What did Zeus do to Phaethon?
Phaethon set off but was entirely unable to control the horses of the sun chariot, which came too near to the earth and began to scorch it. To prevent further damage, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at Phaethon, who fell to the earth at the mouth of the Eridanus, a river later identified as the Po.
How did Phaethon die in Greek mythology?
In some versions, the Earth first froze when the horses climbed too high, but when the chariot then scorched the Earth by swinging too near, Zeus decided to prevent disaster by striking it down with a thunderbolt. Phaethon fell to earth and was killed in the process. [3] [4]
Does Hesiod know about Phaethon?
Neither seems to know Phaethon as an individual, as "Phaethon", meaning "the radiant" seems to be exclusively an epithet used for Helios by them. The only Phaethon Hesiod seem to recognize is the son of Eos, Helios' sister and the goddess of the dawn, by her lover Cephalus. [13] Hyginus however attributes a version of the story to Hesiod.
Why did Phaethon turn his brothers into trees?
According to Quintus Smyrnaeus, it was Helios who turned them into trees, for their honour to Phaethon, [53] and Hyginus wrote that they were transformed into trees for yoking the chariot without their father's consent. [7]
What happened Phaethon?
Phaethon set off but was entirely unable to control the horses of the sun chariot, which came too near to the earth and began to scorch it. To prevent further damage, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at Phaethon, who fell to the earth at the mouth of the Eridanus, a river later identified as the Po.
How was Phaethon punished?
Ultimately, when news of Phaeton's misdemeanor reached Helios' brother Zeus, he angrily struck a lightning bolt into the sky, which hit Phaeton in the chest and sent him hurling down towards Earth and into the river Eridanus.
What is the main reason why Phaethon went to Helios?
Phaeton's request was to drive his father's chariot. Although Helios realized that the boy lacked the strength and skill to control the horses, the promise had been made.
Where was Phaeton placed after his death?
After his death Phaethon was placed amongst the stars as the constellation Auriga ("the Charioteer"), or else transformed into the god of the star which the Greeks named Phaethon--the planet Jupiter or Saturn.
Who pulled the sun?
God HeliosAccording to the ancient myths, the Sun was put in a chariot and everyday God Helios would drive the chariot all along the sky. That is how the Sun would rise and set. Phaethon was the son the god Helios who secretly took the chariot one day to drive it.
What did Phaethon brag about?
Phaethon bragged about his father to anyone who would listen, and even sometimes to those who were not listening at all. He bragged about the golden chariot. He bragged about the four wild horses. He bragged that one day his father would let him drive the chariot across the sky.
Who was the most powerful child of Helios?
Phaethon. The most well known story about Helios is the one involving his son Phaethon.
Where is Phaeton in the Fall of Phaeton?
National Gallery of Art, WashingtonRubens painted The Fall of Phaeton in Rome and the painting was probably reworked later around 1606–1608. It has been housed in the National Gallery of Art since 5 January 1990....The Fall of Phaeton (Rubens)The Fall of PhaetonDimensions98.4 cm × 131.2 cm (38.7 in × 51.7 in)LocationNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.4 more rows
Where does the myth of Phaethon take place?
In the land of Egypt, there once lived a young whippersnapper named Phaeton. He gets into trouble for starting some beef with another kid named Epaphus, bragging that his father is the the sun god. (Some stories say it's Apollo, god of the sun, and others say it's Helios, a Titan associated with the sun.
What happened to Phaeton after his fall?
In the end, after many complaints, from the stars in the sky to the earth itself, Zeus strikes Phaethon with one of his lightning bolts, killing him instantly. His dead body falls into the river Eridanus, and his sisters the Heliades are turned to black poplar trees as they mourn him.
What Phaeton means?
Definition of phaeton 1 : any of various light four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicles. 2 : touring car.
What Greek god fell from the sky?
Uranus (mythology)UranusParentsGaiaConsortGaiaChildrenThe Titans, the Cyclopes, the Hecatoncheires, the Erinyes (Furies), the Giants, the Meliae, and AphroditeEquivalents6 more rows
What happened to Phaeton after his fall?
