Scamander
River god of the Scamander, the great river of the Trojan plain.
The Myth of Scamander
Scamander was the god of Troy's great river, called Xanthus by the gods. During the Trojan War, Achilles slaughtered Trojans in such numbers that their corpses choked the river's waters. Scamander, enraged at this desecration, rose up as a great flood to drown Achilles — one of the few forces in Greek mythology that nearly killed the hero whom neither Hector nor any warrior could defeat. Achilles would have drowned had Hera not sent Hephaestus to fight the river with divine fire, boiling Scamander's waters until the god relented. This battle between fire and water, described in the Iliad, showed that even nature itself was drawn into the conflict at Troy. Scamander was worshipped by the Trojans alongside Zeus and Apollo.
Explore Further
Inachus
⚡ godriver, Argos
River god of the Inachus and legendary first king of Argos.
Cephissus
⚡ godriver, purification
River god of the Cephissus, the principal river of Attica and Boeotia.
Alpheus
⚡ godriver, pursuit
River god of the Alpheus, the largest river in the Peloponnese.
Peneus
⚡ godriver, Thessaly
River god of the Peneus in Thessaly, father of Daphne.
Achelous
⚡ godGreatest river god, father of the Sirens
Achelous was the god of the mightiest river in Greece and father of the Sirens — he wrestled Heracles for the right to marry Deianira.
Asopus
⚡ godriver, justice
River god of the Asopus in Boeotia, father of many nymphs.
Asopus River
🏛 placegeography
A Boeotian river personified as a god whose daughters were repeatedly abducted by Olympian gods.
Cephissus River
🏛 placeSacred geography
A river in Boeotia and Attica sacred to multiple deities and personified as a river-god
Xanthus River
🏛 placegeography
The principal river of Lycia in Anatolia, where the Lycian hero Sarpedon's homeland was located.
Asteropaios
🗡 heroNone recorded
Paeonian warrior who fought for Troy and duelled Achilles at the river Scamander
Menesthius
🗡 heroMyrmidon leadership, river god heritage
Son of the river god Spercheius who commanded one of the five Myrmidon divisions at Troy
Alpheus River
🏛 placegeography
The longest river in the Peloponnese, personified as a god who pursued the nymph Arethusa beneath the sea.