Amphictyon or Amphiktyon (; grc, Ἀμφικτύων), in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, was a king of

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: (''Thermopylai'') , Demotic Greek (Greek): , (''Thermopyles'') ; "hot gates") is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur ...

and later

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In one account, he was the ruler of

Locris Locris (; el, label=Modern Greek, Λοκρίδα, Lokrída; grc, Λοκρίς, Lokrís) was a region of ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of three distinct districts. Locrian tribe The city of Locri in Calabria (Italy), ...

. Pseudo-Scymnos, ''Circuit de la terre'' 587 ff.

Etymology

The name of Amphictyon is a back-formation from ''Amphictyons'', plural, from Latin ''Amphictyones'', from Greek ''Amphiktyones, Amphiktiones'', literally, "neighbors" or "those dwelling around" from ''amphi- + -ktyones, -ktiones'' (from ''ktizein'' to found); akin to Sanskrit ''kṣeti'' he dwells, ''kṣiti'' abode, Avestan ''shitish'' dwelling, Armenian ''šen'' inhabited, cultivated.

Family

Amphictyon was the second son of

Deucalion In Greek mythology, Deucalion (; grc-gre, Δευκαλίων) was the son of Prometheus; ancient sources name his mother as Clymene, Hesione, or Pronoia.A scholium to ''Odyssey'' 10.2 (='' Catalogue'' fr. 4) reports that Hesiod called Deucalion ...

and

Pyrrha In Greek mythology, Pyrrha (; Ancient Greek: Πύρρα) was the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora and wife of Deucalion of whom she had three sons, Hellen, Amphictyon, Orestheus; and three daughters Protogeneia, Pandora II and Thyia. Accordi ...

, although there was also a tradition that he was

autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Fiction * Autochthon (Atlantis), a character in Plato's myth of Atlantis * Autochthons, characters in the novel ''The Divine Invasion'' by Philip K. Dick * Autochthon, a Primordial in the ...

(born from the earth);Apollodorus, 3.14.6 he was also said to be a son of

Hellen In Greek mythology, Hellen (; grc, Ἕλλην) is the eponymous progenitor of the Hellenes. He is the child of Deucalion (or Zeus) and Pyrrha, and the father of three sons, Dorus, Xuthus, and Aeolus, by whom he is the ancestor of the Greek p ...

, his brother in the first account. Amphictyon's other (possible) siblings besides Hellen were

Protogeneia Protogeneia (; Ancient Greek: means "the firstborn"), in Greek mythology, may refer to: *Protogeneia, a Phthian princess as the daughter of King Deucalion of Thessaly and Pyrrha, mythological progenitors of the Hellenes. She was the sister of He ...

Thyia In Greek mythology, Thyia (; grc, Θυία ''Thuia'' derived from the verb ''θύω'' "to sacrifice") was a female figure associated with cults of several major gods. Mythology In the Delphic tradition, Thyia was also the naiad of a spring ...

Pandora II In Greek mythology, Pandora ( grc, Πανδώρα, derived from ' "all" and "gift", thus "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was Phthian princess as the daughter of King Deucalion of Thessaly. She was named after her maternal grandmother, the more ...

Melantho In Greek mythology, Melantho (; Ancient Greek: Μελανθώ) may refer to the following women: * Melantho, also called Melanthea, a Phthian princess as the daughter of King Deucalion and Pyrrha, daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. She was not ...

(

Melanthea In Greek mythology, Melantheia or Melanthea (Ancient Greek: Μελανθείας) was the daughter of the river-god Alpheus, and thus she can be counted as a naiad. Melanthea bore to Poseidon, Eirene whom the earlier name of Calaurea was call ...

) and Candybus. Amphictyon married a daughter of King

Cranaus In Greek mythology, Cranaus or Kranaos (;Ancient Greek: Κραναός) was the second King of Athens, succeeding Cecrops I. Family Cranaus married Pedias, a Spartan woman and daughter of Mynes, with whom he had three daughters: Cranaë, Cranaec ...

of Athens.

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

1.2.6
/ref> Amphictyon had a son,

Itonus In Greek mythology, Itonus (; Ancient Greek: Ἴτωνος means 'willow—man'), also Itonius, may refer to two individuals: * Itonus, king of Iton in Phthiotis and son of Amphictyon. He was married to Melanippe, a nymph, and had a son Boeotus ...

, who in his turn became the father of

Boeotus In Greek mythology, Boeotus (; Ancient Greek: Βοιωτός ''Boiotos'') may refer to the following personages: * Boeotus, son of Poseidon and Arne.Scholia on Homer, ''Iliad'' B, 494, p. 80, 43 ed. Bekk. as cited in Hellanicus' ''Boeotica'' * ...

