Acacallis (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Acacallis in Greek mythology
is the daughter of Minos
, king of Crete
, and Pasiphae
. Apollodorus
calls her Acalle (Greek: ). According to a Cretan mythological tradition, she bore a son to Hermes
, Cydon, the founder of Cydonia
. Other traditions describe Cydon as the offspring of Acacallis and Apollo
. Yet others wrote that Acacallis mothered Cydon with Hermes, and Naxos (eponym
of the island Naxos) with Apollo.
Another tradition relates that Acacallis and Apollo had a son named Miletus
. Fearing her father's wrath she exposed the child, but Apollo commanded she-wolves to nurse it until it could be taken in and raised by shepherds. He grew up strong and handsome, and Minos was seized with desire for the boy. Miletus fled Crete
to avoid being becoming the eromenos of the king, and went on to found the eponymous city, Miletus
.
Still other traditions relate other sons born of her and Apollo, named Amphithemis and Garamas (in some stories, the first mortal born). They were born in Libya
, to where Minos had banished the pregnant Acacallis in retribution for her having an illicit relationship. Amphithemis was known as the consort of the Libyan lake nymph Tritonis and father by her of Nasamon and Caphaurus, who were responsible for the death of the Argonaut
Canthus.
Another son of Acacallis and Apollo was Oaxes, eponym of the town Oaxes in Crete; in another account, however, the mother of Oaxes is called Anchiale.
Finally, Pausanias relates that when Apollo came to Carmanor
to be cleansed for the murder of Pytho, he fell in love with Acacallis (said to be a nymph
in this particular version), and that from their union were born Phylacides and Phylander. People of the Cretan city Elyrus sent to Delphi
a bronze statue of a goat suckling these two children, which suggests that they must have been abandoned by their mother..
Acacallis was in Crete a common name for a narcissus.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
is the daughter of Minos
Minos
In Greek mythology, Minos was a king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every year he made King Aegeus pick seven men and seven women to go to Daedalus' creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten by The Minotaur. After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades. The Minoan civilization of Crete...
, king of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and Pasiphae
Pasiphaë
In Greek mythology, Pasiphaë , "wide-shining" was the daughter of Helios, the Sun, by the eldest of the Oceanids, Perse; Like her doublet Europa, her origins were in the East, in her case at Colchis, the palace of the Sun; she was given in marriage to King Minos of Crete. With Minos, she was the...
. Apollodorus
Apollodorus
Apollodorus of Athens son of Asclepiades, was a Greek scholar and grammarian. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon, Panaetius the Stoic, and the grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace...
calls her Acalle (Greek: ). According to a Cretan mythological tradition, she bore a son to Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
, Cydon, the founder of Cydonia
Cydonia (Ancient Greece)
Cydonia or Kydonia was an important ancient city-state on the northwest coast of the island of Crete. It is at the site of the modern-day Greek city of Chania...
. Other traditions describe Cydon as the offspring of Acacallis and Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. Yet others wrote that Acacallis mothered Cydon with Hermes, and Naxos (eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
of the island Naxos) with Apollo.
Another tradition relates that Acacallis and Apollo had a son named Miletus
Miletus (mythology)
Miletus was a character from Greek mythology.Miletus was son of Apollo and Areia, daughter of Cleochus, of Crete. When Areia gave birth to her son she hid him at a place where the plant milax was growing; Cleochus found the child there and named him Miletus after the plant...
. Fearing her father's wrath she exposed the child, but Apollo commanded she-wolves to nurse it until it could be taken in and raised by shepherds. He grew up strong and handsome, and Minos was seized with desire for the boy. Miletus fled Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
to avoid being becoming the eromenos of the king, and went on to found the eponymous city, Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
.
Still other traditions relate other sons born of her and Apollo, named Amphithemis and Garamas (in some stories, the first mortal born). They were born in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, to where Minos had banished the pregnant Acacallis in retribution for her having an illicit relationship. Amphithemis was known as the consort of the Libyan lake nymph Tritonis and father by her of Nasamon and Caphaurus, who were responsible for the death of the Argonaut
Argonaut
Argonaut may refer to:* Argonaut , a kind of octopus in the genus Argonauta* Jason and the Argonauts, sailors in Greek mythology* Argonauts of Saint Nicholas, a military order in Naples...
Canthus.
Another son of Acacallis and Apollo was Oaxes, eponym of the town Oaxes in Crete; in another account, however, the mother of Oaxes is called Anchiale.
Finally, Pausanias relates that when Apollo came to Carmanor
Carmanor
Carmanor or Karmanor was a Cretan demi-god related to the harvest; his name might derive from keiro, "to cut/shear" . He was the Lord of Tarrha, Crete and the Cretan consort to Demeter in Greek mythology , with whom he had a son, Euboulos, the patron of ploughing, and another son Chrysothemis, a...
to be cleansed for the murder of Pytho, he fell in love with Acacallis (said to be a nymph
Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
in this particular version), and that from their union were born Phylacides and Phylander. People of the Cretan city Elyrus sent to Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
a bronze statue of a goat suckling these two children, which suggests that they must have been abandoned by their mother..
Acacallis was in Crete a common name for a narcissus.