Glaucus
A young prince of Crete who drowned in a jar of honey and was restored to life by the seer Polyidus using a magical herb revealed by a serpent
The Legend of Glaucus
Glaucus was the young son of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphae. While playing, the child chased a mouse into the palace storage rooms and fell into a large pithos — a storage jar filled with honey — where he drowned. When Minos could not find his son, he consulted the oracle, which gave a riddle: whoever could best describe a miraculous calf in the royal herds would find the child. The seer Polyidus of Argos compared the calf, which changed colour from white to red to black, to a ripening mulberry, and was declared the winner. Guided by an omen of an owl and bees, Polyidus discovered the boy's body in the honey jar. Minos then demanded that Polyidus restore Glaucus to life, and when the seer protested his inability, Minos locked him in a tomb with the corpse. Inside the tomb, Polyidus saw a serpent approach the body and killed it. A second serpent appeared, placed a herb upon its dead companion, and restored it to life. Polyidus used the same herb on Glaucus, and the boy revived. Before leaving Crete, Polyidus made Glaucus spit into his mouth, reclaiming the prophetic gift.
Parents
Minos and Pasiphae
Symbols
Fun Fact
The boy was perfectly preserved in honey when found — ancient Greeks knew that honey prevented decay, a fact confirmed by modern science
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