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Nov 22, 2009
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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—A

Achemon

Ache′mon
or Achmon

Achemon and his brother Basalas were two Cercopes for ever quarrelling. One day they saw Hercules asleep under a tree and insulted him, but Hercules tied them by their feet to his club and walked off with them, heads downwards, like a brace of hares. Everyone laughed at the sight, and it became a proverbial cry among the Greeks, when two men were seen quarelling—“Look out for Melampygos!” (i.e. Hercules).

“Ne insidas in Melampygum.”

According to Greek fable, monkeys are degraded men. The Cercopes were changed into monkeys for attempting to deceive Zeus.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Acheron
Achates
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More on Achemon from Infoplease:

  • Achemon - Achemon Ache′mon or Achmon Achemon and his brother Basalas were two Cercopes for ever ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: A - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "A"
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