# Hippopodes

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{{Short description|Mythological race of humanoids}}
'''Hippopodes''', meaning "horse-footed," is an allegorical creature in [Greek mythology](/source/Greek_mythology) that is often associated with greed. According to the myth, the Hippopodes were a tribe of beings with the lower bodies of horses and the upper bodies of men. They were said to have guarded a fabulous treasure, but their insatiable greed made them unwilling to share it with anyone. This greed ultimately led to their downfall. The allegory of the Hippopodes serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of greed and avarice.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=W |author-link= |date=1873 |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology|page=291}}</ref>

== Ancient sources ==
According to some ancient geographers, the Hippopodes shared an island with two other legendary races: the [Panotti](/source/Panotti) and [Oeonae](/source/Oeonae).  [Pliny the Elder](/source/Pliny_the_Elder)'s ''[Natural History](/source/Natural_History_(Pliny))'' locates this island near the [Scythia](/source/Scythia)n coast;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theoi.com/Phylos/Hippopodes.html|title=Hippopodes|accessdate=2008-12-28|work=[Theoi Greek Mythology](/source/Theoi_Project)}}</ref> [Pomponius Mela](/source/Pomponius_Mela)'s ''De situ orbis'' places it in or around the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea), mentioning it alongside [Denmark](/source/Denmark) and the [Orkney Islands](/source/Orkney) (Mela iii. § 56).<ref>{{cite book |title=Pomponius Mela's Description of the World |first=Frank E. |last=Romer |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015042048507 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |date=1998 |isbn= 9780472084524}}</ref>

[Adam of Bremen](/source/Adam_of_Bremen) wrote in the 11th century that the [Scritofinni](/source/S%C3%A1mi_people) could run faster than wild animals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fjellström |first1=Phebe |title=Samernas samhälle i tradition och nutid: [Lappish society in tradition and the present day] |date=1986 |publisher=Norstedt |location=Stockholm |isbn=91-1-863632-2}}</ref> [Olaus Magnus](/source/Olaus_Magnus) addresses this in his work [Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus](/source/A_Description_of_the_Northern_Peoples), where he explains that the Scritofinni gets their name from the jumping motion they perform while hunting on skis.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Magnus|first1=Olaus|title=Historia om de nordiska folken |date=1555 |page=18}}</ref> The same connection can also be seen in [Abraham Ortelius](/source/Abraham_Ortelius)'s map ''Europam, Sive Celticam Veterem'' from 1595 where he places Hippopodes and Scricofinni in the same area of northern [Scandinavia](/source/Scandinavia).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vividmaps.com/celtic-europe-by-abraham-ortelius-1595/|title=Celctic Europe by Abraham Ortelius|date=6 September 2015|accessdate=2020-05-09}}</ref>

== Later accounts ==
''The Travels of Sir [John Mandeville](/source/John_Mandeville)'' places the Hippopodes in [Maritime Southeast Asia](/source/Maritime_Southeast_Asia), and adds that they are particularly fleet-footed and hunt by running down their prey.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mandeville |first1=Sir John |title=The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maundeville, Kt. which Treateth of the Way to Hierusalem: And of Marvayles of Inde, with Other Ilands and Countryes |date=1883 |publisher=Reeves and Turner |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/voiagetravaileof00manduoft/page/205 205] |url=https://archive.org/details/voiagetravaileof00manduoft |accessdate=1 September 2019}}</ref>

A 2014 [multispectral imaging](/source/multispectral_imaging) project led by [Chet van Duzer](/source/Chet_van_Duzer) revealed that a {{Circa|1491}} map created by [Henricus Martellus Germanus](/source/Henricus_Martellus_Germanus) and likely used by [Christopher Columbus](/source/Christopher_Columbus) located the Hippopodes in [Central Asia](/source/Central_Asia).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Greg |title=A 500-year-old map used by Columbus reveals its secrets |date=8 October 2018 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/10/columbus-map-discovery-secrets-new-world/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026103319/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/10/columbus-map-discovery-secrets-new-world/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |publisher=National Geographic |accessdate=26 August 2019}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [Ipotane](/source/Ipotane)
* [Centaur](/source/Centaur)
* [Tikbalang](/source/Tikbalang)
* [Sihuanaba](/source/Sihuanaba)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Legendary creatures in Roman mythology
Category:Mythological human–animal hybrids
Category:Horses in mythology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hippopodes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopodes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopodes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.