Creophylus of Samos
Creophylus (
Panyassis of Halicarnassus, in turn, stole it from Creophylus. Panyassis, however, is a much later poet who worked in writing: the story is presumably a way of saying that Panyassis, in his literary epic on the life of Heracles, plagiarised the work of Creophylus.[1]
Creophylus may represent a tradition parallel to the Homeridae. In
Diogenes Laërtius
). So we have two examples of descendants of Creophylus teaching outsiders (non-Homeridae) the Epic tradition. It seems that the restrictions on the Homeridae in regards to teaching may have not been applicable to the descendants of Creophylus, Homer's host and friend.
He is mentioned disparagingly in Book X (600b-c) of the Republic, in which the reasons for banishing some forms of poetry and 'imitative art' from his ideal city are outlined, with Plato alluding to his name meaning 'meathead'.[2]
References
- West, Martin L.Greek Epic Fragments. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003, pp. 172-177.
- ISBN 978-0-87220-349-5.