PSAMATHE

a daughter of Crotopus of Argos. She was loved by the god Apollo and by whom she had a son Linus.

When she had given birth to Linus she exposed the child. He was found by shepherds, who brought him up, but the child was afterwards torn to pieces by dogs. Psamathe's grief at the occurrence betrayed her misfortune to her father who condemned her to death.

Apollo, in his indignation at the father's cruelty, visited Argos with a plague, and when his oracle was consulted about the means of averting the plague, he answered that the Argives must propitiate Psamathe and Linus. This was attempted by means of sacrifices, and matrons and virgins sang dirges. The pestilence, however, did not cease until Crotopus quitted Argos and settled at Tripodisium, in Megaris.

According to a Boeotian tradition Linus was killed by Apollo, because he had ventured upon a musical contest with the god and near Mount Helicon his image stood in a hollow rock, formed in the shape of a grotto and every year before sacrifices were offered to the Muses, a funeral sacrifice was offered to him, and dirges were sung in his honour.