PHORONEUS (son of Inachus in Greek mythology)
Figure of myth · son of Inachus in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Inachus, Colaxe, Argeia, Melia
- Siblings
- Aegialeus
- Consorts
- Teledice, Cerdo, Laodice, Cinna
- Children
- Phthia, Niobe, Iasus, Aegialeus, Apis, Clymenus, Chthonia, Car, Agenor, Sparton, Europs, Pelasgus and 1 more
- Symbols and gear
- goblet
- Haunts and cult places
- Argos
- In the sources
- 25 ancient passages
Phoroneus, son of the river god Inachus and Melia, is described as the elder figure associated with the goblet.1,2 He ruled over the entire territory that later became known as the Peloponnese.1 The local people credited him with discovering fire for humanity, a tradition that rejected the idea that Prometheus gave fire to mankind.3
A legend describes Phoroneus as the initial resident of the region, where he united previously scattered and isolated families into a single community.4 Some people claim that King Phoroneus founded the city of Argos before the time of Cecrops.5 The location where he gathered the people was named the City of Phoroneus.4
Phoroneus married a woman named Cerdo and also had a relationship with the nymph Teledice, with whom he fathered a son named Apis.6,1 He was also the father of Car, who ruled the land of Megara, and the grandfather of Argus, who eventually succeeded him on the throne.7,8,9,10 Accounts differ on his other children; he is identified as the father of Niobe and of a daughter who bore five daughters to Hecaterus.11,12,13
Tragedy struck the family when a lion sent by an angry immortal attacked the children of Phoroneus.14 Herophanes of Troezen claimed Europs was an illegitimate child of Phoroneus.10 His reign is used as a chronological reference point for the invention of letters in Egypt.15
In Pausanias's time, a perpetual fire was kept burning in his honor, and people brought offerings to him as if he were a hero.3,16 His grave is located to the right of the sanctuary of Nemean Zeus.16 In the underworld, Phoroneus was seen mourning among the Argive ghosts, gentle while weeping with the other dead, having used a golden goblet to pour libations to the gods.17,2
The codex facts behind this entry
Phoroneus is identified as a son of the river god Inachus and Melia. Apollodorus 2.1.1 A legend describes Phoroneus as the initial resident of the region. Pausanias 2.15.5 Phoroneus is described as the elder figure associated with the goblet. Statius, Thebaid 1.500-528 ¶3
Appearance
Phoroneus is described as gentle while weeping with the other dead. Statius, Thebaid 4.575-600 ¶2
In the myths
The local people credit Phoroneus with discovering fire for humanity, rejecting the idea that Prometheus gave fire to mankind. Pausanias 2.19.5 Phoroneus held the throne before his grandson Argus succeeded him. Pausanias 2.16.1 Herophanes of Troezen claimed Europs was an illegitimate child of Phoroneus. Pausanias 2.34.4 Phoroneus united previously scattered and isolated families into a single community. Pausanias 2.15.5 He ruled over the entire territory that later became known as the Peloponnese. Apollodorus 2.1.1 The children of Phoroneus were attacked by a lion sent by an angry immortal. Theocritus, Idyl 21 ¶37 Some people claim that King Phoroneus founded the city of Argos before the time of Cecrops. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 7.57 ¶3 Phoroneus poured libations to the gods from a specific golden goblet. Statius, Thebaid 1.500-528 ¶3 The statue of Phoroneus is part of a collection of ancestral bronzes. Statius, Thebaid 2.213-239 ¶1
Worship
A perpetual fire is kept burning in his honor at the site. Pausanias 2.19.5 People in Pausanias's time brought offerings to him as if he were a hero. Pausanias 2.20.3
