There were two brothers on [the] earth, who displayed every sort of wickedness, and they were called Kerkopes, taking this name from the terrible nature of their deeds. For one of them was called Passalos and the other Akmon.[1] Their mother Memnonis, seeing these things, told [them] not to meet "Black-bottom", that is, Heracles.[2]
Xenagoras says that they were changed into apes [piqh/kous] on account of their wicked behaviour and that the Pithecusae islands were named after them. [But he says that] their names were Kandoulos and Atlas.[3]
These Kerkopes [were the sons] of Theia and Ocean; they say that they were turned to stone because they tried to deceive Zeus.[4] [There is] the proverbial saying "to play the ape" [kerkwpi/zein] which Chrysippus says is metaphorical from animals fawning with their tails [ke/rkos].[5]