In
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, Creon (; grc, Κρέων, Kreōn, lit=ruler), son of
Lycaethus Lycaethus (Ancient Greek: Λύκαιθος) is a name that refers to the following figures in Greek mythology:
*Lycaethus, father of Creon, king of Corinth, father of Glauce and Hippotes.
*Lycaethus, a son of King Hippocoon of Sparta, usurper of T ...
, was a king of
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...
and father of
Hippotes Hippotes (Ancient Greek: Ἱππότης) may refer to a number of people from Greek mythology:
*Hippotes, son of Mimas and father of Aeolus, the keeper of the Winds in the ''Odyssey''. He was a mortal king.
*Hippotes, a Corinthian prince as the ...
and
Creusa or
Glauce
In Greek mythology, Glauce (; Ancient Greek: Γλαυκή ''Glaukê'' means 'blue-gray' or 'gleaming'), Latin Glauca, refers to different people:
*Glauce, an Arcadian nymph, one of the nurses of Zeus. She and the other nurses were represente ...
, whom
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
would marry if not for the intervention of
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...
.
Mythology
According to a lost play by
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...
summarized in the ''
Bibliotheca'',
Alcmaeon entrusted to Creon's care his two children by
Manto may refer to:
People
* Mando (singer), Greek singer
* Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine
* Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto
* Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician
* Manto ...
—a son
Amphilochus and a daughter
Tisiphone
Tisiphone ( ; grc, Τισιφόνη, Tisiphónē), or Tilphousia, was one of the three Erinyes or Furies. Her sisters were Alecto and Megaera. She and her sisters punished crimes of murder: parricide, fratricide and homicide.
In culture
Lit ...
. The latter grew up to be so pretty that Creon's wife sold her away as a slave, fearing that Creon might abandon her in favor of the maiden. Tisiphone was bought by her own father Alcmaeon, who failed to recognize her and did not get to know the truth until he came to Corinth to fetch his children.
Creon is best known in connection with the myth of Jason and Medea mentioned above. He showed hospitality towards the couple, and later expressed consent for Jason to marry his daughter. Ultimately, he fell victim to Medea's subsequent revenge, getting burned to death as he was attempting to rescue his daughter from similar fate.
[Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' 25]
Notes
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
* Gaius Julius Hyginus, ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
Kings of Corinth
{{Greek-myth-stub
Kings in Greek mythology
Corinthian characters in Greek mythology