Cychreus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Cychreus (Ancient Greek: υχρεύς) was a king of Salamis Island. He was the son of the god Poseidon and the nymph Salamis,[1][2] daughter of potamoi Asopus[3][4][5] and Metope. Salamis was kidnapped by a god and taken to Salamis Island, which was named after her.[6]
There are several accounts of Cychreus, among which it is believed that he:
- Fought a dragon/serpent (Cychreides) that was terrorizing the island of Salamis, and upon slaying it was made king.[7][8]
- Raised a dragon/serpent (Cychreides) as a pet, before he became ruler of Salamis. It went on a rampage, and was driven away or captured by Eurylochus, who gave it to Demeter, a goddess who then kept it for her own.[9][10]
- Was known as "the dragon" for his short tempered nature, and terrorized the island of Salamis until driven off by Eurylochus, but was received at Eleusis by Demeter, who made him her high priest.[11]
During the Battle of Salamis a dragon appeared among the Athenian ships, and an oracle claimed it was Cychreus. A sanctuary was built in the island of Salamis in his honour.[12]
Cychreus was involved with the nymph Stilbe, and became the father of Chariclo, Chiron's wife.[13] According to Pherecydes of Leros, Cychreus was the father of Glauce, and Glauce and Actaeus were the parents of Telamon;[14][15] in other versions of the myth, Telamon is the son of Aeacus and Endeïs.[16] After murdering his brother Phocus, Telamon, along with his brother and accomplice Peleus, were expelled by Aeacus from Aegina, and Telamon took refuge in the court of Cychreus. When Cychreus died childless, he was made king of Salamina.[17][18] According to Diodorus Siculus, Telamon took refuge in Salamis when fleeing from Aegina, married Glauce, daughter of Cychreus, and became king of Salamis; after Glauce's death, Telamon married Eriboea of Athens, daughter of Alcathous, with whom he had Ajax.[19]
Notes
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca, 3.12.7
- Diodoro Sículo, Biblioteca Histórica, Livro IV, 72.4
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca, 3.12.7
- Diodoro Sículo, Biblioteca Histórica, Livro IV, 72.1
- Pausanias, Descripción de Grecia I.35.2
- Diodoro Sículo, Biblioteca Histórica, Livro IV, 72.4
- Apollodorus, 3.12.7
- Newman, Harold and Jon O. A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology. 2003. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press
- Strabo, Geographica 9.1.9 with Hesiod as the authority
- Estrabón IX.1.9.
- Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica s.v. Kychreios
- Pausanias, op. cit. I.36.1
- M. Grant and J. Hazel, Who's Who in Greek Mythology, David McKay & Co Inc, 1979
- Ferecides de Leros, citado em Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca, 3.12.6
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca mitológica III.12.6
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca, 3.12.6
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, op. cit. III.12.7
- Pseudo-Apolodoro, Biblioteca, 3.12.7
- Diodoro Sículo, Biblioteca Histórica, Livro IV, 72.7
References
- Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Newman, Harold and Jon O. A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology. 2003. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press
- M. Grant and J. Hazel, Who's Who in Greek Mythology, David McKay & Co Inc, 1979
- Stephanus of Byzantium, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt, edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849. A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Strabo, The Geography of Strabo. Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Strabo, Geographica edited by A. Meineke. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.