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Iardanus (father of Omphale)

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In Greek mythology, Iardanus or Iardanos (Ancient Greek: Ἰάρδανος), also called Iardanes (Ancient Greek: Ἰαρδάνης), was a king of Lydia, and the father of Omphale, the Lydian queen who for a time owned Heracles as her slave. This is perhaps the same Iardanus which Herodotus refers to when he says that the Heracleidae were descendants of Heracles and "a female slave of Iardanus" (a reference to Omphale?).

Sources

Ancient

Apollodorus

2.6.3

After the delivery of the oracle, Hermes sold Hercules, and he was bought by Omphale, daughter of Iardanes, queen of Lydia, to whom at his death her husband Tmolus had bequeathed the government.

Diodorus Siculus

4.31.5

There he willingly submitted to be sold by one of his friends and became the slave of Omphalê, the daughter of Iardanus, who was still unmarried and was queen of the people who were called at that time Maeonians, but now Lydians.

Herodotus

1.7.4

[Strassler:] ... The Heraklids were descendants of a slave-woman of Iardanos^b, and Herakles.

[p. 7] 1.4.4b The Greek is ambiguous here. Some scholars have called her the daughter of Iardanos.

Godley: The Heraclidae, descendants of Heracles and a female slave of Iardanus, received the sovereignty from these and held it, because of an oracle; and they ruled for twenty-two generations, or five hundred and five years, son succeeding father, down to Candaules son of Myrsus.

Ovid

Heroides

9.103

[To Heracles:] The nymph-daughter of Iardanus^a has even tricked herself out in your arms,

^a Omphale.

Palaephatus

On Unbelievable Tales 44

Omphale

It is said about Omphale that Heracles served her. This account is silly. For he was master of her and her possessions. Something like this happened. Omphale was the daugher of Iardanos the king of the Lydians. She heard of Heracles' strength, and pretended to love him. Heracles approached and was caught by love for her, and fathered a son with her. He was delighted with Omphale and did whatever she asked. The naive supposed that he served her.

• Stafford, p. 10

Modern

Gantz

p. 439

Our later sources furnish some details. In Diodorus, ...sell him to Omphale, daughter of Iardanos [DS 4.31.5-8]. ...

p. 440

Apollodorus' account is ... Omphale is here the daughter of Iardanes and the widow of Tmolos, from whom she has inherited her rule.

Grimal

s.v. Omphale

The legend of Heracles and Omphale in its best-known form makes the latter a queen of Lydia and daughter of King Iardanus in whose palace Heracles was serving as a slave. ... As well as the genealogy given above, there is a tradition in certain authors that Omphale was the daughter or widow of King Tmolus who bequeathed his kingdom to her. ...

Hard

p. 274

Omphale, daughter of Iardanos (or Iardanes), was a widow who had assumed power in Lydia on the west coast of Asia Minor after the death of her husband Tmolos.

Parada

s.v. Iardanus

Ἰάρδανος

•

••

•••Omphale.

•••Apd.2.6.3., Dio.4.31.7

s.v. Omphale (Iardanus' Slave)

Queen of Lydia who bought Heracles 1 as a slave, ...

•Iardanus ∞

••1)Tmolus

••2) ...

D.Apd.2.6.3., ... •-••1)2)Apd.2.6.3. •Dio.4.31.7 ...

Scott

p. 387

Smith

s.v. Iardanes

(Ἰαρδάνης), a king of Lydia, and father of Omphale, who is hence called nympha Iardanis. (Apollod. 2.6.3; Ov. Ep. 9.103.) Herodotus (1.7) calls the Heracleidae in Lydia descendants of Heracles and a female slave of lardanus.

Tripp

s.v. Omphale

A queen of Lydia. Omphale, a daughter of Iardanus, ...