and went in for bee-keeping in a big way. He also cultivated the art of curdling milk and may have made the first goat’s milk cheese. We go to enormous lengths to cater for all tastes.
Aristaeus married a daughter of Cadmus and had a son Acteon, who upset Artemis and was sadly eaten. Aristaeus himself was fond of pursuing nymphs and Dryads — particularly Eurydice. It was running away from his advances that caused her to tread on a viper with such tragic results.
The Dryads (her ilk) sought revenge by killing all his bees. He ran to Mother who sent him to Proteus, who had to be restrained before he would consent to do anything. Then four bulls and four heifers had to be sacrificed — and then there was a big buzz as swarms of bees emerged from each carcass.
Aristaeus Facts and Figures
Name: Aristaeus
Pronunciation: Coming soon
Alternative names: Argeos, Aristaios, Nomios
Gender: Male
Type: God
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present
Role:
In charge of: Agriculture and Farming
Area of expertise: Agriculture, Farming
Good/Evil Rating: Unknown at present
Popularity index: 6424
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Article last revised on September 06, 2018 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders
References: Coming soon.