ASOPUS (river god of Greek mythology)
Divine power · river god of Greek mythology
- Parents
- Oceanus, Zeus, Poseidon, Tethys, Pero, Eurynome, Celusa
- Consorts
- Metope
- Children
- Nemea, Plataea, Chalcis, Ismenus, Aegina, Corcyra, Antiope, Tanagra, Sinope, Pirene, Rhodos, Salamis and 11 more
- Haunts and cult places
- Sicyon, Phlius, Boeotia, Phrygia, Miletus, Thebes
- In the sources
- 72 ancient passages
Asopus was a swift river god with deep eddies who gave his name to a river, renowned as a much-envied lord of rivers.1,2,3 His lineage varied among tellers, with some naming Oceanus and Tethys as his parents, while others cited Poseidon and Celusa, or Zeus and Eurynome, or Pero and Poseidon.1,2,4 He made his home in the region of Phlius, where the river originated within the territory and flowed from the Carneates section of the mountain Celossa.2,5,6 The fame of the Asopus reached every land, including the farthest reaches of the Nile, and he was known for the ashes of Giants.3,7
Asopus married Metope, the daughter of the river Ladon.1,2 With Metope, he had twelve daughters, including Corcyra and Salamis, as well as Thebe, Tanagra, Thespeia, Asopis, Sinope, Ornia, and Chalcis; other accounts list Aegina as one of twenty daughters, and some name Cleone among them.2,5,1,8 The accounts differ on the names of their two sons, with one version naming them Ismenus and Pelagon, and another naming them Pelagus and Ismenus.1,2 Among his other progeny were the warrior Hipseus, the nymphs, and the fair-haired Corcyra, who was carried away by Poseidon from the land of Phlius because he loved her.7,9,10
Asopus actively searched for his daughter Aegina after she was abducted, traveling to Corinth and pursuing Zeus.11,1 Sisyphus revealed Zeus to be the abductor, but Asopus was driven away by thunderbolts.11,1 He had previously strove against the father of all the gods and was willing to grant power to Hipseus's right hand, though Phoebus prevented this.7
The river flowed alongside the city of Sicyon, forming the Asopian district which was part of Sicyonia.8,5,6 It flowed beside the location of Plataeae and by the Cithaeron mountain, washing its foot, before receiving the Phoenix river from the south.12,13,14 The water source was discovered for the king Aras, and the springs of Asopus were located near the home of Phlias in Araethyrea.4,15,16 The river eventually emptied into the sea outside the Pylae, with grass-grown banks that watered the plain where Persian troops lingered.5,14,17,18
The Plataeans considered Asopus to be a king who ruled them, and he was identified as the father of the woman named Plataea.19,20 His daughters, some with shining belts, were established by gods as founders of cities, and others were overcome in the beds of gods.3 Accounts differ on the parentage of Antiope, with one claim naming Asopus as her father, contradicting the account naming Nycteus.21,22 Asopus was the father of Salamis, mother of Cychreus, and of the river Oeroe, as well as Ismene and Nemea.23,24,25,26,27,28 The Boeotian Asopus was capable of producing the tallest reeds, and his descendants met the women skilled with the spear living by the Thermodon.29,3
The codex facts behind this entry
Asopus is a swift river god with deep eddies who gave his name to a river. Apollodorus 3.12.6 +2 Asopus is identified as the son of Celusa and Poseidon. Pausanias 2.12.4 Asopus is identified as the father of several sisters, including Nemea and Aegina. Pausanias 5.22.6
Powers
The Boeotian Asopus is capable of producing the tallest reeds. Pausanias 5.14.3 The fame of the Asopus has reached every land, including the farthest reaches of the Nile. Bacchylides 9 Asopus was willing to grant power to Hipseus's right hand but was prevented by Phoebus. Statius, Thebaid 7.721-749 ¶1
In the myths
Asopus actively searched for his daughter Aegina after she was abducted, traveling to Corinth and pursuing Zeus, who was revealed by Sisyphus to be the abductor, but was driven away by thunderbolts. Apollodorus 1.9.3 +1 Asopus granted Sisyphus a spring on the Acrocorinthus in exchange for information about Aegina. Pausanias 2.5.1 Asopus discovered the river's water source for the king Aras. Pausanias 2.12.4 The Plataeans considered Asopus to be a king who ruled them. Pausanias 9.1.2 Poseidon carried Corcyra away from the land of Phlius because he loved her. Argonautica 4 ¶39 The river receives the Phoenix river flowing from the south. Strabo 9.4.14 Asopus is renowned for the ashes of Giants. Statius, Thebaid 7.721-749 ¶1 Asopus previously strove against the father of all the gods. Statius, Thebaid 7.721-749 ¶1
Fate
He was sent back to his own streams after being repelled by Zeus. Apollodorus 3.12.6 Asopus was prevented by Phoebus from fulfilling Hipseus's prayer. Statius, Thebaid 7.721-749 ¶1
