Ixion
heroIxion was the first human to murder a kinsman and the first to attempt seduction of a goddess — bound forever to a spinning wheel of fire.
The Myth
Ixion murdered his father-in-law by pushing him into a bed of burning coals — the first kin-slaying in Greek myth. No one would purify him until Zeus, out of pity, brought him to Olympus. Instead of gratitude, Ixion lusted after Hera. Zeus shaped a cloud (Nephele) to look like Hera; Ixion coupled with it, fathering the Centaurs. Zeus bound Ixion to a flaming wheel that spins through the sky for eternity.
Parents
Antion (or Phlegyas)
Children
Centaurs (by Nephele)
Symbols
Fun Fact
Ixion is the Greek Cain — the first murderer — and his punishment on the wheel became an archetypal image of eternal torment.
Explore Further
Centaurs
creatureA race of beings with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. Most were wild and...
Hera
godQueen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's...
Olympus
placeThe highest mountain in Greece and the mythological home of the twelve Olympian gods. Olympus was...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Achilles
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Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...