15.
When Pandion died, his sons divided their father's inheritance between them, and
Erechtheus got the kingdom,1 and Butes got the priesthood of
Athena and Poseidon Erechtheus.2 Erechtheus married Praxithea, daughter of Phrasimus by Diogenia,
daughter of Cephisus, and had sons, to wit, Cecrops, Pandorus, and Metion; and daughters,
to wit, Procris, Creusa, Chthonia, and Orithyia, who was carried off by Boreas.3
Chthonia was married to Butes,4
Creusa to Xuthus,5 and Procris to Cephalus, son of Deion.6 Bribed by a golden crown, Procris admitted
Pteleon to her bed, and being detected by
Cephalus she fled to Minos. But he fell in love with her and tried to seduce her. Now if
any woman had intercourse with Minos, it was impossible for her to escape with life; for
because Minos cohabited with many women, Pasiphae bewitched him, and whenever he took
another woman to his bed, he discharged wild beasts at her joints, and so the women
perished.7 But Minos had a swift dog and a dart that
flew straight; and in return for these gifts Procris shared his bed, having first given
him the Circaean root to drink that he might not harm her. But afterwards, fearing the
wife of Minos, she came to Athens and being
reconciled to Cephalus she went forth with him to the chase; for she was fond of hunting.
As she was in pursuit of game in the thicket, Cephalus, not knowing she was there, threw a
dart, hit and killed Procris, and, being tried in the Areopagus, was condemned to
perpetual banishment.8
[2]
While Orithyia was playing by the Ilissus river, Boreas carried her off and had
intercourse with her; and she bore daughters, Cleopatra and Chione, and winged sons, Zetes
and Calais. These sons sailed with
Jason9 and met their end in chasing the
Harpies; but according to Acusilaus, they were killed by Hercules in Tenos.10
[3]
Cleopatra was married to Phineus, who had by her two
sons, Plexippus and Pandion. When he had these sons by Cleopatra, he married Idaea,
daughter of Dardanus. She falsely accused her stepsons to Phineus of corrupting her
virtue, and Phineus, believing her, blinded them both.11 But when the Argonauts sailed past with Boreas, they punished
him.12
[4]
Chione had connexion with Poseidon, and having given birth to Eumolpus13 unknown to her father, in order not to be
detected, she flung the child into the deep. But Poseidon picked him up and conveyed him
to Ethiopia, and gave him to
Benthesicyme( a daughter of his own by Amphitrite) to bring up. When he
was full grown, Benthesicyme's husband gave him one of his two daughters. But he tried to
force his wife's sister, and being banished on that account, he went with his son Ismarus
to Tegyrius, king of Thrace, who gave his daughter in marriage to Eumolpus's son. But
being afterwards detected in a plot against Tegyrius, he fled to the Eleusinians and made
friends with them. Later, on the death of Ismarus, he was sent for by Tegyrius and went,
composed his old feud with him, and succeeded to the kingdom. And war having broken out
between the Athenians and the Eleusinians, he was called in by the Eleusinians and fought
on their side with a large force of Thracians.14 When Erechtheus inquired of the oracle how the Athenians might be
victorious, the god answered that they would win the war if he would slaughter one of his
daughters; and when he slaughtered his youngest, the others also slaughtered themselves;
for, as some said, they had taken an oath among themselves to perish together.15 In the battle which took place after the slaughter, Erechtheus killed
Eumolpus.
[5]
But Poseidon having destroyed Erechtheus16 and his house, Cecrops, the eldest of the
sons of Erechtheus, succeeded to the throne.17
He married Metiadusa, daughter of Eupalamus, and begat Pandion. This Pandion, reigning
after Cecrops, was expelled by the sons of Metion in a sedition, and going to
Pylas at Megara married his daughter
Pylia.18 And at a
later time he was even appointed king of the city; for Pylas slew his father's brother
Bias and gave the kingdom to Pandion, while he himself repaired to Peloponnese with a body of people and founded the city of
Pylus.19
While Pandion was at Megara, he had sons born
to him, to wit, Aegeus, Pallas, Nisus, and Lycus. But some say that Aegeus was a son of
Scyrius, but was passed off by Pandion as his own.20
[6]
After the death of Pandion his sons marched against
Athens, expelled the Metionids, and divided
the government in four; but Aegeus had the whole power.21 The first wife
whom he married was Meta, daughter of Hoples, and the second was Chalciope, daughter of
Rhexenor.22 As no child was born to him, he
feared his brothers, and went to Pythia and consulted the oracle concerning
the begetting of children. The god answered him:“
The bulging mouth of the wineskin, O best of men,
Loose not until thou hast reached the height of Athens.23
” Not knowing what to make of the oracle, he set out on his return to Athens. [7] And journeying by way of Troezen, he lodged with Pittheus, son of Pelops, who, understanding the oracle, made him drunk and caused him to lie with his daughter Aethra. But in the same night Poseidon also had connexion with her. Now Aegeus charged Aethra that, if she gave birth to a male child, she should rear it, without telling whose it was; and he left a sword and sandals under a certain rock, saying that when the boy could roll away the rock and take them up, she was then to send him away with them. But he himself came to Athens and celebrated the games of the Panathenian festival, in which Androgeus, son of Minos, vanquished all comers. Him Aegeus sent against the bull of Marathon, by which he was destroyed. But some say that as he journeyed to Thebes to take part in the games in honor of Laius, he was waylaid and murdered by the jealous competitors.24 But when the tidings of his death were brought to Minos, as he was sacrificing to the Graces in Paros, he threw away the garland from his head and stopped the music of the flute, but nevertheless completed the sacrifice; hence down to this day they sacrifice to the Graces in Paros without flutes and garlands. [8] But not long