Iapetus

For the moon of Saturn, see Iapetus (moon). For other uses, see Iapetus (disambiguation).
Iapetus
The Titan of Mortality
Member of the Titans
AbodeTartarus
BattlesTitanomachy
Genealogy
ParentsUranus and Gaia
Siblings
  • Briareos
  • Cottus
  • Gyges
Other siblings
ConsortAsia or Clymene
OffspringAtlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Anchiale, Buphagus

In Greek mythology, Iapetus (/aɪˈæpɪtəs/; eye-AP-ih-təs;[1] Ancient Greek: Ἰαπετός, romanized: Iapetós),[2] also Japetus, is a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia[3] and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He was also called the father of Buphagus[4] and Anchiale[5] in other sources.

Iapetus was linked to Japheth (Hebrew: יֶפֶת), one of the sons of Noah and a progenitor of mankind in biblical accounts.[by whom?] The practice by early historians and biblical scholars of identifying various historical nations and ethnic groups as descendants of Japheth, together with the similarity of their names, led to a fusion of their identities, from the early modern period to the present.[6][7]

  1. ^ Wells, John (14 April 2010). "Iapetus and tonotopy". John Wells's phonetic blog. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  2. ^ Of uncertain etymology; R. S. P. Beekes has suggested a pre-Greek origin (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, pp. 573–4).
  3. ^ Hesiod, Theogony 135; Diodorus Siculus, 5.66.3; Clement of Alexandria, Recognitions 31; Apollodorus, 1.1.3
  4. ^ Pausanias, 8.27.17
  5. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Anchiale
  6. ^ Alexander, Philip (1988). "Retelling the Old Testament". In Carson, D. A.; Williamson, H. G. M. (eds.). It is Written: Scripture Citing Scripture: Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 99–121. ISBN 9780521323475.
  7. ^ Haaland, Gunnar (2011). "Convenient Fiction Or Causal Factor? The Questioning Of Jewish Antiquity According To Against Apion 1.2". In Pastor, Jack; Stern, Pnina; Mor, Menahem (eds.). Flavius Josephus: Interpretation and history. Leiden: Brill. pp. 163–175. ISBN 978-90-04-19126-6.