Olympus (musician)

The elder Olympus belongs to the mythical genealogy of Mysian and Phrygian flute-players: Hyagnis, Marsyas, and Olympus, to each of whom the invention of the flute was ascribed, and under whose names we have the mythical representation of the contest between the Phrygian auletic and the Greek citharoedic music: some writers made him the father[3] (instead of son, or disciple, and favourite[4][5]) of Marsyas, but the genealogy given above was that more generally received.

The compositions ascribed to him were old melodies appropriated to the worship of particular gods, the origin of which was so ancient as to be unknown, like those attributed to Olen and Philammon.

Olympus not infrequently appears on works of art, as a boy, sometimes instructed by Marsyas, and sometimes as witnessing and lamenting his fate.

[7] He was also said to be a student of the mythological god Pan in the playing of the flute, and numerous ancient works of art still exist depicting them wrestling.

Aristophanes mentions a mournful strain, set to more flutes than one (xynaulia) as well known at Athens under the name of Olympus.

Without entering into this difficult and extensive question, it is enough to observe that, whatever words may have been originally connected with his music, they were superseded by the compositions of later poets.