Cercyon (Greek: Κερκύων, -ονος) was a figure in Greek mythology. He was the King of Eleusis, and a very strong man. According to the different versions, he was the son of:
- Poseidon and one of the daughters of Amphictyon,[1] or
- Poseidon and the nymph Argiope,[2] or
- Branchus and the nymph Argiope,[3] or
- Hephaestus.[4]
He had two children, Alope and Hippothous.
He stood on the roads around Eleusis and challenged passers-by to a wrestling match. The loser (always the passer-by) was murdered, though Cercyon promised his kingdom to anyone who won. He was eventually beaten and killed by Theseus,[5] who took over the kingdom of Eleusis. Theseus won owing to his skill, rather than superiority in brute physical strength. With this, Theseus started the sport of wrestling.[6]
Cercyon's daughter, Alope, had an affair with (or was raped by) Poseidon, and she beget Hippothoon (or Hippothous). Cercyon had his daughter buried alive, but Poseidon turned her into the spring, Alope, near Eleusis.
Other figures of the same name[]
Cercyon is also the name of the son of Agamedes, and the father of Hippothous, who succeeded Agapenor as king of Arcadia when he did not return from Troy.
References[]
- In Russian:
- ↑ Комментарий Д.О.Торшилова в кн. Гигин. Мифы. СПб, 2000. С.179
- ↑ Мифы народов мира. М., 1991-92. В 2 т. Т.1. С.640-641
- ↑ Схолии к Платону. Законы VII 796а // Примечания А.А.Тахо-Годи в кн. Платон. Собрание сочинений. М., 1990-94. В 4 т. Т.4. С.747
- ↑ Гигин. Мифы 158
- ↑ Аполлодор|Псевдо-Аполлодор. Мифологическая библиотека Э I 3; Вакхилид. Дифирамбы XVIII 26
- ↑ Павсаний. Описание Эллады I 39, 3
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Cercyon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. |