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Candaules (died c.687 BC; Template:Lang-el, Kandaulēs), also known as Myrsilos (Μυρσίλος),^[1] was a king of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia in the early years of the 7th century BC. According to Herodotus, he succeeded his father Meles as the 22nd and last king of Lydia's Heraclid dynasty. He was assassinated and succeeded by Gyges.^[1]^[2]

Based on an ambiguous line in the work of the Greek poet Hipponax, it was traditionally assumed that the name of Candaules meant "hound-choker" among the Lydians.^[3] J. B. Bury and Russell Meiggs (1975) say that Candaules is a Maeonian name meaning "hound-choker" and that Aryan conquerors (the Heraclids in Greek tradition) had occupied the Lydian throne for centuries.^[2] More recently, however, it has been suggested that the name or title Kandaules is cognate with the Luwian hantawatt(i)– ("king") and probably has Carian origin.^[4] The name or title Candaules is the origin of the term candaulism, for a sexual practice attributed to him by legend.^[5]

Several stories of how the Heraclid dynasty of Candaules ended and the Mermnad dynasty of Gyges began have been related by different authors throughout history, mostly in a mythical sense. In Plato's Republic, Gyges used a magical ring to become invisible and usurp the throne, a plot device which reappeared in numerous myths and works of fiction throughout history.^{[citation needed]} The earliest story, related by Herodotus in the 5th century BC, has Candaules betrayed and executed by his wife, Nyssia, in a cautionary tale against pride and possession.^[6]

Herodotus' tale of Candaules, his wife and Gyges

According to Herodotus in The Histories, Candaules believed his wife to be the most beautiful woman on Earth.^[6] Herodotus does not name the wife but later artists and writers have called her Nyssia.^[7]

Candaules often told his favourite bodyguard, Gyges, how beautiful the queen was and, thinking Gyges did not believe him, urged Gyges to contrive to see her naked. Gyges initially refused as he did not wish to dishonor the queen. Nevertheless, Candaules was insistent and Gyges had no option but to obey his king. So Gyges hid in Candaules' bedroom and, when the queen entered, watched her undress. As she was getting into bed, he quietly left the room, but the queen saw him and realised what had happened.^[8] Herodotus commented: "For with the Lydians, as with most barbarian (i.e., non-Greek) races, it is thought highly indecent even for a man to be seen naked".^[9]

The queen silently swore revenge for her shame. Next day, she summoned Gyges to her chamber. Gyges thought it was a routine request, but she confronted him immediately and presented him with two choices. One was to kill Candaules and seize the throne with Nyssia has his wife. The second was to be executed immediately by her trusted servants. Gyges pleaded with her to relent but she would not. He decided to take the first course of action and assassinate the king. The plan was that he should hide in the royal bedroom as before but this time from the king. After Candaules fell asleep, Gyges crept forward and stabbed him to death.^[9]

Gyges married the queen as she had insisted but many Lydians did not at first accept him as their ruler. In order to prevent a civil war, Gyges offered to have his position confirmed or refused by the Oracle at Delphi. He agreed that he would restore the throne to the Heracleidae if the Oracle declared against him. The Oracle supported him and his dynasty was established. The Priestess of the Shrine did add, however, that the Heraclids would have their revenge on Gyges in the fifth generation of the Mermnadae.

Modern view of the story

The story is rejected by Bury and Meiggs who assert that the family of Candaules, though descended from Heracles himself, had become degenerate. As a result, Candaules was assassinated c.687 by Gyges who ushered in a new era for Lydia ruled by his own Mermnadae clan.^[2]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 43
^ ^a ^b ^c Bury & Meiggs 1975, p. 82
^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "A Greek-English Lexicon ("Κανδαύλης")". Perseus Digital Library. Clarendon Press. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
^ Szemerényi, Oswald, “Etyma Latina II (7-18)”, Studi Linguistici in onore di Vittore Pisani. Brescia: Paideia. V. 2, 1969, pp. 963–994; Yakubovich, Ilya, Sociolinguistics of the Luwian Language, Leiden: Brill, 2010, pp. 94-95.
^ Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book: Psychopathia sexualis. Eine klinisch-forensische Studie (Stuttgart: Enke 1886).
^ ^a ^b Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, pp. 43–46
^ Gautier, Théophile (1844), Le roi Candaule. This work, a novella, is one example of Nyssia being the wife's name.
^ Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 44
^ ^a ^b Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 45

Sources

Bury, J. B.; Meiggs, Russell (1975) [first published 1900]. A History of Greece (Fourth Edition). London: MacMillan Press. ISBN 0-333-15492-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Herodotus (1975) [first published 1954]. Burn, A. R.; de Sélincourt, Aubrey (eds.). The Histories. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-051260-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
von Krafft-Ebing, Richard (1886). Psychopathia sexualis. Eine klinisch-forensische Studie. Stuttgart: Enke. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

Media related to King Candaules at Wikimedia Commons
"Sadyattes/Myrsilus/Candaules" by Jona Lendering at www.livius.org
Jean-Léon Gérôme, King Candaules, 1858 in the Dahesh Museum of Art, New York
Sheridan, Paul (24 October 2015). "In Defence of King Candaules". Anecdotes from Antiquity. Retrieved 26 October 2015.

