Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Melampus explained
Melampus, the first mortal with prophetic powers, gains the ability to understand the language of animals after serpents lick his ears.
What happens
Melampus, the first mortal with prophetic powers, gains the ability to understand the language of animals after serpents lick his ears. He uses this gift to foretell events and, while imprisoned, learns from woodworms that the roof will collapse, saving himself and his captors.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Transmission and Education
Melampus learns from serpents and uses that knowledge to benefit others, illustrating the transmission of wisdom.
Characters to notice
- Melampus
First mortal endowed with prophetic powers; gains understanding of animal speech from serpents.
Key passages
“Before his house there stood an oak tree containing a serpent’s nest. The old serpents were killed by the servants, but Melampus took care of the young ones and fed them carefully.”
An oak tree near his home held a serpent's nest; after servants killed the adult snakes, Melampus nurtured the hatchlings.
Melampus's kindness to the young serpents leads to his gift.
“One day when he was asleep under the oak the serpents licked his ears with their tongues. On awaking he was astonished to find that he now understood the language of birds and creeping things.”
While he slept beneath the oak, the serpents licked his ears, granting him the ability to comprehend animal speech upon waking.
The serpents reward Melampus with prophetic understanding.
“Melampus in the silence of the night heard the woodworms in the timbers talking together, and found out by what they said that the timbers were nearly eaten through and the roof would soon fall in.”
In the quiet night, Melampus overheard woodworms conversing and learned that the beams were so decayed the roof was about to collapse.
His animal-language ability saves him and his captors from disaster.