Mardylas
shepherd in Greek mythology
In Greek mythology, Mardylas (Ancient Greek: Μαρδύλας, romanized: Mardúlas) is a young shepherd from the region of Epirus in northwestern Greece. According to the story, Mardylas stole a flock of animals from his neighbour and attempted to cut down the sacred tree of Zeus in an aetiological myth about the establishment of the oracle of Dodona. Mardylas' story is an obscure one which only survives in ancient scholia.
Mythology
Mardylas was a shepherd grazing his flock in Dodona, an ancient Greek kingdom in Epirus. He desired the best herd of a fellow shepherd and stole it. The herd's owner searched for his lost flock among the other shepherds, but had no luck finding his livestock. Finally, he asked from Zeus (the god venerated at the oracle of Dodona) to reveal the thief to him, and it was then that an oak tree (the sacred tree of Zeus) spoke with a human voice and designated the youngest of the shepherds. The owner realised this meant Mardylas, the most recent of the men who grazed in the area. Mardylas got angry at the tale-telling tree and went at night to cut it down in revenge. But then a dove emerged from the tree trunk and ordered them not to proceed with his intentions.
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