Iodame In Greek mythology, Iodame or Iodama (; Ancient Greek: Ἰοδάμαν probably means 'heifer calf of Io'Graves, p. 47.) was a Thessalian princess as the daughter of King Itonus of Iton in Phthiotis. She was the granddaughter of Amphictyon.Tzetzes o ...

and

Chromia In Greek mythology, Chromia (; Ancient Greek: , ''Khrōmía'') was the daughter of Itonus, son of Amphictyon, himself son of Deucalion. She was also, in some traditions, the mother of Aetolus, Paeon, Epeius and Eurycyda by Endymion. The poem ''E ...

Melanippe :''The name Melanippe is the feminine counterpart of Melanippus.'' In Greek mythology, Melanippe () referred to several different people: * Melanippe, daughter of the Centaur Chiron. Also known as Hippe or Euippe. She bore a daughter to Aeolus, Me ...

. He also had a daughter, never mentioned by name, who became the mother of

Cercyon In Greek mythology, Cercyon (Ancient Greek: Κερκύων, -ονος ''Kerkyon'') was the name of the following two figures: * Cercyon, malefactor who was killed by Theseus. * Cercyon, son of Agamedes, and the father of Hippothous, who succeeded ...

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

, and of

Triptolemus In Greek mythology, Triptolemus ( el, Τριπτόλεμος, ''Triptólemos'', lit. "threefold warrior"; also known as Buzyges) is a figure connected with the goddess Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He was either a mortal prince, the el ...

Rarus In Greek mythology, Rarus (Ancient Greek: Ρᾶρος) or Rar (Ρᾶρ) was a son of Cranaus, eponym of the Rharian Field near Eleusis, and a possible father of Triptolemus by an unnamed daughter of Amphictyon. According to Suda, Rarus was the fa ...

. Some added that Amphictyon had another son, Physcus, by Chthonopatra, daughter of his brother Hellen. However, others stated that Physcus was the grandson of Amphictyon through

Aetolus Aetolus (; Ancient Greek: Αἰτωλός ''Aitolos'') was, in Greek mythology, a son of Endymion, great-great-grandson of Deucalion, and a Naiad nymph (Neis), or Iphianassa. Family According to Pausanias, Aetolus' mother was called Asterodia ...

. In this late account, the kingdom of Locris was ruled from Amphictyon to Aetolus, then Physcus and eventually,

Locrus In Greek mythology, the name Locrus or Lokros (; Ancient Greek: Λοκρός) may refer to: * Locrus, the king of Locris and son of his predecessor King Physcius. He was the grandson of Amphictyon, son of Deucalion.Pseudo-Scymnus, ''Circuit of the ...

who gave his name to the land.

Mythology

One account related that during the reign of King Cranaus, Deucalion, who founded and ruled over Lycoreia in Mt. Parnassus, was said to have fled from his kingdom during the great flood with his sons Hellen and Amphictyon, and seek refuge to Athens. Later on, the latter became king of Thermopylae and brought together those living round about the temple and named them Amphictyons, and sacrificed on their behalf. While ruling in his new kingdom, Amphictyon's brother Hellen emigrated to

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is borde ...

where he became the ruler. Eventually, Amphictyon deposed Cranaus and proclaimed himself

king of Athens Before the Athenian democracy, the tyrants, and the Archons, the city-state of Athens was ruled by kings. Most of these are probably mythical or only semi-historical. The following lists contain the chronological order of the title King of Athens ( ...

. Amphictyon ruled the kingdom for 10, or in some accounts, 12 years and founded the

Amphictyonic League In Archaic Greece, an amphictyony ( grc-gre, ἀμφικτυονία, a "league of neighbors"), or amphictyonic league, was an ancient religious association of tribes formed before the rise of the Greek ''poleis''. The six Dorian cities of coasta ...

which traditionally met at Thermopylae in historical times. During his rule,

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

was supposed to have visited him in Athens and taught him how to mix water with wine in the proper proportions.Eustathius on Homer, p. 1815 Amphictyon was later on dethroned by Erichthonius, another autochthonous king of Athens.

Notes

References

Primary sources

* Dionysus of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities.'' English translation by Earnest Cary in the Loeb Classical Library, 7 volumes. Harvard University Press, 1937–1950
Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
*Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Antiquitatum Romanarum quae supersunt'', ''Vol I-IV''. . Karl Jacoby. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1885
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
*

, ''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
*

Pseudo-Apollodorus The ''Bibliotheca'' (Ancient Greek: grc, Βιβλιοθήκη, lit=Library, translit=Bibliothēkē, label=none), also known as the ''Bibliotheca'' of Pseudo-Apollodorus, is a compendium of Greek myths and heroic legends, arranged in three book ...

, ''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.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...

, ''Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt,'' edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849. A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling
Online version at the Topos Text Project.

Secondary sources

* Gantz, Timothy, ''Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources'', Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: (Vol. 1), {{ISBN, 978-0-8018-5362-3 (Vol. 2). * Smith, William; ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'', London (1873)
"Amphictyon"
Kings of Athens Kings in Greek mythology Autochthons of classical mythology Deucalionids Locrian characters in Greek mythology Thessalian characters in Greek mythology Attic mythology Locris Thessalian mythology Delphic amphictyony