Creophylus of Samos
Creophylus (Ancient Greek: Κρεώφυλος ὁ Σάμιος, Kreophylos ho Samios) is the name of a legendary early Greek epic poet, native to Samos or Chios. He was said to have been a contemporary of Homer and author of the lost epic Capture of Oechalia. According to some sources, Homer gave the poem to Creophylus in return for hospitality; one source says that Panyassis of Halicarnassus, in turn, stole it from Creophylus.
Creophylus of Samos
- Born
- 700 · Samos.
- Occupation
- poet
- Languages
- Ancient Greek
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Creophylus (Ancient Greek: Κρεώφυλος ὁ Σάμιος, Kreophylos ho Samios) is the name of a legendary early Greek epic poet, native to Samos or Chios. He was said to have been a contemporary of Homer and author of the lost epic Capture of Oechalia. According to some sources, Homer gave the poem to Creophylus in return for hospitality; one source says that Panyassis of Halicarnassus, in turn, stole it from Creophylus.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Creophylus of Samos. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q608224 · wikipedia · Creophylus of Samos
In this article
Biography
Panyassis, however, is a much later poet who worked in writing: the story is presumably a way of saying that Panyassis, in his literary epic on the life of Heracles, plagiarised the work of Creophylus. Creophylus may represent a tradition parallel to the Homeridae. In Plutarch's Lives in the biography of Lycurgus, Lycurgus in his travels "…had the first sight of Homer's works, in the hands, we may suppose, of the posterity of Creophylus… scattered proportions, as chance conveyed them, were in the hands of individuals; but Lycurgus first made them really known." (John Dryden transl.). Another descendant of Creophylus, Hermodamas of Samos, was said to be the teacher of Pythagoras of Samos (see Iamblichus, Porphyry, Diogenes Laërtius). So we have two examples of descendants of Creophylus teaching outsiders (non-Homeridae) the Epic tradition. It seems that the restrictions on the Homeridae in regards to teaching may have not been applicable to the descendants of Creophylus, Homer's host and friend. He is mentioned disparagingly in Book X (600b-c) of the Republic, in which the reasons for banishing some forms of poetry and 'imitative art' from his ideal city are outlined, with Plato alluding to his name meaning 'meathead'.
The recorded working language is Ancient Greek.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Creophylus of Samos”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q608224: Creophylus of Samos
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Craig T. NelsonAuthor
- CratesAuthor
- Creflo DollarAuthor
- Cremilda de LimaAuthor
- Crescente ErrázurizAuthor
- Cressida LindsayAuthor
- Crinagoras of MytileneAuthor
- CrinitusAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Creophylus of Samos?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.