Eleuther
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, the name Eleuther may refer to:
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...
, the name Eleuther may refer to:
- Eleuther, son of ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and AethusaAethusaAethusa was in Greek mythology a daughter of Poseidon and Alcyone, who was beloved by Apollo, and bore to him Eleuther.The word aethusa was used as an epithet for a portico that was open to the sun, that is, Apollo....
. He is renowned for having an excellent singing voice, which earned him a victory at the Pythian gamesPythian GamesThe Pythian Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games, held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi....
, and for having been the first to erect a statue of DionysusDionysusDionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, as well as for having given his name to EleutheraeEleutheraeEleutherae is a city in the northern part of Attica, bordering the territory of Boeotia. One of the best preserved fortresses of the Ancient Greece stands now on the spot of Ancient Eleutherae with walls of very fine masonry that average 2.6m thick. A stretch of wall 206m long containing six...
. His sons were Iasius and PierusPierusPierus , in Greek mythology, is a name attributed to two individuals.*Pierus, the eponym of Pieria, son of Makednos and father by Antiope or Euippe of the of Pierides, nine maidens who wanted to outshine the Muses...
. He also had several daughters, who spoke impiously of the image of Dionysus wearing a black aegisAegisAn aegis is a large collar or cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority or the holder of a protective shield signifying the same, such as a bag-like garment that contained a shield. Sometimes the garment and the shield are merged, with a small...
, and were driven mad by the god; as a remedy, Eleuther, in accordance with an oracleOracleIn Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
, established a cult of "Dionysus of the Black Aegis".
- Eleuther, one of the twenty sons of Lycaon. He and his brother Lebadus were the only not guilty of the abomination prepared for ZeusZeusIn the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, and fled to BoeotiaBoeotiaBoeotia, also spelled Beotia and Bœotia , is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. It was also a region of ancient Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, the second largest city being Thebes.-Geography:...
.
- Eleuther, one of the CuretesCuretesThe term Curetes may refer to:*The dancing attendants of Rhea, also known as Korybantes.*An early Hellenic tribe: Curetes....
, was said to have been the eponymEponymAn 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 towns Eleutherae and Eleuthernae in CreteCreteCrete 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...
.