Palaemon
godGod of harbours and patron of the Isthmian Games, originally the mortal child Melicertes.
The Myth
Melicertes was the infant son of Ino who was carried into the sea when his mother, maddened by Hera, leapt from the Molurian Rock. A dolphin carried the child's body to the Isthmus of Corinth, where his uncle Sisyphus found it and established funeral games in his honour — the origin of the Isthmian Games. Transformed into the god Palaemon, he protected harbours and sailors. His sanctuary at Isthmia contained a subterranean adyton where secret rites were performed.
Parents
Athamas, Ino
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Isthmian Games, supposedly founded for Palaemon, were one of the four great Panhellenic festivals and awarded winners crowns of pine — later celery — rather than olive.
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