MelampousMelampus

The legendary seer who could understand the speech of animals.

His servants had killed some adult snakes and Melampous, out of pity, took the orphaned baby snakes into his care and, while he was sleeping, the tiny serpents licked his ears thus giving him the unusual power of understanding animal speech.

He was the son of Amythaon and the brother of Bias; when he wanted to marry the beautiful maiden, Pero, her father insisted that any suitor must show his cunning and bravery by stealing the cattle of the mighty Iphiklos (Iphiclos); Melampous was caught by Iphiklos but he was allowed to go free after he rendered his services as a seer to Iphiklos for one year and was finally allowed to marry Pero.

He is also noted as the healer who was called upon by the Argives to cure their women of a strange illness that made them lose their senses; he proposed that they should give him half the kingship in return for his services; at first they refused his seemingly arrogant offer but, when more and more women became afflicted with madness, they agreed to his terms; Melampous was not an easy man to please and he insisted that, in exchange for his services, he and his brother, Bias, both be made kings.

• Histories, book 9, chapter 34)