SCIRUS OF SALAMIS (mythical Athenian seer)
Figure of myth · mythical Athenian seer
- In the sources
- 3 ancient passages
Scirus of Salamis was a seer who originated from Dodona, though other accounts place his home in Salamis.1,2 He established the old sanctuary of Athena Sciras at Phalerum, where he later maintained a temple near memorial chapels built by Theseus.1,2 Scirus aided Theseus by providing Nausithous as a pilot and Phaeax as a look-out man, an act driven by his bond with Menesthes, his daughter's son.2
The hero died during the fighting between the Eleusinians and Erechtheus, and the Eleusinians buried him near a torrent.1 The place called Scirum received its name from this hero, as did the nearby torrent.1 From the rocks of Sciros, westerly winds appear to originate for Attica, and these winds, especially the north-westerly ones, are called Scirones because they seem to come from that place.3
