Pandion
King of Athens who married off his daughters Procne and Philomela, both of whom suffered terribly at the hands of Tereus.
The Legend of Pandion
He gave his daughter to a man who would rape his other daughter — the most catastrophic marriage alliance in Athenian myth. Pandion, king of Athens, allied with Tereus of Thrace by giving him Procne as a wife. Years later, Procne wanted her sister Philomela to visit. Pandion entrusted Philomela to Tereus for the journey. Tereus raped Philomela, cut out her tongue, and imprisoned her. The chain of horror that followed — murder, cannibalism, transformation — all stems from Pandion's trust. He died of grief (in some versions) without learning the full truth. The Pandionid tribe of Athens was named for him, and two Athenian kings bore his name.
Parents
Erichthonius
Symbols
Fun Fact
Two separate Athenian kings named Pandion appear in the king lists — scholars debate whether they are doublets of the same figure.
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