Ascus (Ancient Greek: Ἄσκος) was a giant from ancient Greek mythology, who in conjunction with Lycurgus of Thrace chained the god Dionysus and threw him into a river. The god Hermes (or, according to other tellings, Zeus) rescued Dionysus, conquered (ἐδαμασεν) the giant, flayed him, and made a bag (ἄσκος) of his skin.
A folk etymology once said that the town of Damascus in Syria derived its name from this event, though the name of that city dates back to at least the 15th century BCE.
References
- Etymologicum Magnum s.v. Δαμασκός
- Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica s.v. Δαμασκός
- Schürer, Emil (2014). Vermes, Geza (ed.). The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ. Vol. 2. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 9781472558299.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Schmitz, Leonhard (1870). "Ascus". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. p. 384.