Cephalus or Kephalos (/ˈsɛfələs/; Ancient Greek: Κέφαλος) is an ancient Greek masculine name. The name is connected with the Greek word κεφαλή (kephalē), meaning “head”.[1][2]
The name was borne by several figures in Greek mythology, most notably the husband of Procris and the beloved of Eos, and by a number of historical figures in classical antiquity.
Mythological figures
Several mythological figures are named Cephalus:
- Cephalus, son of Hermes and Herse. In Pseudo-Apollodorus, Herse bears Cephalus to Hermes.[3]
- Cephalus, son of Deioneus, husband of Procris and beloved of Eos.[4]
The myth of Cephalus and Procris was especially well known in ancient and later literature. In one common version, Cephalus accidentally kills Procris with a hunting spear after a sequence of suspicion, disguise and misunderstanding.[4]
Historical figures
The name was also borne by several historical figures:
- Cephalus of Syracuse, son of Lysanias, a wealthy metic and arms manufacturer living in Athens. He appears as an elderly interlocutor of Socrates in the opening book of Plato‘s Republic.[5] He was the father of the orator Lysias, the philosopher Polemarchus, and Euthydemus.
- Cephalus, an Athenian orator who flourished after the time of the Thirty Tyrants.[6]
- Cephalus, a Molossian who supported Perseus of Macedon during the Third Macedonian War.[6]
Etymological use
The Greek root κεφαλ- is also found in scientific and taxonomic terms derived from Greek, especially words referring to the head or head-like structures.[2]
See also
References
- ^ “Κέφαλος”. Logeion. University of Chicago. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ a b “κεφαλή”. Logeion. University of Chicago. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus. “Bibliotheca”. Perseus Digital Library. 3.14.3. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ^ a b Hyginus. “Fabulae”. ToposText. 125. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ^ Plato. “Republic”. Perseus Digital Library. Book 1, 327a–331d. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ^ a b Smith, William (1867). “Cephalus”. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Little, Brown and Company. p. 191.
Sources
- Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus, translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the ToposText Project.
- Pseudo-Apollodorus, The Library, translated by Sir James George Frazer. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- William Smith, ed. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray, 1870.
External links
The dictionary definition of Cephalus at Wiktionary- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Cephalus at the Internet Archive
