XUTHUS (king in Greek mythology)

Despite his martial success, Xuthus and Creusa remained childless after many years of marriage, a source of deep concern for the royal house.^5,1 Seeking a remedy, Xuthus visited the shrine of Trophonius to seek an oracle about having children, and was told that he and his wife would not return childless.^5,6 He then asked his wife to pray at the altars for a favorable answer regarding offspring, and they traveled to Apollo's oracle seeking a solution.^6,1 Xuthus entered the temple to receive an oracle from Apollo on a lucky day, though he had not yet passed the threshold of the sanctuary when the god spoke.^6,7

While at Delphi, Xuthus stayed at a public host's lodging and traveled to the Pythian rock to participate in the rites of Dionysus, planning to anoint the double peaks with sacrificial blood.^8,9 He was intoxicated with wine when he was among the votaries of Dionysus, a state that marked his time in the sacred precincts.⁸ During this period, Xuthus met Ion as he came forth from the god's temple, and the god declared that Ion was begotten by Xuthus.^7,10 Apollo presented Ion to Xuthus as a gift to rule his house, and Xuthus claimed to have learned the answer of the god, though he did not ask about Ion's mother because he was pleased.^10,7

Xuthus greeted Ion by calling him his son, attempted to embrace him, and accepted the title of father with joy.^7,8 He planned to avoid grieving his wife by concealing Ion's parentage and eventually persuading her to let Ion rule the realm, intending to take Ion to Athens as a guest rather than his son.¹¹ Xuthus named Ion after the event of finding him near Apollo's sanctuary and intended to hold a feast and sacrifice to the gods, instructing his son to build a spacious tent while he was away.^11,9 He ordered the handmaids to remain silent about Ion under threat of death, and planned to perform the birth sacrifice for Ion at the general banquet.¹¹

Xuthus was designated as the father who would raise Ion, and he was united with him by a god's oracle, allowing him to believe he was the child's real parent.^10,12,13 He was dismayed by Ion's sudden change in mood but urged him to leave the god's courts and come to Athens, taking his newly found son with him when leaving the god's shrine.^12,9 Xuthus was also the father of Achaeus and Diomede, as well as Dorus, who would found the Dorian state, and the Ionians were named after his son Ion.^{2,14,15,13,8,16} His legacy endured through his descendants, including the Dorian and Ionian peoples, while his own story remained tied to the divine intervention at Delphi.^13,8,16,10