Ion (mythology)
Encyclopedia
According to Greek mythology
, Ion was the illegitimate child of Creüsa
, daughter of Erechtheus
and wife of Xuthus
. Creusa conceived Ion with Apollo
then she abandoned the child. Apollo asked Hermes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved (and raised) by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle. Later, Xuthus was informed by the oracle that the first person he met when leaving the oracle would be his son, and this person was Ion. He interpreted it to mean that he had fathered Ion, when, in fact, Apollo was giving him Ion as an adoptive son. Creusa was planning on killing Ion due to her jealousy that Xuthus had a son while she was still childless. At the same time, Ion was planning on doing harm to Creusa. In the end, Creusa found out that Ion was her child, and only Xuthus' adopted child. His story is told in the tragedy Ion
by Euripides
.
Ion was the founder of Helike
(the modern Eliki
) in Achaea
(a modern prefecture). Ion was the son of Xuthus
who brought to the area during the reign of the king of Selinus. He married the girl named Helike
who succeeded the throne. He built the city of Eliki who received the name of his wife and made the capital of the kingdom. Where he took an expedition against Eleusis (now Elefsina) with the help of the Athenian
and in the battle he was killed near Eleusis.
According to mythological accounts, Ion founded a primary tribe of Greece, the Ionians
. He is linked to the Hebrew Javan
.
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...
, Ion was the illegitimate child of Creüsa
Creusa
In Greek mythology, four people had the name Creusa ; the name simply means "princess".-Naiad:According to Pindar's 9th Pythian Ode, Creusa was a naiad and daughter of Gaia who bore Hypseus, King of the Lapiths to the river god Peneus. Hypseus had one daughter, Cyrene. When a lion attacked her...
, daughter of Erechtheus
Erechtheus
Erechtheus in Greek mythology was the name of an archaic king of Athens, the re-founder of the polis and a double at Athens for Poseidon, as "Poseidon Erechtheus"...
and wife of Xuthus
Xuthus
In Greek mythology, Xuthus was a son of Hellen and Orseis and founder of the Achaean and Ionian nations. He had two sons by Creusa: Ion and Achaeus and a daughter named Diomede.- Hesiod :...
. Creusa conceived Ion with Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
then she abandoned the child. Apollo asked Hermes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved (and raised) by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle. Later, Xuthus was informed by the oracle that the first person he met when leaving the oracle would be his son, and this person was Ion. He interpreted it to mean that he had fathered Ion, when, in fact, Apollo was giving him Ion as an adoptive son. Creusa was planning on killing Ion due to her jealousy that Xuthus had a son while she was still childless. At the same time, Ion was planning on doing harm to Creusa. In the end, Creusa found out that Ion was her child, and only Xuthus' adopted child. His story is told in the tragedy Ion
Ion (play)
Ion is an ancient Greek play by Euripides, thought to be written between 414 and 412 BC. It follows the orphan Ion in the discovery of his origins.-Background:...
by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
.
Ion was the founder of Helike
Helike
Helike was an ancient Greek city that sank at night in the winter of 373 BC. The city was located in Achaea, Northern Peloponnesos, two kilometres from the Corinthian Gulf...
(the modern Eliki
Eliki
Eliki , is a Greek village in Achaea. Eliki is located about 15 km east of Aigio, about 45 km east of Patras, west of Diakopto and northwest of Kalavryta. Eliki is also in the municipality of Diakopto and had a population of 565 in 2001. Eliki is linked with the road linking with the...
) in Achaea
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
(a modern prefecture). Ion was the son of Xuthus
Xuthus
In Greek mythology, Xuthus was a son of Hellen and Orseis and founder of the Achaean and Ionian nations. He had two sons by Creusa: Ion and Achaeus and a daughter named Diomede.- Hesiod :...
who brought to the area during the reign of the king of Selinus. He married the girl named Helike
Helike (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Helike was one of the nymphs who nurtured Zeus in his infancy on Crete . Her name suggests that she was a "willow-nymph", just as there were oak-tree nymphs and ash-nymphs ....
who succeeded the throne. He built the city of Eliki who received the name of his wife and made the capital of the kingdom. Where he took an expedition against Eleusis (now Elefsina) with the help of the Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and in the battle he was killed near Eleusis.
According to mythological accounts, Ion founded a primary tribe of Greece, the Ionians
Ionians
The Ionians were one of the four major tribes into which the Classical Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been divided...
. He is linked to the Hebrew Javan
Javan
Javan was the fourth son of Noah's son Japheth according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible...
.