Telchines

 

The Telchines were primordial daemons from Greek mythology. They were associated with the sea, smithing and the Island of Rhodes. They created Cronos’s scythe and Poseidon’s trident. They also raised the infant Poseidon. However, even though they initially aided the Olympian gods, the Telchinese eventually turned to evil and defiled the soils of Rhodes, causing Zeus to punish them. Every detail in the Telchine’s story beyond these broad strokes is variable, making them hard to pin down. 

Telchines have multiple origins that contradict each other. They were either the children of Pontus and Gaia, or Tartaros and Nemesis, or of the goddess Thalassa alone. Sometimes they’re said to be created from the blood that was spilled when Uranus was castrated, however this contradicts the Telchines creating Cronos’s scythe, which he used to perform this act. Regardless of their origins the Telchinese are always regarded as primordial beings, created by the primal forces of the universe

There are always four Telchinese, although their names vary. Most commonly they’re listed as Lykos, Skelmis, Damnameneus, with the fourth one going unnamed. Other times they’re Damon and Demonax, with the other two going unnamed. And still other times they’re named Aktaios, Megalesios, Ormenos and Lyktos.

The Telchines were said to have a monstrous appearance, with the heads of dogs, webbed hands, mermaid-like fish tails and urchin-like spikes down their backs. Although the Telchinese were also said to be able to move around on land, and sometimes said to be able to shape shift at will. In some versions of their myth the Telchinese only gained this monstrous appearance after being punished by Zeus.

The Telchines were originally good beings. They were skilled metal smiths, who were credited with inventing metal working. Originally they help the Titans defeat the Primordials, by forging Cronos’s scythe for him. Later they would help the Olympians by creating Poseidon’s trident and raising the infant Poseidon, along with the help of the sea nymph Capheira. Sometimes they were also credited with protecting the infant Zeus while he was cared for by Amalthea. The Telchines would chant, and bash their shields and swords together to drown out the sounds of infant Zeus crying so Cronos couldn’t find him. However this is often attributed to the Kouretes instead, so there may be some confusion between the Kouretes and Telchines here.

Other deeds they did were help Hephaestus create Harmonia’s cursed necklace, and invent marble carving. It was said the Telchines were responsible for creating the pre-Hellenic statues found on Rhodes.

Eventually, for some unstated reason, the Telchines turned evil. They were blamed for various disastrous events that happened on the Isle of Rhodes. They were believed to be able to control the weather, creating storms and hail. As well as stirring up the sea and creating dangerous waves. They were even credited with causing earthquakes.

The last straw was when the Telchines mixed sulphur with water from the River Styx to create a poison to kill all plant life and spread it over the Isle of Rhode (if it was real, an event like this was likely caused by volcanic activity). After this Zeus punished the Telchines. Either casting them out of Rhodes and into the ocean, or out of the ocean and into Tartarus, and possibly also turning them into monsters. In other versions still, they were killed by Poseidon, using the trident they had forged for him. And in other versions still, they were turned into wolves and then killed by Apollo.

Even after their banishment they were believed to cause smaller amounts of hardship to individual people, spreading disease and killing fields of crops.

Sources

https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Telkhines.html

https://www.thecollector.com/telchines-greek-mythology-wizards/