Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians

Erichthonius in greek mythologyErichthonius of Athens was a great ruler who taught his people how to use horses to make their lives easier and better. The ancient Greeks believed that he was born from the earth but was raised by Athena, the goddess of war. Erichthonius grew to become one of the greatest Kings in Athens and the whole of Greece. Continue reading to know more about Erichthonius of Athens.

Who Was Erichthonius?

Ericthonius was born when Athena was raped by the god of fire. He was hidden in a box by her, and gave him away, to the Athenian princesses, daughters of Cecrops. Another version states that he was born to King Dardanus and Batea and was known for his extreme wealth.

The Mythology of Erichthonius

Birth

The myths surrounding Erichthonius birth differ depending on the source but all agree that he was born from the earth. According to Greek mythology, Athena had gone to Hephaestus, the god of fire, to fashion armor for her. However, Hephaestus got aroused by Athena and attempted to have his way with her. Athena resisted but Hephaestus would not give up so the two engaged in a scuffle.

During the struggle, the semen of Hephaestus fell on the thighs of Athena who wiped it with a piece of wool and threw it on the earth. The semen produced Ericthonius but before anyone knew it, Athena snatched the baby and hid him away in a box. She decided to keep Erichthonius from everyone by giving him away to be raised elsewhere.

Giving Away

After careful consideration, Athena gave the box containing the boy to Herse, Aglaurus and Pandrosus; all daughters of Cecrops the King of the Athenians. She warned the princesses not to look inside the box lest they see what the eyes were not allowed to see. The only princess who obeyed Athena’s rule was Pandrosus as Herse and Aglaurus allowed curiosity to get the better of them. Herse and Aglaurus opened the box and screamed at what they saw; a boy who was half-human and half-snake commonly referred to as Erichthonius half man half serpent.

According to one version of the myth, the sisters rather saw a boy with a snake coiled around him. Whatever the sisters saw scared them so much that threw themselves off the cliffs of Athens to their death. Other versions say, the snake coiled around the boy bit the sisters and they died.

Another Version of Erichthonius

According to an existing version of the same myth, Athena gave the box containing the boy to the princess while she went to look for a millstone at the Kassandra Peninsula. In her absence, Herse and Aglaurus opened the box to see its contents. Furthermore, a passing crow saw what the sisters had done and being aware of Athena’s strict instructions, it reported the sisters to her. Athena who was returning with a mountain over her head heard the crow’s report and got furious.

In her anger, she dropped the mountain, now known as Mount Lycabettus which is in present-day Athens, the capital of Greece. The sisters got scared and went insane, throwing themselves off the cliffs of Athens.

The Reign

Erichthonius grew up and overthrew the reigning King of Athens, Amphictyon, who had usurped the throne from Kranaus, the heir to King Cecrops. Later, Erichthonius married a river nymph named Praxithea and the couple gave birth to the legendary Athenian King Pandion I. Under the reign of Erichthonius, Panathenaic Games were established and are still organized today in the same stadium Erichthonius built. He dedicated the games to Athena and built a wooden statue of the goddess in Athens to thank her for her protection throughout his lifetime.

According to inscriptions found on the Parian Marble, Erichthonius taught the Athenians how to smelt silver and use it to produce various items. He also taught them how to yoke horses to gather to either plow the field or pull chariots. It was believed that Erichthonius invented the four-horse chariot to help him move about because he was a cripple. During the Panathenaic Games, Erichthonius competed as a chariot driver though it is not clear whether he won or lost.

Erichthonius adopted the snake as his symbol, probably to remind him of the circumstances surrounding his birth. The people of Athens represented him as the snake hidden behind Athena’s shield on the statue of the goddess.

The Death

After his death, Zeus turned him into the constellation known as Charioteer as a result of his contributions to Athenian civilization. He was later succeeded by his son Pandion I. The Erectheion which was built for the statue of Athena Polias is dedicated to King Erichthonius.

Erichthonius of Dardania

This Erichthonius parents were King Dardanus and his wife Batea, the daughter of King Teucer. Other versions of the myth name Olizone, daughter of King Phineus, as his mother. According to the poet Homer, Erichthonius was known for his wealth which included 3,000 mares and their foals. The god of the cold north wind, Boreas, loved these animals so much that he made them look like dark-maned stallions.

Erichthonius gave birth to Tros who later became the King of the Trojans. Tros also gave birth to three sons Assarakos, Ganymede and Ilos. Of the three sons, Ganymede was the most handsome of all men alive thus, Zeus snatched him up to the heavens to be his cupbearer. His wife was Astyoche, the daughter of the river god, Simoeis.

He had one elder brother named Ilus who died young and thus had no sons to inherit the throne. Therefore, the throne fell to Erichthonius who reigned for between 46 to 65 years to be succeeded by his son Tros.

Meaning and Pronunciation

The name Erichthonius means “trouble from the earth” and it probably depicts his origins of being born from the earth when Hephaestus’ semen fell on it. Erichthonius pronounce is ‘air-ree-thaw-nee-us’.

Modern Adaptations

The game Pandaemonium in Final Fantasy XIV has adopted the myth of Erichthonius where Erichthonius Lahabrea describes the relationship that exists between him and his father Lahabrea. In the game, his mother is Athena as in the Greek myth. Erichthonius ff14 (Final Fantasy XIV) is an Amaurotine and can be located at the Gates of Pandemonium.

Nonetheless, in the game Granblue Fantasy, there is a primal weapon referred to as Erichthonius gbf which emits a wall of flames that cannot be escaped.

Conclusion

So far, we’ve looked at the Greek myths of Erichthonius of Athens and Erichthonius of Dardania. Here is a recap of all that we’ve read so far:Erichthonius of athens

  • Erichthonius of Athens was born when the semen of Hephaestus fell to the earth after he tried to rape Athena.
  • Athena placed the boy in a box and gave it to the three daughters of King Cecrops of Athens and warned them not to open it.
  • One of the daughters obeyed while the other two refused and opened the box only to find a boy who was half-man and half-serpent.
  • This drove the sisters mad and they fell off the cliffs of Athens to their death.
  • He ruled for between 46 – 65 years and was succeeded by his son Tros who became the King of Troy.

Now you know all about Erichthonius, and both versions of the story to how he was born.

Image
Ancient Literature (March 23, 2024) Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians. Retrieved from https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/.
"Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians." Ancient Literature - March 23, 2024, https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/
Ancient Literature August 2, 2022 Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians., viewed March 23, 2024,<https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/>
Ancient Literature - Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians. [Internet]. [Accessed March 23, 2024]. Available from: https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/
"Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians." Ancient Literature - Accessed March 23, 2024. https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/
"Erichthonius: The Mythical King of the Ancient Athenians." Ancient Literature [Online]. Available: https://ancient-literature.com/erichthonius/. [Accessed: March 23, 2024]

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *