Epimenides' tale of the birth of Zeus

Abstract

It is suggested that Epimenides of Crete, a well-known Greek prophet, poet and politician (7th-6th century BC), placed Zeus' birthplace near the Cretan city of Arcadia (now Arkalochori). Callimachus' Hymn to Zeus seems to have been modelled on Epimenides' version of the birthstory of the principal god. It not only contains an exact imitation of the prophet's words "the Cretans are always liars" ( ) and the same arguments, but also records some of Epimenides' aetiological tales, e.g. on the Omphalian plain and the Mountain Panacra. Callimachus of Cyrene partially changed the original legend of Zeus' birth, transferring Arcadia from Crete to Peloponnese. However, some contradictions and inconsistencies which appear in Callimachus' Hymn to Zeus provide credible evidence for establishing Epimenides' version of the myth.