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In Greek mythology, the Cercopes /sərˈkoʊˌpiːz/ (Greek: Κέρκωπες, plural of Κέρκωψ, from κέρκος (n.) kerkos "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae or on Euboea but roamed the world and might turn up anywhere mischief was afoot. They were two brothers, but their names are given variously:

• Passalus /ˈpæsələs/ (Πάσσαλος) and Acmon /ˈækmən/ (Ἄκμων) or Aclemon
• Basalas /ˈbæsələs/ (Βάσαλας) and Achemon /əˈkiːmən/ (Ἄχημων)
• Olus /ˈoʊləs/ (Ὤλος) and Eurybatus /jəˈrɪbətəs/ (Εὐρύβατος)
• Candolus /ˌkænˈdoʊləs/ (Κάνδωλος) and Atlantus /ətˈlæntəs/ (Ἄτλαντος)
• Sillus /ˈsɪləs/ (Σίλλος) and Triballus /trɪˈbæləs/ (Τρίβαλλος)

Accounts of their origins vary depending on the context, but they are usually known as sons of Theia and Oceanus, thus ancient spirits.

Mythology

They were proverbial as liars, cheats, and accomplished knaves. They once stole Heracles' weapons, during the time he was the penitent servant of Omphale in Lydia. He seized and bound them at Ephesus and punished them by tying them to a shoulder pole he slung over his shoulder with their faces pointing downwards, the only way they appear on Greek vases. Their mother, Theia, begged Heracles to let her sons go. This particular myth is depicted on a metope at Temple C at Selinus. According to Pherecydes, the Cercopes were turned to stone.

As monkeys

In another myth, designed to explain their name ("tail-men" in Greek), Zeus changed the Cercopes into monkeys. This story inspired modern zoologists to name the genus of monkeys depicted in Minoan frescoes as Cercopithecus.

Monkeys figure in four Minoan frescos at Akrotiri, most famously in the crocus-gathering Xeste 3 fresco, where the monkey's ritual aspect, attending an enthroned female, is interpreted by Nanno Marinatos as servants of the divinity, acting as intermediary between humanity and the divine world. Green monkeys appear in Crete itself in the "House of the Frescoes" at Knossos, Monkeys are absent from Greek art. In Minoan art, it is assumed that they were exotic pets: "... the monkeys, which were imported to Crete, were pets that would have been placed where they could be seen and used by their owners, rather than simply abandoned in the countryside," concluded Shaw (1993). When Greek mythographers attempted to account for the name Pithecusae (“Ape Islands”) given to Ischia and Procida by the Bay of Naples, where no monkeys had been seen within human memory, they were reduced to alleging that they must have been deceitful men whom Zeus punished by turning them into apes. When scholars attempted to account for this exotic image they have been forced to search farther afield:

The story of Herakles and the Cercopes has been interpreted as a reminiscence of Phoenician traders bringing apes to Greek markets. See O. Keller, Thiere des classischen Alterthums (Innsbruck, 1887), p. 1. The interpretation may perhaps be supported by an Assyrian bas-relief which represents a Herculean male figure carrying an ape on his head and leading another ape by a leash, the animals being apparently brought as tribute to a king. See O. Keller, op. cit., p. 11, fig. 2.

Cline identified the monkey species in 1991 as guenons, or blue monkeys, which have bluish fur over their green skins. Scholars generally assume that the appearance of the blue monkey in Aegean iconography was due to the import of the actual animal from north Africa; they were iconic religious animals in Egypt

See also

Further references to the Cercopes can be found by the following classical authors:

• Diodorus Siculus. Bibliotheca Historia. 4.31.7.
• Nonnus. Westermann, A. (ed.). Mythographi Graeci. Appendix Narrationum, 39, p. 375.
• Tzetzes, Johannes. Chiliades. ii.431, vv. 73 ff.
• Zenobius. Cent. v. 10, Ovídio, Metamorphosis. book XIV, vv. 75–100.

Citations

1. Compare Cecrops.
2. Homerica, The Cercopes (from Suidas s.v. Kerkopes)
3. Tzetz. Chil. v. 75.
4. Suid. s. v. Eurubatos
5. Schol. ad Lucian. Alex
6. Lucian, Alexander the false prophet.
7. ^ Pseudo-Apollonius, Bibliotheke ii.6.3.
8. Sudias. Whitehead, David (ed.). Suda. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
9. Frazer, James George (13 February 2016). The Library of Apollodorus. Delphi Classics. Footnote 176. ISBN 9781786563712. See Scholiast on Lucian, Alexander 4, ed. H. Rabe.
10. Smith, William, Sir, 1813-1893. (2000). A new classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography, mythology and geography : partly based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. Making of America. OCLC 612127868.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. Marinatos, N. (1987). Hägg, R.; Marinatos, N. (eds.). The Function of the Minoan Palaces. Stockholm. pp. 124–130.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
12. Vanschoonwinkel, J. "Animal Representations in Theran and Other Aegean Arts". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. gives a summary of the depiction of monkeys in Minoan and Theran art, with bibliographical references.
13. Cameron, M.A.S. (1968). "Unpublished paintings from the 'House of Frescoes' at Knossos". BSA. 63. pages 1–31 and figure 13. shows a restored image.
14. Shaw, Maria C. (October 1993). "The Aegean Garden". American Journal of Archaeology. 97 (4): 661–685, esp. 668–670. doi:10.2307/506717. JSTOR 506717.
15. Frazer, James George, Sir. Apollodorus, Library and Epitome. ii.6.3, note. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. Cline, E.H. (1991). "Monkey business in the Bronze Age Aegean: the Amenhotep II faience figurines at Mycenae and Tiryns". Annual of the British School at Athens. 86: 29–42. doi:10.1017/S0068245400014878. S2CID 163960806.

