Python

Pȳthon, ōnis, m., = Πύθων,

• the serpent slain, according to the myth, near Delphi by Apollo, who was fabled to have been called Pythius in commemoration of this victory, Ov. M. 1, 438; 460; Claud. in Rufin. 1, 1.

Pȳthōn, ōnis, m. (Πύθων), I) eine große Schlange bei Delphi, die Apollo tötete, weshalb er den Beinamen Pythius erhalten haben soll, Ov. met. 1, 438. Lucan. 6, 408 sqq. Claud. in Ruf. 1. praef. 1. Hyg. fab. 53 u. 140: Genet. Pythonos, Varro LL. 7, 17: Akk. Pythona, Prop. 4, 6, 35. Ov. met. 1, 460. Lucan. 5, 80. Diom. 495, 3. – II) appell.: a) der Wahrsagergeist, Vulg. 1. regg. 28, 7 u. 8. – b) der Wahrsager, Vulg. deut. 18, 11. Vulg. 4. regg. 21, 6 u.a. – attrib. = wahrsagerisch, spiritus pytho, Vulg. act. apost. 16, 16.

Python [CL < πύθων] 1 serpent killed at Delphi by Apollo, the Python. quod hoc genere metri oracula primo Apollini sint edita, qui interfecto Pithone Pithius dictus est, qui, ut fertur, cum ‥ Pithonem serpentem ‥ sagittis insequeretur, accolae Delfici hoc illum versu et facundiae coturno extulerunt Aldh. Met. 10 p. 94; Phyton est serpens valde magnus quem Apollo interfecit Bacon Gram. Gk. 67; tunc prudens Apollo ~oni subicitur R. Bury Phil. 7. 102. 2 one who divines, (in general sense) sorcerer. phitones, incantatores Osb. Glouc. Deriv. 480; datus rex in sensum reprobum, qui sibi persuaserat phitonem scientie presulem J. Sal. Pol. 467A; quia ‥ polluta est et periculosa via super mare hujus seculi, post ignitos serpentes venitur ad magos et phitones R. Niger Mil. II 51; ideo a Phytio Apolline dicitur ~on qui est divinator et incantator Bacon Gram. Gk. 67; 1406 datum est nobis intelligi, quod quamplures sortilegi, magici, incantatores, nigromantici ‥ et phitones infra diecesim vestram existunt Foed. VIII 427; a divine, auspex, augur, ‥ fiton, fitonissa CathA.

1 Pȳthōn, (14) ōnis, m. (Πύθων), serpent énorme tué par Apollon, dʼoù les jeux pythiques : Ov. M. 1, 438 || Pythonos Cōmē Plin. 10, 62, bourg de Python, en Asie Mineure.

➳ gén. -onos Varro L. 7, 17 ; acc. -ona Prop. 4, 6, 35 ; Ov. M. 1, 460 ; Luc. 5, 80.

Python

(Πύθων), the famous dragon who guarded the oracle of Delphi, is described as a son of Gaea. He lived in the caves of mount Parnassus, but was killed by Apollo, who then took possession of the oracle. (Apollod. 1.1 ; Strab. ix. p.422.) [L.S]

Python

(Πύθων), historical. Concerning the frequent confusion between this name and those of Peithon and Pithon, see Pithon.

Python

1. Son of Agenor. [Pithon.]

Python

2. Son of Crateuas. [Pithon.]

Python

3. One of the leading citizens of Abdera, who betrayed that city into the hands of Eumenes II., king of Pergamus; an act of treachery which afterwards caused him so much remorse, as to be the occasion of his death. (Diod. xxx. Exc. Vales. p. 578.)

Python

4. The chief of the embassy sent by Prusias. king of Bithynia, to Rome, in B. C. 164, to lay before the senate his complaints against Eumenes, king of Pergamus. (Plb. 31.6.)

Python

5. A citizen of Enna, in Sicily, who was put to death by Eunus (whose master he had been), in the great servile insurrection in B. C. 130. [Eunus.] (Diod. Exc. Phot. p. 528.) [E.H.B]

Python

(Πύθων), literary.

1. Of Catana, a dramatic poet of the time of Alexander, whom he accompanied into Asia, and whose army he entertained with a satyric drama, when they were celebrating the Dionysia on the banks of the Hydespes. The drama was in ridicule of Harpalus and the Athenians. It is twice mentioned by Athenaeus, who has preserved nearly twenty lines of it. (Ath. xiii. p. 586d., p. 595e. f., p. 596a,) In the second of these passages, Athenaeus mentions the poet as either of Catana or of Byzantium ; and it seems very doubtful whether he was confounded with the Byzantine rhetorician of the same name, who makes some figure in the history of Philip and Alexander, or whether he was really the same person. Some writers ascribed the drama to Alexander, but no doubt erroneously. Respecting the meaning of the title of the play, Ἀγήν, there are various conjectures, all of then very uncertain. (Casaub. de Poes. Sat. Graec. pp. 150, 151, with Rambach's Note; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. pp. 319, 320; Wagner, F. G., Poetarum Trag. Graec. Fragmenta, pp. 134-136, in Didot's Bibl. Script. Graec. Paris, 1846.)

Python

2. Of Aenus, in Thrace, a Peripatetic philosopher, who, with his brother Heracleides, put to death the tyrant Cotys. [Cotys; Heracleides.]

Python

3. A Peripatetic philosopher, mentioned in the will of Lycon. (Diog. Laert. 5.70.) [P.S]

Python

artist. This name occurs twice on painted vases; in the first instance, on a cylixshaped vase, of the best style of the art, found at Vulci, with the inscription ΠϜΘΟΝ ΕΠΟΙΕΣΕΝ, and with the name of Epictetus as the painter ; in the other case, on a Lucanian vase, of the period of the decline of the art, with the inscription ΠΥΘΩΝ ΕΓΡΑΦΕ. On comparing these vases, and the inscriptions on them, although there are examples of the same person being both a maker and painter of vases, it can hardly be doubted that, in this case, the artists were two different persons, at different periods, and probably living in different parts of Italy. (R. Rochette, Lettre à M. Schorn, pp. 58, 59, 2d ed.) [P.S]

Python

(Πύθων). A serpent sprung from the mud left by the deluge of Deucalion (q.v.). He was slain by Apollo. See Apollo; Delphi.

Python Python, a snake

• guardian of the oracle at Delphi, killed by Apollo: Apollod. vol. 1.2
• a dragon, slain by Apollo and Artemis: Paus. 2.7.7, Paus. 2.30.3
• cp.Paus. 10.6.5ff.