GREEK MYTHOSThe Godsunder Codex

CECROPS I (mythical king of ancient Athens)

Figure of myth · mythical king of ancient Athens

Consorts: Aglauros
Children: Pandrosus, Herse, Aglaurus, daughter of Cecrops, Cekropides, Erysichthon of Attica
In the sources: 42 ancient passages

Cecrops I stood as the initial ruler and king of the city of Athens and the region of Attica, a figure whose very name marked a barbarous origin for the individual.^1,2,3 His physical form was a striking mixture of human and serpent features, a dual nature that some accounts described as having two shapes.^1,4,5 He is identified as the son of Pandion, though other traditions name him as the eldest son of the king Erechtheus.^6,7 He is identified as the starting point for inquiries into the city's founders.⁸

Upon assuming the throne, Cecrops I renamed the territory formerly known as Acte to Cecropia in his own honor and named a town after himself.^1,9 He settled a large group of people in twelve different cities, including one named Cecropia and a settlement in the city known as Epacria.¹⁰ The people under his rule were known as the Cecropidae, and he gave his name to a tribe in Athens following a Delphic oracle.^11,12 He was the first to establish monogamy in Athens, replacing previous random connections, and some called him διφυὴς because paternity was previously unknown due to shared wives.¹³

Cecrops I was the first person to designate Zeus as the Supreme god, a pivotal act in the religious history of the land.¹⁴ He refused to offer any living animal as a sacrifice, burning national cakes on the altar instead, a ritual conducted later than the one performed by the Heliadae.^14,2 The Athenians still referred to these specific cakes as pelanoi, preserving the memory of his unique sacrificial practice.¹⁴ He performed a sacrifice to Athena using fire, unlike the Heliadae who did not, further distinguishing his worship.²

In the famous dispute over the land, Cecrops I bore witness that Athena was the first to plant the olive tree, testifying to her act in the conflict with Poseidon.¹ He married Agraulus, the daughter of Actaeus, and they produced a son named Erysichthon, who died while Cecrops was still alive.^15,16 A goddess commanded Envy to infect one of his daughters with poison, and when the daughters opened the ark containing the infant, they stained the cliff with blood and died.^17,18

The people of Cecrops I aimed to subjugate the entire region of Achaia and requested military assistance from the sons of Æacus.¹⁹ His cavern was located beneath the rocky roof of Macrae, the site where Ion was exposed as a baby.²⁰ Cecrops I passed away, which led to Cranaus taking the throne, and the land of Cecrops was condemned to perform funerals to expiate a wicked deed.^21,16,22 The descendants of Cecrops sent the equipment of the Pilgrim Ship to Phoebus, ensuring his legacy endured in ritual and memory.²³

The codex facts behind this entry

Cecrops was the initial ruler and king of the city of Athens and the region of Attica. Apollodorus 3.14.1 +2