Atys ( el, Ἄτυς) was the son of

Croesus Croesus ( ; Lydian: ; Phrygian: ; grc, Κροισος, Kroisos; Latin: ; reigned: c. 585 – c. 546 BC) was the king of Lydia, who reigned from 585 BC until his defeat by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 547 or 546 BC. Croesus was r ...

king of

Lydia Lydia ( Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish pro ...

. He had one son named

Pythius Pythius is a Lydian mentioned in book VII of Herodotus' '' Histories'', chh. 27-29 and 38-39. He is the son of Atys, and the grandson of Croesus, the last native king of Lydia before the Persian conquest. The Persian king Xerxes I, son of Dar ...

.from Herodotus, 7.27. According to Hdt. 1.35-45 (1, 35 to 45 of the '' Histories'' by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ha ...

), Atys's father king Croesus had a dream, in which he saw his son Atys killed by a spear. As a result Croesus, seeking to prevent or stave off the foreseen fate, had his son married immediately and ceased sending him out to war. One day a giant boar began terrorizing

Mysian Olympus Mysians ( la, Mysi; grc, Μυσοί, ''Mysoí'') were the inhabitants of Mysia, a region in northwestern Asia Minor. Origins according to ancient authors Their first mention is by Homer, in his list of Trojans allies in the Iliad, and accordi ...

, and the

Mysian Mysians ( la, Mysi; grc, Μυσοί, ''Mysoí'') were the inhabitants of Mysia, a region in northwestern Asia Minor. Origins according to ancient authors Their first mention is by Homer, in his list of Trojans allies in the Iliad, and accordi ...

s sent to Croesus seeking relief. Croesus initially was unwilling to allow Atys to participate, but Atys talked his father into letting him go with a team of chosen young men and hounds to drive it off, arguing that boars do not wield iron weapons. Croesus gave his consent, but he sent

Adrastus In Greek mythology, Adrastus or Adrestus ( Ancient Greek: Ἄδραστος or Ἄδρηστος), (perhaps meaning "the inescapable"), was a king of Argos, and leader of the Seven against Thebes. He was the son of the Argive king Talaus, but wa ...

with him as a body guard. During the hunt, Adrastus accidentally killed Atys when hurling a spear at the boar, thus Croesus's dream came to pass. Riddled with guilt, Adrastus slew himself over the tomb of Atys.

Hipponax of Ephesus Hipponax ( grc, Ἱππῶναξ; ''gen''. Ἱππώνακτος; fl. late 6th century BC), of Ephesus and later Clazomenae, was an Ancient Greek iambic poet who composed verses depicting the vulgar side of life in Ionian society. He was celebra ...

mentions a tomb of Atys, which might be that of this prince.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croesus, Atys Son Of Lydians 6th-century BC Greek people 6th-century BC births 6th-century BC deaths