In
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
, Daedalion or Daidalion () was a son of
Hesperos, the god of the
Evening Star or
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...
, god of the
Morning Star and the brother of
Ceyx. Ceyx describes his brother Daedalion as a great warrior, full of courage and vigour but acknowledged that he could also be harsh, relishing the cruelty of war. The story of Daedalion's life is told mainly in
Ovid's ''
Metamorphoses
The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...
'' though passing references can be found in other classical works. It is possible the story may have originated with
Boios. In the tale Daedalion, grief-stricken following the death of his daughter
Chione, attempts to cast himself off
Mount Parnassus
Mount Parnassus (; , ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is, and historically has been, especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the c ...
only to be transformed into a
hawk
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica.
The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...
by
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
.
Mythology
Beautiful daughter
Daedalion's daughter Chione was said to be so beautiful that she was the object of a thousand men's desire the moment she turned fourteen. As it transpired, Chione's admirers were not limited to mortal men. Whilst returning from visits to earth, both Apollo and
Hermes
Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
caught sight of Chione and were filled with a burning lust. Apollo decided to wait until night fell; however, Hermes was not so patient. Through the use of magic, he caused Chione to fall into a deep sleep and proceeded to rape her. Later that evening, Apollo also visited her in the guise of an old woman.
[Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' 11.301] As a result of these two divine visitations Chione gave birth to twins. By Hermes she gave birth to
Autolycus who grew into a notorious thief and charlatan.
[Hyginus, ''Fabulae']
201
/ref> By Apollo she bore Philammon, a man famed both for his voice and skill with a lyre.
Death
The attentions of not one but two gods led Chione to boast that her beauty exceeded even that of Artemis
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...
. To avenge this personal slight, not to mention blasphemy, Artemis struck Chione down by shooting an arrow straight through her tongue.[Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' 11.318] Her father, Daedalion, was overcome with grief despite his brother's best efforts to console him. At his daughter's funeral Daedalion tried to throw himself onto the pyre three times but was restrained. After a fourth unsuccessful attempt he ran, at an impossible speed, through the fields and the forests, climbed to the summit of Mount Parnassus and jumped.
See also
* Aesacus
* Alcyone
* Polyphonte
* Philomela
* Scylla (princess)
* Tereus
References
{{Metamorphoses in Greco-Roman mythology
Children of Lucifer
Metamorphoses into birds in Greek mythology
Suicides in Greek mythology
Metamorphoses characters
Mythological Phocians