Erichthonius (King)

hero

Ἐριχθόνιος

Athens, earth-born

Earth-born king of Athens raised by Athena in secret.

The Myth

When Hephaestus attempted to force himself on Athena, she fought him off, and his seed fell upon the earth. From this Gaia bore Erichthonius, whom Athena adopted. She placed the infant in a chest guarded by serpents and entrusted it to the daughters of Cecrops with strict instructions not to open it. They did, saw the child entwined with snakes, and went mad, throwing themselves from the Acropolis. Erichthonius survived to become king of Athens and instituted the Panathenaea festival.

Parents

Hephaestus, Gaia

Children

Pandion I

Symbols

serpentchestchariot

Fun Fact

The Panathenaea festival he supposedly founded was real and ran for centuries — its procession is depicted on the Parthenon frieze now in the British Museum.

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