afterwards, being master of the sea, he attacked Athens with a fleet and captured Megara, then ruled by king Nisus, son of Pandion, and he slew Megareus, son of Hippomenes, who had come from Onchestus to the help of Nisus.25 Now Nisus perished through his daughter's treachery. For he had a purple hair on the middle of his head, and an oracle ran that when it was pulled out he should die; and his daughter Scylla fell in love with Minos and pulled out the hair. But when Minos had made himself master of Megara, he tied the damsel by the feet to the stern of the ship and drowned her.26 When the war lingered on and he could not take Athens, he prayed to Zeus that he might be avenged on the Athenians. And the city being visited with a famine and a pestilence, the Athenians at first, in obedience to an ancient oracle, slaughtered the daughters of Hyacinth, to wit, Antheis, Aegleis, Lytaea, and Orthaea, on the grave of Geraestus, the Cyclops; now Hyacinth, the father of the damsels, had come from Lacedaemon and dwelt in Athens.27 But when this was of no avail, they inquired of the oracle how they could be delivered; and the god answered them that they should give Minos whatever satisfaction he might choose. So they sent to Minos and left it to him to claim satisfaction. And Minos ordered them to send seven youths and the same number of damsels without weapons to be fodder for the Minotaur.28 Now the Minotaur was confined in a labyrinth, in which he who entered could not find his way out; for many a winding turn shut off the secret outward way.29 The labyrinth was constructed by Daedalus, whose father was Eupalamus, son of Metion, and whose mother was Alcippe;30 for he was an excellent architect and the first inventor of images. He had fled from Athens, because he had thrown down from the acropolis Talos, the son of his sister Perdix;31 for Talos was his pupil, and Daedalus feared that with his talents he might surpass himself, seeing that he had sawed a thin stick with a jawbone of a snake which he had found.32 But the corpse was discovered; Daedalus was tried in the Areopagus, and being condemned fled to Minos. And there Pasiphae having fallen in love with the bull of Poseidon, Daedalus acted as her accomplice by contriving a wooden cow, and he constructed the labyrinth, to which the Athenians every year sent seven youths and as many damsels to be fodder for the Minotaur.
Loose not until thou hast reached the height of Athens.23
” Not knowing what to make of the oracle, he set out on his return to Athens. [7] And journeying by way of Troezen, he lodged with Pittheus, son of Pelops, who, understanding the oracle, made him drunk and caused him to lie with his daughter Aethra. But in the same night Poseidon also had connexion with her. Now Aegeus charged Aethra that, if she gave birth to a male child, she should rear it, without telling whose it was; and he left a sword and sandals under a certain rock, saying that when the boy could roll away the rock and take them up, she was then to send him away with them. But he himself came to Athens and celebrated the games of the Panathenian festival, in which Androgeus, son of Minos, vanquished all comers. Him Aegeus sent against the bull of Marathon, by which he was destroyed. But some say that as he journeyed to Thebes to take part in the games in honor of Laius, he was waylaid and murdered by the jealous competitors.24 But when the tidings of his death were brought to Minos, as he was sacrificing to the Graces in Paros, he threw away the garland from his head and stopped the music of the flute, but nevertheless completed the sacrifice; hence down to this day they sacrifice to the Graces in Paros without flutes and garlands. [8] But not long afterwards, being master of the sea, he attacked Athens with a fleet and captured Megara, then ruled by king Nisus, son of Pandion, and he slew Megareus, son of Hippomenes, who had come from Onchestus to the help of Nisus.25 Now Nisus perished through his daughter's treachery. For he had a purple hair on the middle of his head, and an oracle ran that when it was pulled out he should die; and his daughter Scylla fell in love with Minos and pulled out the hair. But when Minos had made himself master of Megara, he tied the damsel by the feet to the stern of the ship and drowned her.26 When the war lingered on and he could not take Athens, he prayed to Zeus that he might be avenged on the Athenians. And the city being visited with a famine and a pestilence, the Athenians at first, in obedience to an ancient oracle, slaughtered the daughters of Hyacinth, to wit, Antheis, Aegleis, Lytaea, and Orthaea, on the grave of Geraestus, the Cyclops; now Hyacinth, the father of the damsels, had come from Lacedaemon and dwelt in Athens.27 But when this was of no avail, they inquired of the oracle how they could be delivered; and the god answered them that they should give Minos whatever satisfaction he might choose. So they sent to Minos and left it to him to claim satisfaction. And Minos ordered them to send seven youths and the same number of damsels without weapons to be fodder for the Minotaur.28 Now the Minotaur was confined in a labyrinth, in which he who entered could not find his way out; for many a winding turn shut off the secret outward way.29 The labyrinth was constructed by Daedalus, whose father was Eupalamus, son of Metion, and whose mother was Alcippe;30 for he was an excellent architect and the first inventor of images. He had fled from Athens, because he had thrown down from the acropolis Talos, the son of his sister Perdix;31 for Talos was his pupil, and Daedalus feared that with his talents he might surpass himself, seeing that he had sawed a thin stick with a jawbone of a snake which he had found.32 But the corpse was discovered; Daedalus was tried in the Areopagus, and being condemned fled to Minos. And there Pasiphae having fallen in love with the bull of Poseidon, Daedalus acted as her accomplice by contriving a wooden cow, and he constructed the labyrinth, to which the Athenians every year sent seven youths and as many damsels to be fodder for the Minotaur.