Hind of Keryneia
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- "Such a noble creature. The gods themselves will be envious of this hunt."
- ―Kassandra[src]
The Hind of Keryneia was a legendary deer who inhabited a marshy area within Artemision Point in Euboea, Greece during the 5th century BCE.
It was named after Keryneia in Achaia, Greece, where the story said it lived.
History[edit | edit source]
Mythology[edit | edit source]
In Greek mythology, the Keryneian Hind was a large deer which was said to be even faster than a flying arrow. Despite this, or maybe because of it, King Eurystheas of Mycenae commanded his cousin Herakles to capture the hind as the third task.[1]
According to the story, Herakles chased the deer on foot for a year, going as far as Thrace and Istria in the Adriatic Sea. How the chase ended varies: one story claims Herakles caught the deer while it was asleep, another that the goddess Artemis herself helped him after he promised not to harm the beast, which was sacred to her.[1]
5th century BCE[edit | edit source]
During the Peloponnesian War, the majestic deer was revered by the Daughters of Artemis. Their leader at the time, Daphnae, considered the deer to be part of a series of trials or tests: "beasts that roam this world but are not fully of it." Because of this, she tasked the Spartan misthios Kassandra to hunt down the Hind among other such beasts of legend. As proof of her success, Kassandra took the Hind's pelt back to Daphnae in Phokis.[2]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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The Hind dead at Kassandra's feet -
A metope depicting Herakles and the mythical Hind -
Concept Art featuring the Hind among other legendary animals
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Euboea: The Keryneian Hind
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Hind of Keryneia