Eurytion
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
Eurytion (or, alternatively, Eurythion; , gen.: Εὐρυτίωνος), "widely-honoured", was a name attributed to six individuals.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Eurytion (or, alternatively, Eurythion; , gen.: Εὐρυτίωνος), "widely-honoured", was a name attributed to six individuals.
- The king of PhthiaPhthiaPhthia , Phthíē ) in ancient Greece was the southernmost region of ancient Thessaly, on both sides of Othrys Mountain. It was the homeland of the Myrmidones tribe, who took part in the Trojan War under Achilles....
, son of either ActorActor (mythology)Actor is a very common name in Greek mythology. Here is a selection of characters that share this name :...
, or of Ctimenus (Κτίμενος), or of IrusIrusIrus was a nickname given to Arnaeus the beggar, due to his willingness to run messages for the suitors . He was a beggar in Ithaca who sees Odysseus encroaching on his territory so he becomes aggressive and begins to insult him...
and DemonassaDemonassaIn Greek mythology, Demonassa was a name attributed to four women.*Demonassa, daughter of Amphiaraus, king of Argos and Eriphyle...
, or of Kenethos and Cerion, and father of AntigoneAntigone (daughter of Eurytion)In Greek mythology, Antigone was the daughter of Eurytion and wife of Peleus.Peleus and Telamon, his brother, killed their half-brother Phocus and fled Aegina to escape punishment. In Phthia, Peleus was purified by Eurytion and married Antigone, Eurytion's daughter...
. He is counted among the ArgonautsArgonautsThe Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
and the Calydonian hunters. In PhthiaPhthiaPhthia , Phthíē ) in ancient Greece was the southernmost region of ancient Thessaly, on both sides of Othrys Mountain. It was the homeland of the Myrmidones tribe, who took part in the Trojan War under Achilles....
, PeleusPeleusIn Greek mythology, Pēleus was a hero whose myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BCE. Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly; he was the father of Achilles...
was purified by Eurytion for the murder of PhocusPhocusPhocus was the son of Aeacus and Psamathe in Greek mythology. His mother, the Nereid goddess of sand beaches, transformed herself into a seal when she was ambushed by Aeacus, and was raped as a seal; conceived in the rape, Phocus' name means "seal". He had two sons, Crisus and Panopaeus.Aeacus...
and married Antigone, Eurytion's daughter. Peleus accidentally killed Eurytion during the hunt for the Calydonian BoarCalydonian BoarThe Calydonian Boar is one of the monsters of Greek mythology that had to be overcome by heroes of the Olympian age. Sent by Artemis to ravage the region of Calydon in Aetolia because its king failed to honor her in his rites to the gods, it was killed in the Calydonian Hunt, in which many male...
and fled from Phthia to Iolcus, where he was purified by AcastusAcastusAcastus is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar.-Biography:Acastus was the son of Pelias, then king of Iolcus, and Anaxibia ....
. - A CentaurCentaurIn Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
of ArcadiaArcadiaArcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
who demanded to marry the daughter of DexamenusDexamenusDexamenus was a name attributed to at least three characters in Greek mythology.*Dexamenus, son of Oeceus, king of Olenus. The Centaur Eurytion forced him to betroth his daughter, Mnesimache, to him. Heracles rescued the girl, killing Eurytion when he showed up to claim his bride. In another...
of OlenusOlenusIn Greek mythology, Olenus was the name of several individuals:#Olenus, son of Hephaestus and father of Helice and Aex, two nurses of infant Zeus. A city in Aulis was named for him....
, either Mnesimache or DeianiraDeianiraDeïanira or Dejanira is a figure in Greek mythology, best-known for being Heracles' third wife and, in the late Classical story, unwittingly killing him with the Shirt of Nessus...
, or who threatened violence against his daughter HippolyteHippolyte (disambiguation)Hippolyte or Hippolyta was the Amazonian queen with a magic girdle, in Greek mythology.Hippolyte may also refer to:* Other figures in Greek mythology:**Hippolyte, another name for Astydameia**Hippolyte, nurse of Smyrna...
on the day of her marriage to AzanAzan (mythology)In Greek mythology, Azan was the son of Arcas and the Dryad Erato, brother of Apheidas, Elatus and Hyperippe. Azania in Arcadia was named after him. He married Hippolyte, daughter of Dexamenus, and had a son Cleitor. When Azan died, the first funeral games in history were held in his honor. It was...
. Her father was forced to agree, but HeraclesHeraclesHeracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
intervened on her behalf and killed the wild horse-man. - Another CentaurCentaurIn Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
, of ThessalyThessalyThessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, who attempted to carry off the bride of Peirithous, king of the Lapiths, on their wedding day. He and his fellows were killed in the fight with the Lapiths that followed, the Centauromachy. Ovid refers to him as "Eurytus", and by his latinized Greek name "Eurytion". - Son of AresAresAres is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
and the HesperidHesperidesIn Greek mythology, the Hesperides are nymphs who tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in North Africa at the edge of the encircling Oceanus, the world-ocean....
Erytheia, who bore him "beside the silver-rooted boundless waters of the river Tartessus, in the hollow of a rock," according to a StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
's quote from a lost poem of Stesichoros. He, and the two-headed dog OrthrusOrthrusIn Greek mythology, Orthrus or Orthus was a two-headed dog and a doublet of Cerberus, both whelped by the chthonic monsters Echidna and Typhon.He was owned by the three-bodied giant, Geryon...
, were the guardians of the cattle of GeryonGeryonIn Greek mythology, Geryon , son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe and grandson of Medusa, was a fearsome giant who dwelt on the island Erytheia of the mythic Hesperides in the far west of the Mediterranean. A more literal-minded later generation of Greeks associated the region with Tartessos in southern...
and were killed by Heracles.- This Eurytion was also used as a character in the Percy Jackson book The Battle of the LabyrinthThe Battle of the LabyrinthThe Battle of the Labyrinth is a 2008 fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology; it is the fourth novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan...
.
- This Eurytion was also used as a character in the Percy Jackson book The Battle of the Labyrinth
- A TrojanTroyTroy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
archer during the Trojan WarTrojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
, son of Lycaon and brother of PandarusPandarusPandarus is a Trojan aristocrat who appears in stories about the Trojan War. In Homer's Iliad he is portrayed as an energetic and impetuous warrior, but in medieval literature he becomes a witty and licentious figure who facilitates the affair between Troilus and Cressida...
. He participated in the funeral games of AnchisesAnchisesIn Greek mythology, Anchises was the son of Capys and Themiste . His major claim to fame in Greek mythology is that he was a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite . One version is that Aphrodite pretended to be a Phrygian princess and seduced him for nearly two weeks of lovemaking...
. - A defender of Thebes against the Seven, was killed by Parthenopaeus.