References

• Graves, Robert, 1955. The Greek Myths, section 136.c–d and references
• Probert Encyclopedia article on Cercopes

v t e Metamorphoses in Greek mythology
Animals	Avian Abas Acanthis Acanthus Acmon Aëdon Aegolius Aegypius Aëtos Aesacus Agrius and Oreius Agron Alcander Alcyone Alcyone and Ceyx Alcyonides Alectryon Anthus Antigone Argus Arne Sithonis Artemiche Ascalaphus Asteria Autonous Botres Bulis Byssa Caeneus Celeus Cerberus Chelidon Cinyras Clinis Combe Corone Ctesylla Cycnus of Aetolia Cycnus of Ares Cycnus of Colonae Cycnus of Liguria Daedalion Erinoma Erodius Eumelus Gerana Harmothoë Harpalyce Harpasus Harpe Hierax Hippodamia Hyperippe Hyria Ictinus Idas Ino Itys Iynx Laius Lelante Lycius Lycus Megaletor Meleagrids Memnonides Meropis Merops Minyades Munichus Neophron Nisus Nyctaea Nyctimene Oenoe Oenotropae Ortygius Pandareus Pelia Perdix Periphas Peristera Picus Pierides Phene Philaeus Philomela Pleiades Polyphonte Polytechnus Procne Rhexenor Schoeneus Scylla Tereus Timandra Non-avian Abas Actaeon Arachne Arcas Arge Aristaeus Ascalabus Atalanta Cadmus Calchus Callisto Cephissus Cerambus Cercopes Chelone Circe Curetes Cynosura Galanthis Gale Harmonia Hecuba Helice Hippomenes Io Lycaon Lycian peasants Lyncus Megisto Melanippe Melian nymphs Melissa Minyades Myia Myrmex Naïs Nerites Ocyrhoe Odysseus Pentheus Phalanx Phineus Phoenice Pompilus Taygete Theophane Tiresias Titanis Tithonus Tyrrhenian pirates Aethalides Alcimedon Dictys Epopeus Melas Medon Opheltes
Base appearance	Achilles Antigone Charybdis Lamia Medusa Midas Mulberry fruit Phaon Scylla Sirens White raven
Humanoids	Arne Calliste Cymodoce Cephalus' wife Galatea Leleges Myrmidons Nephele Spartoi Weasel
Inanimate objects	Aconteus Aglaurus Alcmene Anaxarete Ariadne Arsinoë Aspalis Battus Britomartis Calydon Cercopes Cragaleus Daphnis Iodame Laelaps Lethaea Lyco and Orphe Olenus Pallas Pandareus Phineus Polydectes Proetus Propoetides Pyrrhus Teumessian fox Wolf
Landforms	Achelous Acheron Acis Aea Alope Alpheus Arethusa (Boeotia) Arethusa (Elis) Arethusa (Ithaca) Asteria Atlas Aura Byblis Calliste Castalia Chione Cleite Comaetho Cyane Dirce Haemus Lichas Lilaeus Manto Marsyas Menippe and Metioche Niobe Perimele Pirene Pyramus and Thisbe Rhodope Rhodopis Sangas Selemnus Sybaris
Opposite sex	Caeneus Hermaphroditus Iphis Leucippus Salmacis Siproites Sithon Tiresias
Plants	Adonis Agdistis Ajax Amaracus Ambrosia Ampelus Anethus Attis Baucis and Philemon Calamus Carpus Carya Cissus Clytie Crocus Cyparissus Daphne Diopatra Dryope Elaea Elate Eteocleides Heliades Aegle Dioxippe Lampetia Merope Phaethusa Phoebe Hesperides Aegle Erytheia Hyacinthus Leuce Leucothoe Libanus Lotis Lycurgus Mecon Melos Messapians Milk Minthe Myrice Myrina Myrsine Narcissus Oechalides Philyra Phyllis Picolous Pitys Platanus Psalacantha Saliva Side Smilax Smyrna Spear Syceus Syrinx
Voluntary	Greek gods Kobalos Mestra Periclymenus
Other	Cumaean Sibyl Echo Hyades Hylas Milk of Hera Pleiades
False myths	Acantha Amethyste Orchis Rhodanthe
Metamorphoses

• Greek legendary creatures
• Metamorphoses into animals in Greek mythology
• Mythology of Heracles
• Mythological monkeys
• Metamorphoses into inanimate objects in Greek mythology