Preceded by Meles	King of Lydia ?–c.687 BC	Succeeded by Gyges

[H43-1] Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 43

[BM82-2] Bury & Meiggs 1975, p. 82

[3] Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "A Greek-English Lexicon ("Κανδαύλης")". Perseus Digital Library. Clarendon Press. Retrieved 3 July 2018.

[4] Szemerényi, Oswald, “Etyma Latina II (7-18)”, Studi Linguistici in onore di Vittore Pisani. Brescia: Paideia. V. 2, 1969, pp. 963–994; Yakubovich, Ilya, Sociolinguistics of the Luwian Language, Leiden: Brill, 2010, pp. 94-95.

[5] Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book: Psychopathia sexualis. Eine klinisch-forensische Studie (Stuttgart: Enke 1886).

[H4346-6] Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, pp. 43–46

[7] Gautier, Théophile (1844), Le roi Candaule. This work, a novella, is one example of Nyssia being the wife's name.

[H44-8] Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 44

[H45-9] Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 45

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@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 Based on an ambiguous line in the work of the Greek poet [[Hipponax]], it was traditionally assumed that the name of Candaules meant "hound-choker" among the [[Lydians]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D*kandau%2Flhs | title=A Greek-English Lexicon ("Κανδαύλης") | last1=Liddell | first1=Henry George | last2=Scott | first2=Robert | orig-year=first published 1940 | publisher=Clarendon Press | website=Perseus Digital Library | accessdate=3 July 2018}}</ref> [[J. B. Bury]] and [[Russell Meiggs]] (1975) say that Candaules is a [[Maeonian]] name meaning "hound-choker" and that [[Aryan]] conquerors (the Heraclids in Greek tradition) had occupied the Lydian throne for centuries.<ref name="BM82"/> More recently, however, it has been suggested that the name or title ''Kandaules'' is cognate with the [[Luwian language|Luwian]] ''hantawatt(i)–'' ("king") and probably has [[Carian language|Carian]] origin.<ref>Szemerényi, Oswald, “Etyma Latina II (7-18)”, ''Studi Linguistici in onore di Vittore Pisani''. Brescia: Paideia. V. 2, 1969, pp. 963–994; Yakubovich, Ilya, ''Sociolinguistics of the Luwian Language'', Leiden: Brill, 2010, pp. 94-95.</ref> The name or title ''Candaules'' is the origin of the term [[candaulism]], for a [[paraphilia|sexual practice]] attributed to him by legend.<ref>Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book: ''Psychopathia sexualis. Eine klinisch-forensische Studie'' (Stuttgart: Enke 1886).</ref>
-Several stories of how the Heraclid dynasty of Candaules ended and the [[Mermnadae|Mermnad]] dynasty of Gyges began have been related by different authors throughout history, mostly in a mythical sense. In [[Plato]]'s ''Republic'', Gyges used a magical ring to become invisible and usurp the throne, a [[plot device]] which reappeared in numerous myths and works of fiction throughout history.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} The earliest story, related by [[Herodotus]] in the 5th century BC, has Candaules betrayed and executed by his wife, Nyssia, in a cautionary tale against pride and possession.<ref>{{harvnb | Herodotus | de Sélincourt | 1954 | pp=43–45}}</ref>
+Several stories of how the Heraclid dynasty of Candaules ended and the [[Mermnadae|Mermnad]] dynasty of Gyges began have been related by different authors throughout history, mostly in a mythical sense. In [[Plato]]'s ''Republic'', Gyges used a magical ring to become invisible and usurp the throne, a [[plot device]] which reappeared in numerous myths and works of fiction throughout history.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} The earliest story, related by [[Herodotus]] in the 5th century BC, has Candaules betrayed and executed by his wife, Nyssia, in a cautionary tale against pride and possession.<ref name="H4346">{{harvnb | Herodotus | de Sélincourt | 1954 | pp=43–46}}</ref>
 ==Herodotus' tale of Candaules, his wife and Gyges==
 {{Citations missing|section|date=June 2018}}
 [[File:Jacob Jordaens-King Candaules of Lydia Showing his Wife to Gyges.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Jacob_Jordaens#Candaules,_Nussia,_and_Gyges|Jacob Jordaens.]] ''Candaules showing Gyges his wife Nyssia.'' This image illustrates Herodotus' tale of Candaules and Gyges.]]
-According to [[Herodotus]] in ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'', Candaules believed his wife to be the most beautiful woman on Earth. Herodotus does not name the wife but later artists and writers have called her Nyssia.<ref>[[Théophile Gautier|Gautier, Théophile]] (1844), ''Le roi Candaule''. This work, a novella, is one example of Nyssia being the wife's name.</ref>
