Amalthea

Ămalthēa, ae, f., = Ἀμάλθεια.

• A nymph, daughter of Melissus, king of Crete, who fed Jupiter with goat's milk, Hyg. Fab. 139.—Acc. to others, Amalthea is the name of the goat itself, one of whose horns, accidentally broken off, was placed among the stars as the Cornu Amaltheae, or Cornu copiae, Hyg. Astr. 2, 13; 3, 12. From this horn nectar and ambrosia are said to have flowed; hence, it was the emblem of plenty, Ov. F. 5, 121; Hor. C. 1, 17, 14; id. C. S. 59; id. Ep. 1, 12, 28.—Hence, meton.: Ămalthēa, ae, f., or Ămalthēum, i, n.; in Cic., the name of a library (acc. to others, an old sanctuary of Amalthea near the villa of Atticus, in Epirus, adorned with inscriptions, etc., by Atticus, in imitation of which Cicero made a similar one at Arpinum): Amalthea mea te exspectat, Cic. Att. 2, 1 fin.; 1, 16 fin.—
• II The name of the Cumaean sibyl: Quidquid Amalthea dixit, Tib. 2, 5, 67; cf. Lact. 1, 6; Serv. ad Verg. A. 6, 72.

Amalthēa, ae, f. (Ἀμάλθεια), I) eine Nymphe, Tochter des Königs Melissus in Kreta, die mit der Milch einer Ziege den Jupiter nährte, Hyg. astr. 2, 13. Nach andern hieß diese Ziege selbst Amalthea, deren zufällig an einem Baume abgebrochenes Horn von Jupiter später als cornu Amaltheae od. Copiae (s. cornū no. I) unter die Sterne versetzt wurde. Aus dem Horne soll Nektar u. Ambrosia geflossen sein, dah. Sinnbild des Überflusses, s. Ov. fast 5, 115 sqq. – dah. Amalthēa, ae, f. (Ἀμάλθεια), u. Amalthēum od. Amalthīum, ī, n. (Ἀμαλθεῖον), warsch. (nach Orelli Onomast. Cic. in v.) ein altes Heiligtum der Nymphe Amalthea, nahe beim Landgute des Attikus in Epirus am Flusse Thyamis, das Attikus durch Anpflanzen von Platanen u. durch griech. Inschriften u. Basreliefs, die sich auf den Mythus der Amalthea bezogen, verschönerte u. zu einem reizenden Sommeraufenthalt machte, Cic. de legg. 2, 7 (Halm u. Baiter Amalthio); ad Att. 1, 13, 1 u.ö. – Nach ihm legte sich Cicero ein ähnliches auf seinem Arpinum an, s. Cic. ad Att. 2, 1, 11. – II) eine Sibylle, Varr. fr. p. 217 B. Tibull. 2, 5, 67; mit der kumanischen identifiziert b. Lact. 1, 6, 10.

Ămalthēa, (15) æ, f. , Amalthée : ¶ 1 chèvre [ou nymphe ?] qui nourrit Jupiter de son lait : Ov. F. 5, 115 ¶ 2 -thēa, æ, f. ou -thēum, ou -thīum, ī, n. , sanctuaire élevé à Amalthée dans la maison de campagne dʼAtticus en Épire, puis dans celle de Cicéron à Arpinum : Cic. Leg. 2, 7 ; Att. 2, 1, 11 ¶ 3 une sibylle : Tib. 2, 5, 67.

Amalthēa

(Ἀμάλθεια). A figure in Greek mythology. The name was sometimes applied to a goat which suckled the new-born Zeus in Crete, while bees brought him honey, and which was therefore set among the stars by her nursling; sometimes to a nymph who was supposed to possess a miraculous horn, a symbol of plenty, and whose descent was variously given. According to another legend she is the daughter of the Cretan king Melisseus, and brings up the infant god on the milk of a goat, while her sister Melissa (a bee) offers him honey. The horn of the goat is given to her by Zeus, with the promise that she shall always find in it whatever she wishes. From her the cornucopia passed into the possession of the river-god Acheloüs, who exchanged it for his own horn, which Heracles had broken off. It is also assigned to Dionysus, to Plutus, and to other gods of earthly felicity. See Cornu Copiae; Zeus.

Amalthea Amalthea, infant Zeus fed on the milk of

• Apollod. 1.1.4
• daughter of Haemonius, the horn of: Apollod. 2.7.4, Paus. 4.30.6, Paus. 6.19.6, Paus. 6.25.4, Paus. 6.26.8