Arion
heroArion was a legendary poet and musician whose life was saved by a dolphin when pirates forced him to jump overboard.
The Myth
Arion of Methymna was the finest singer in Greece. Returning from a contest in Sicily with his prize money, the ship's crew plotted to rob and kill him. Arion asked to sing one last song. His music attracted dolphins to the ship. He leapt overboard and a dolphin carried him safely to shore at Cape Taenarum. When the pirates landed, the tyrant Periander confronted them with Arion alive — proving their guilt. Herodotus reports this as history.
Parents
Uncertain
Symbols
Fun Fact
The constellation Delphinus was sometimes said to commemorate the dolphin that saved Arion — music saving the musician.
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