Cychreides
Encyclopedia
Cychreides is a fabled dragon
, or serpent
, from Greek mythology
. It is named after Cychreus, the Greek demigod
who either raised or killed it, depending on the version of the story being told.
, either:
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
, or serpent
Serpent
Serpent may refer to:* Serpent, a synonym for snake* Serpent , the name given to a snake in a religious or mythological context* Serpent , said to have tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden* Serpent in astronomy...
, from Greek mythology
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...
. It is named after Cychreus, the Greek demigod
Demigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
who either raised or killed it, depending on the version of the story being told.
Stories
Cychreus, son of PoseidonPoseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, either:
- Raised a dragon/serpent as a pet, before he became ruler of SalamisSalamis IslandSalamis , is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamina , lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf...
. It went on a rampage, and was driven away or captured by EurylochusEurylochusIn Greek mythology, Eurylochus, or Eurýlokhos appears in Homer's Odyssey as second-in-command of Odysseus' ship during the return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He was also a relative of Odysseus through marriage...
, who gifted it to DemeterDemeterIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
, a goddess who then kept it for her own.
- Fought a dragon/serpent that was terrorizing the island of Salamis, and upon slaying it was made king.
- Was known as "the dragon" for his hot-headed nature, and terrorized the island of Salamis until driven off by Eurylochus, but was received on the island of Eleusis by Demeter, who made him her high priest.