Mopsus- Greek DemigodDemigod"Seer of Claros"
Also known as: Mopsos and Μόψος
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
Heir to the prophetic lineage of Tiresias, Mopsus humbled Calchas, the seer who had guided the Greeks through the entire Trojan War, by counting unseen figs and unborn piglets with perfect accuracy. Calchas died of shame at the oracle of Claros.
Mythology & Lore
Son of Manto
Mopsus was the son of the prophetess Manto, daughter of Tiresias. Apollo was his father, though Pausanias records that Manto married the Cretan Rhacius at Colophon. After the Epigoni sacked Thebes, Manto was among the captives sent to Apollo at Delphi. The god ordered her to Asia Minor to found his oracle at Claros, near Colophon. Mopsus was born there and grew into the oracle's seer.
The Contest with Calchas
After Troy fell, the Greek seer Calchas traveled overland to Claros, where he met Mopsus. The two tested each other with riddles. Calchas pointed to a fig tree and asked how many figs it bore. Mopsus answered exactly. Then Mopsus asked how many piglets a pregnant sow carried and when she would give birth. Calchas could not answer. Mopsus named the precise number and the hour. Calchas died of grief.
Mallus and Amphilochus
Mopsus traveled east to Cilicia and co-founded the oracle at Mallus with Amphilochus, son of the seer Amphiaraus. The two shared the sanctuary until a dispute over sole control turned violent. They fought in single combat and killed each other. Both were buried at Mallus, their tombs placed so that neither was visible from the other.
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