Acanthis (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Acanthis or Acanthyllis (Ἀκανθυλλίς) was the daughter of Hippodamia
and Autonous
and sister to Anthus
, Erodius, Schoenous and Acanthus. When their father's horses attacked Anthus out of hunger and ate him, Zeus
and Apollo
, out of pity for the grieving family, transformed them into birds. Acanthis thus became a thistle finch
.
Hippodamia
Hippodamia was a daughter of King Oenomaus and wife of Pelops with whom her offspring were Thyestes, Atreus, Pittheus, Alcathous, Troezen, Hippalcimus, Copreus, Astydameia, Nicippe, Eurydice and others....
and Autonous
Autonous
In Greek mythology, Autonous was the son of Melaneus, husband of Hippodamia, was father to Anthus, Erodius, Schoenous, Acanthus and Acanthis, and an owner of a large herd of horses. The land they lived in produced no crops, but only rushes and thistles, that's why all the children of Autonous were...
and sister to Anthus
Anthus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Anthus was a son of Autonous and Hippodamia. His brothers were Erodius, Schoenous and Acanthus, and his sister was Acanthis. Once he drove his father's horses away from the grassy meadows, where they had been pastured by his brother Erodius...
, Erodius, Schoenous and Acanthus. When their father's horses attacked Anthus out of hunger and ate him, Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
and Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, out of pity for the grieving family, transformed them into birds. Acanthis thus became a thistle finch
Carduelis
The genus Carduelisis a large group of birds in the finch family Fringillidae. It includes the greenfinches, redpolls, goldfinches, linnets, the twite, and the non-African siskins...
.