In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, Iamus was the son of Evadne

Evadne

In Greek mythology, Evadne was a name attributed to the following individuals:#A daughter of Poseidon and Pitane who was brought up by Aepytus of Arcadia and became the mother of Iamus by Apollo. She was ashamed of her pregnancy and exposed the child to the elements...

, a daughter of Poseidon

Poseidon

Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...

, sired by Apollo. Shamed by her pregnancy, Evadne exposed the child to the elements. He survived, as two snakes were feeding him with honey. He was then found alive lying among violets, and was named Iamus (from ίον, "violet") by Evadne. When he grew up, he descended into the waters of Alpheios and invoked Poseidon, his grandfather, and Apollo, his father, asking them to reveal his destiny to him. Apollo instructed him to go to Olympia. Granted the gift of prophecy by Apollo, he founded the Iamidae, a family of priests from Olympia

Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...

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