MELANTHUS (son of Andropompus in Greek mythology)

During the era of the Heracleidae's return, Melanthus ruled the Messenians before being expelled from his home country along with other descendants of Nestor and the sons of Paeon.^4,2,1 Banished from his homeland, he consulted the Pythia to determine where he should live, and the oracle instructed him to settle where he first received hospitality with pig head and feet.¹

Priestesses at Eleusis sent him the leftover head and feet of a sacrificial victim, providing the prophesied hospitality that marked his new home.¹ Later poets claim Melanthus moved to Athens with many Pylians.⁸

As king of the Athenians during the settlement of the Ionians, he allowed them to settle in Attica, a move another account claims was intended to strengthen Athens against Dorian threats.³ In a separate conflict, he defeated the Boeotian king horse/">Xanthus in a one-on-one fight.⁵

Melanthus was the father of Codrus, who became king of Athens, and his descendants were known by the name Medontidae.^9,10,5,11 His line shared ancestors with the family of Codrus, and his great-grandchild Apoecus introduced Ionians to the city of Teos without hostility toward the Orchomenians or Teians.^12,13,14 Over time, the office held by Melanthus's descendants was changed into a constitutional role, with their authority stripped and their term of office restricted to ten years.¹¹ Beyond his rule, Melanthus wrote a treatise concerning the Eleusinian Mysteries and claimed Hecate is a goddess of the sea.¹⁵