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 ...

, Erysichthon (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

: Ἐρυσίχθων), also spelled Erisichthon (lit. 'Earth-tearer'), was an

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

prince as the son of King

Cecrops I Cecrops (; ; , ) was a legendary king of Attica which derived from him its name Cecropia, according to the Parian Chronicle having previously borne the name of Acte or Actice (from Actaeus). He was the founder and the first king of Athens itsel ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and

Agraulus Aglaurus (; ) or Agraulus (; ) is a name attributed to three figures in Greek mythology. *Aglaurus, the daughter of Actaeus, the first king of Attica. She married Cecrops and according to Apollodorus became the mother of Erysichthon, Agraulus, ...

, daughter of King

Actaeus In Greek mythology, Actaeus (; ), also called Actaeon, was the first king of Attica, according to Pausanias. Legend Actaeus was said to have ruled over the kingdom of Attica, named Acte ( ''Akte'') or Actica. The ancient Parian Chronicle ...

. His possible sibling were Aglaurus,

Herse In Greek mythology, Herse ( "dew") may refer to the following figures: *Herse, daughter of Selene by Zeus, see Ersa. * Herse, daughter of Cecrops. *Herse, one of the many consorts of King Danaus of Libya and mother of his daughters Hippodice an ...

and

Pandorus In Greek mythology, Pandorus () may refer to the following personages: * Pandorus, son of Zeus and Pandora, daughter of Deucalion and Pyrrha. He was the brother of Melera, and possibly Graecus and Latinus. *Pandorus, an Athenian prince as the s ...

. Erysicthon died childless during his father's reign.

Mythology

Erysichthon was said to have died in

Prasiae Prasiae or Prasiai (),Aristophanes, ''Pac.'' 242 or Prasia (Πρασία),''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' p. 17 also known as Brasiae or Brasiai (Βρασιαί), was a town on the eastern coast of ancient Laconia, described by Pausanias as the far ...

(modern

Porto Rafti Porto Rafti (), officially named Limin Markopoulou (), is a seaside resort town located in East Attica, Greece. Porto Rafti's main source of income is Tourism in Greece, tourism and winemaking. It is part of the municipality of Markopoulo Mesogaia ...

), on the east coast of Attica, as he was returning from the holy island of

Delos Delos (; ; ''Dêlos'', ''Dâlos''), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Though only in area, it is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. ...

with a statue of Eileithuia, goddess of childbirth. Of the three ancient wooden images of the goddess that could be seen at her temple at Athens, one was identified as the image that Erysichthon had brought from Delos. According to Pausanias, Erysichthon's tomb could be seen at Prasiae, where his corpse was said to have been buried after his ship had arrived in port. Pausanias
1.2.61.18.5

1.31.2
/ref>

Notes

References

Apollodorus Apollodorus ( Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: :''Note: A ...

, ''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
* Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
Princes in Greek mythology Mythological people from Attica Attic mythology {{greek-myth-royal-stub