Campe

Lore & Background

In Greek mythology, Campe was the guard of the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, whom Uranus had imprisoned in Tartarus. When it was prophesied to Zeus that he would be victorious in the Titanomachy with the help of these prisoners, he killed Campe and freed them. The earliest account of the imprisonment and release appears in Hesiod's Theogony, but Hesiod makes no mention of Campe or any guard. The mythographer Apollodorus, possibly drawing on the lost epic Titanomachy, states that Zeus slew Campe and loosed the prisoners' bonds after Earth prophesied victory.

Reader's Guide

Campe appears in only a few ancient sources, and her description varies widely. Hesiod does not name her; Apollodorus and Diodorus Siculus mention her but provide no physical description. The most elaborate account comes from the poet Nonnus, who depicts her as a multi-formed monster with viperish feet, fifty animal heads around her neck, a woman's upper torso, sea-monster scales, a scorpion on her shoulder, and dark wings. Nonnus's Campe resembles the monster Typhon and is called a female counterpart. Her name, Κάμπη, means caterpillar or silkworm in Greek, and is related to the word for bend or curve. Campe's significance lies in her role as a barrier to Zeus's victory; her death enables the release of the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, who then help defeat the Titans. Later writers, such as Diodorus, also associate a monster named Campê with the god Dionysus, who killed a similar creature in Libya.

Did You Know?

• The name Campe (Κάμπη) is the Greek word for caterpillar or silkworm.
• Hesiod's Theogony does not mention Campe, though it tells of the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires being freed.
• Nonnus describes Campe with fifty animal heads around her neck, including lions and boars.
• Diodorus Siculus records that Dionysus killed an earth-born monster called Campê near the Libyan city of Zabirna.