Meroe
A distant African kingdom mentioned in Greek mythology as the land at the source of the Nile, associated with the Ethiopians.
The Story of Meroe
Meroe — the great city on the upper Nile in what is now Sudan — was for Greeks the archetype of distant, exotic Africa. The Ethiopians who lived there were described by Homer as the most distant of all peoples, living where the sun rises and sets, and beloved by the gods who visited them for feasts. Memnon, the Ethiopian hero who fought at Troy, was sometimes said to come from lands connected to Meroe. The Nile's source was mythologically placed near Meroe, and the Greeks explained its annual flood through various tales, including the tears of Isis and the melting of divine snow.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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🏛 placegeography
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🏛 placegeography
A name given to several cities across the Greek world, all claiming legendary foundation by or connection to King Minos of Crete.
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🏛 placegeography
A Phocian city below Delphi, sometimes confused with Cirrha, associated with Apollo's arrival in central Greece.
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🏛 placegeography
The westernmost promontory of Sicily, near where Odysseus encountered the land of the dead in some traditions.
Methone
🏛 placegeography
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Eridanus
🏛 placeSacred geography
A mythological river associated with the fall of Phaethon and later identified with the constellation and the Po River