Tinjis

Tinjis (Berber languages: ⵜⵉⵏⵊⴰ, romanized: Tinja) (also called Tinga, and also spelled as Tingis) was the wife of Antaeus in Berber and Greek mythology,[2] and some kind of a female deity. Her husband was the son of Poseidon and Gaia.[3]

Tinjis
Other namesTingis
Tinga
Spouse(s)Antaeus
Heracles
ChildrenSufax[1]
Iphinoe
Barce
Heracles was the second spouse of Tinjis

Myths

The historian and archaeologist Mustapha Ouachi noticed that the city Tangier is geographically related to its myth. The mother of Antaeus was the goddess of the Earth whereas the father of Antaeus was Poseidon who was the god of the sea, according to the Libyan legend. In addition, Herodotus considered Poseidon to be an ancient Libyan god that was adopted by the ancient Greeks, like Athena.

According to Plutarch, the Amazigh believed that Heracles consorted with Tinjis after the death of Antaeus and that Heracles and Tinjis were the parents of Sufax. According to their myth, Sufax built the city "Tangier" (which was known as Tingis in the ancient sources) and named it after his mother.[4]

In fact, Tangier is believed to have been built by Berbers. It was an important city in an early short-lived kingdom known as Mauretania. The latter was founded by the king Syphax, whose name is similar to that of Sufax, the mythical king and founder of Tangier.[5][6]

Heracles had another son named Palaemon, whose mother was Iphinoe, the daughter of Antaeus and (presumably) Tinjis.[7]

Notes
  1. What's it like in Tangier? "According to Berber mythology, Tangier was built by the son of Tinjis, named Sufax."
  2. Travel Morocco: Guide, Maps, and Phrasebook. Includes: Rabat, Casablanca... by MobileReference
  3. North Africa: The Roman Coast by Ethel Davis
  4. City of Tangier - A Celebrity Hotspot
  5. Livy, 30.12
  6. Syphax or Sophax: king of the Masaeisylians
  7. John Tzetzes on Lycophron 662
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.