+According to [[Herodotus]] in ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'', Candaules believed his wife to be the most beautiful woman on Earth.<ref name="H4346"/> Herodotus does not name the wife but later artists and writers have called her Nyssia.<ref>[[Théophile Gautier|Gautier, Théophile]] (1844), ''Le roi Candaule''. This work, a novella, is one example of Nyssia being the wife's name.</ref>
+Candaules often told his favourite bodyguard, Gyges, how beautiful the queen was and, thinking Gyges did not believe him, urged Gyges to contrive to see her naked. Gyges initially refused as he did not wish to dishonor the queen. Nevertheless, Candaules was insistent and Gyges had no option but to obey his king. So Gyges hid in Candaules' bedroom and, when the queen entered, watched her undress. As she was getting into bed, he quietly left the room, but the queen saw him and realised what had happened.<ref name="H44">{{harvnb | Herodotus | de Sélincourt | 1954 | p=44}}</ref> Herodotus commented: "For with the Lydians, as with most barbarian (i.e., non-Greek) races, it is thought highly indecent even for a man to be seen naked".<ref name="H45">{{harvnb | Herodotus | de Sélincourt | 1954 | p=45}}</ref>
-===(''to be reviewed and revised'')===
-He bragged of his wife's incredible beauty to his favorite bodyguard, Gyges. "It appears you don't believe me when I tell you how lovely my wife is," said the King. "A man always believes his eyes better than his ears; so do as I tell you—contrive to see her naked".
+The queen silently swore revenge for her shame. Next day, she summoned Gyges to her chamber. Gyges thought it was a routine request, but she confronted him immediately and presented him with two choices. One was to kill Candaules and seize the throne with Nyssia has his wife. The second was to be executed immediately by her trusted servants. Gyges pleaded with her to relent but she would not. He decided to take the first course of action and assassinate the king. The plan was that he should hide in the royal bedroom as before but this time from the king. After Candaules fell asleep, Gyges crept forward and stabbed him to death.<ref name="H45"/>
-Gyges initially refused; he did not wish to dishonor Nyssia, the Queen, by seeing her nude body.<ref> It should be stated that, although it would be taken more harshly when a queen was involved rather than an ordinary woman, seeing any one naked would be considered a shameful thing to do in all cases, as Herodotus states in 1.10.3: "For with the Lydians, and almost all Persians likewise, already seeing a man naked brings about great shame."</ref> He also feared what the King might do to him if he did accept.
+Gyges married the queen as she had insisted but many Lydians did not at first accept him as their ruler. In order to prevent a civil war, Gyges offered to have his position confirmed or refused by the [[Oracle]] at [[Delphi]]. He agreed that he would restore the throne to the Heracleidae if the Oracle declared against him. The Oracle supported him and his dynasty was established. The Priestess of the Shrine did add, however, that the Heraclids would have their revenge on Gyges in the [[Croesus|fifth generation]] of the Mermnadae.
-Candaules was insistent, and Gyges had no choice but to obey. The King detailed a plan by which Gyges would hide behind a door in the royal bedroom to observe Nyssia disrobing before bed. Gyges would then leave the room while the Queen's back was turned.
-That night, the plan was executed. However, the Queen saw Gyges as he left the room, and recognized immediately that she had been betrayed and shamed by her own husband. She silently swore to have her revenge, and began to arrange her own plan.
-The next day, the Queen summoned Gyges to her chamber. Although Gyges thought nothing of the routine request, she confronted him immediately with her knowledge of his misdeed and her husband's. "One of you must die," Nyssia declared. "Either my husband, the author of this wicked plot; or you, who have outraged propriety by seeing me naked."
-Gyges pleaded with the Queen not to force him to make this choice. She was relentless, and eventually he chose to betray the King so that he should live.
-The Queen prepared for Gyges to kill Candaules by the same manner in which she was shamed. Gyges hid behind the door of the bedroom chamber with a knife provided by the Queen, and killed him in his sleep. Gyges married the Queen and became King, and father to the [[Mermnad]] dynasty.
-The subtext is that in Lydia, right of kingship is based upon possession of the queen, who bestows legitimacy.
 ===Modern view of the story===

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