The Worlds Where Campe Dwells
The Worlds Where Campe Dwells

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses several problems related to the mythical female beast Campe (Κάμπη), described by Greek and Roman mythographers. According to Apollodorus of Athens, Ovid, and Nonnus of Panopolis, Campe inhabited the deepest levels of the underworld. Epicharm of Cos, Lycophron of Chalkis, and Hesychius of Alexandria claim that she is a real sea monster living in the depths of the ocean. On the other hand, Diodorus of Sicily locates her in the desert areas of Libya. It is possible that Campe could fly, because (according to Nonnus) she had black wings. There is also a “timeless” horizon where Campe could dwell. Adrienne Mayor suggests Campe can be treated as a trace of a paleontological myth created by the ancient Greeks on the basis of the finds of gigantic fossil bones. Her ingenious hypothesis refers to the prehistoric world where the mythical Campe once lived.

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