Icarius
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, there were two people named Icarius or Ikários (and another named Icarus
).
and Gorgophone
or of Oebalus
and Bateia, brother of Hippocoon
and Tyndareus
and, through Periboea
, father of Penelope
, Perileos
, Thoas, Damasippus, Imeusimus, Aletes
and Iphthime
. According to other traditions, he was the father of Penelope
, Alyzeus
and Leucadius by Polycaste
. His other possible wives were Dorodoche (daughter of Ortilochus) and Asterodia
(daughter of Eurypylus
); the latter was also said to have born him a daughter Laodice or Laodamia. He was a Sparta
n king and a champion runner who would not allow anyone to marry his daughter unless he beat him in a race. Odysseus
succeeded and married Penelope. After they got married, Icarius tried to persuade Odysseus to remain in Sparta. He did leave with Penelope, but Icarius followed them, imploring his daughter to stay. Odysseus told her she must choose whether to be with her father or with her husband. Penelope did not answer, but modestly covered her face with a veil. Icarius correctly understood that this was a sign of her will to leave with Odysseus, let them go and erected a statue of Aidos
(Modesty) on the spot. Icarius was apparently still alive at the time of the events of the Odyssey
.
, who gave his shepherds wine. They became intoxicated and killed Icarius, thinking he had poisoned them. His daughter, Erigone
, and her dog, Maera
, found his body. Erigone hanged herself over her father's grave. Dionysus was angry and punished Athens with a plague, inflicting insanity on all the unmarried women, who all hanged themselves like Erigone did. The plague did not cease until the Athenians introduced honorific rites for Icarius and Erigone. Icarius was placed in the stars as the constellation Boötes
. There is a mosaic in Paphos, Cyprus
, from a Roman villa from the mid 2nd century a.d. which is called "Dionysus House". The mosaic First wine drinkers describes Dionysus giving the gift of vine and wine to Icarius as a reward for Icarius' generous hospitality. It was probably this Icarius whom Clement of Alexandria
referred to as husband of Phanothea, a woman who was believed to have invented the hexameter
.
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...
, there were two people named Icarius or Ikários (and another named Icarus
Icarus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Icarus is the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. The main story told about Icarus is his attempt to escape from Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax...
).
Icarius of Sparta
One Icarius was the son of either PerieresPerieres
In Greek mythology, Perieres or Perieris, was a son of Aeolus and husband of Gorgophone. He was the father of Leucippus and Aphareus. He is often confused with Gorgophone's second husband, Oebalus . With Oebalus, Gorgophone was the mother of Tyndareus, Hippocoon and Icarius....
and Gorgophone
Gorgophone
In Greek mythology, Gorgophone was a daughter of Perseus and Andromeda. Her name means "Gorgon Slayer", a tribute to her father who killed Medusa, the mortal Gorgon....
or of Oebalus
Oebalus
In Greek mythology, King Oebalus or Oibalos of Sparta, son of Cynortas, was the second husband of Gorgophone. With her, he fathered Tyndareus, Icarius and Hippocoon , as well as a daughter, Arene, who married her half-brother Aphareus...
and Bateia, brother of Hippocoon
Hippocoon
In Greek mythology, the name Hippocoön refers to several characters:*A son of the Spartan King Oebalus and Bateia. His brothers were Tyndareus and Icarius. When their father died, Tyndareus became king. Hippocoön, with the help of his sons, overthrew him, took the throne and expelled his...
and Tyndareus
Tyndareus
In Greek mythology, Tyndareus or Tyndareos was a Spartan king, son of Oebalus and Gorgophone , husband of Leda and father of Helen, Castor and Polydeuces, Clytemnestra, Timandra, Phoebe and Philonoe.Tyndareus had a brother named Hippocoon , who seized power and exiled Tyndareus...
and, through Periboea
Periboea
In Greek mythology, nine people shared the name Periboea .#Periboea was the daughter of either King Cychreus of Salamis or of Alcathous, her mother in the latter case being either Pyrgo or Evaechme, daughter of Megareus. She married Telamon and became and mother of Ajax...
, father of Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
, Perileos
Perileos
In Greek mythology, Perileos or Perilaus is a name that may refer to:*Son of Icarius and Periboea. He accused Orestes of the murder of his cousin Clytemnestra....
