Himalia (mythology)

This article is about the mythological figure. For Jupiter's irregular moon, see Himalia (moon).

Not to be confused with The Himalayas.

In Greek mythology Himalia (/hɪˈmeɪliə/; Ancient Greek: Ἱμαλία, romanized: Himalía - The miller's wife^[1] was a nymph of the eastern end of the island of Rhodes.

Mythology

According to Diodorus Siculus,^[2] after Zeus subdued the Titans, he became enamored with Himalia and mated with her in the form of a fertile rain. The latter produced three sons with him, Spartaeus, Kronios, and Kytos: no further information about them survives. During the flood that drowned the island of Rhodes, Himalia and the sons of Zeus were saved by taking refuge in the high places of the island. ^[3]

Jennifer Larson observes that the dictionary compiler Hesychius of Alexandria gives ίμαλιά. denoting an abundance of wheat meal, and notes the agricultural connotations of the sons' names: "Spartaios recalls sowing, and Kytos means a basket or jar. Kronios denotes a descendant of Kronos, the god of the Golden Age",^[4] a mythic time of ease and abundance.