, Thoas, Damasippus, Imeusimus, Aletes
Aletes
Aletes may refer to:* Aletes , the Greek mythology figure who was killed by Orestes* Aletes , a Trojan counselor depicted in the Aeneid.* Aletes, son of Hippotes* Aletes, son of Icarius* Aletes, the plant genus...
and Iphthime
Iphthime
In Greek mythology, the name Iphthime refers to:*Iphthime, daughter of Icarius, a sister of Penelope and Perileos, wife of Eumelus from Pherae. In Homer's Odyssey, Athena creates an image in Iphthime's likeness and sends this to a sleeping Penelope...
. According to other traditions, he was the father of Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
, Alyzeus
Alyzeus
Alyzeus was in Greek mythology a son of Icarius and Polycaste, and brother of Penelope and Leucadius. After his father's death, he reigned in conjunction with his brother over Acarnania, and is said to have founded the town of Alyzeia there....
and Leucadius by Polycaste
Polycaste
Polycaste is the name of two separate women in Greek mythology:*Polycaste is the daughter of Nestor and Eurydice . She bathed Telemachus on his way to Pylos and later married him. They had a son, Persepolis....
. His other possible wives were Dorodoche (daughter of Ortilochus) and Asterodia
Asterodia
In Greek mythology, the name Asterodia refers to:*A daughter of Deion and Diomede.*A Caucasian nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, mother of Absyrtus by Aeetes.*One of the possible wives of Endymion....
(daughter of Eurypylus
Eurypylus
In Greek mythology, Eurypylus was the name of several different people.-Son of Thestius:One Eurypylus was a son of Thestius. He participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, during which he insulted Atalanta and was killed by Meleager.-Son of Euaemon:Another Eurypylus was a Thessalian king,...
); the latter was also said to have born him a daughter Laodice or Laodamia. He was a Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n king and a champion runner who would not allow anyone to marry his daughter unless he beat him in a race. Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
succeeded and married Penelope. After they got married, Icarius tried to persuade Odysseus to remain in Sparta. He did leave with Penelope, but Icarius followed them, imploring his daughter to stay. Odysseus told her she must choose whether to be with her father or with her husband. Penelope did not answer, but modestly covered her face with a veil. Icarius correctly understood that this was a sign of her will to leave with Odysseus, let them go and erected a statue of Aidos
Aidos
Aidos was the Greek goddess of shame, modesty, and humility. Aidos, as a quality, was that feeling of reverence or shame which restrains men from wrong. It also encompassed the emotion that a rich person might feel in the presence of the impoverished, that wealth was more a matter of luck than...
(Modesty) on the spot. Icarius was apparently still alive at the time of the events of the Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
.
Icarius of Athens
The other Icarius was from Athens. He was cordial towards DionysusDionysus
Dionysus 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...
, who gave his shepherds wine. They became intoxicated and killed Icarius, thinking he had poisoned them. His daughter, Erigone
Erigone (daughter of Icarius)
In Greek mythology, Erigone was the daughter of Icarius of Athens. Icarius was from Athens. He was cordial towards Dionysus, who gave his shepherds wine. They became intoxicated and killed Icarius, thinking he had poisoned them. His daughter, Erigone, and her dog, Maera, found his body. Erigone...
, and her dog, Maera
Maera (hound)
In Greek mythology, Maera was the hound of Erigone, daughter of Icarius of Athens. Icarius was a follower of the wine god Dionysus and had been taught how to make wine. While travelling, Icarius met some shepherds, who killed him. Erigone was worried about her father, and set off with Maera to find...
, found his body. Erigone hanged herself over her father's grave. Dionysus was angry and punished Athens with a plague, inflicting insanity on all the unmarried women, who all hanged themselves like Erigone did. The plague did not cease until the Athenians introduced honorific rites for Icarius and Erigone. Icarius was placed in the stars as the constellation Boötes
Boötes
Boötes is a constellation in the northern sky, located between 0° and +60° declination, and 13 and 16 hours of right ascension on the celestial sphere. The name comes from the Greek Βοώτης, Boōtēs, meaning herdsman or plowman...
. There is a mosaic in Paphos, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, from a Roman villa from the mid 2nd century a.d. which is called "Dionysus House". The mosaic First wine drinkers describes Dionysus giving the gift of vine and wine to Icarius as a reward for Icarius' generous hospitality. It was probably this Icarius whom Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
referred to as husband of Phanothea, a woman who was believed to have invented the hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
.