In the end, after many complaints, from the stars in the sky to the earth itself, Zeus strikes Phaethon with one of his lightning bolts, killing him instantly. His dead body falls into the river Eridanus, and his sisters the Heliades are turned to black poplar trees as they mourn him.
What was Phaethon's weakness?
“Asteroids like Phaethon have very weak gravity, so it doesn't take a lot of force to kick debris from the surface or dislodge rock from a fracture,” said Björn Davidsson, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and a co-author of the study.
What was the situation that Phaethon and Icarus faced?
Phaethon and Icarus share the tragic flaws of heedlessness and hubris. Both boys fail to listen to the good advice of their parents. Phaëthon ignores his father's urging not to drive his sun chariot; Icarus forgets his father's directions not to fly to close to the sun.
Who was the most powerful child of Helios?
Phaethon. The most well known story about Helios is the one involving his son Phaethon.
Family
Phaethon was said to be the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the sun god Helios. Alternatively, less common genealogies make him a son of Clymenus by Oceanid Merope, of Helios and Rhodos (thus a full brother of the Heliadae) or of Helios and Prote.
Euripides' Phaethon
A few fragments of Euripides ' tragedy on this subject survive. According to an ancient summary, Clymene (who had claimed that her lawful husband Merops was the father of her son Phaethon, the product of an illicit affair) revealed to Phaethon that he was the child of Helios, rather than her husband.
Plato's Timaeus
In Plato 's Timaeus, Critias tells the story of Atlantis as recounted to Solon by an Egyptian priest, who prefaced the story by saying:
Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica
While sailing up the Eridanus river on their way back, the Argonauts reach the outfall of the deep lake where Phaethon fell after he was struck with a lightning bolt.
Diodorus Siculus' Historic Library
Phaethon, the son of Helios, while still a youth persuaded his father to retire for a single day and give to him his chariot. His father eventually yielded to his son's wishes, and gave him his quadriga.
Ovid's Metamorphoses
In the version of the myth told by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, Phaethon is the son of Clymene and the sun-god Sol, who would often boast about being the son of the sun-god. Phaethon, challenged by Epaphus and his playmates, sought assurance from his mother that his father was Sol indeed.
Hyginus' Fabulae and Astronomica
In his Fabulae, Hyginus records two versions, one of which he attributes to Hesiod .
Where is the fall of Phaeton?
The Fall of Phaeton by Peter Paul Rubens, 1605, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. (akg-images) Foundations.
What happened when Phaeton stepped into the chariot?
When Phaeton stepped into the chariot, the horses, used to the great weight of the sun god, thought it empty. Confused, they reared and Phaeton lost control. The horses, driven wild, scorched the earth, reducing Africa to a desert. Mother Earth, in danger of burning up, appealed in desperation to Zeus for help.
Why did Zeus strike the chariot with a thunderbolt?
In order to preserve her, Zeus struck the chariot with a thunderbolt. Revealing the influence of Michelangelo and Tintoretto, Rubens depicts Phaeton falling from the chariot, his hair on fire, mirroring a blazing earth, which terrifies the deities of the seasons portrayed on the left of the painting. The epitaph of the fallen Phaeton reads: ‘Here ...
Why did Volkswagen name their car after Phaeton?
In 2002, Volkswagen took the interesting decision to name a car after Phaeton, in an attempt to compete in the luxury market dominated by its rivals Mercedes and BMW. It was not the success that Volkswagen hoped for.
Who is Phaeton's father?
Phaeton (or Phaethon, the ‘shining one’) was the son of a water nymph, Clymene, and, allegedly, the sun god Helios . In order to confirm that he really was his father, Helios promised by the river Styx to grant Phaeton any wish. Phaeton asked to drive the sun god’s chariot.
Who drove the sun god's chariot?
Phaeton asked to drive the sun god’s chariot. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Helios tried to dissuade him, warning his son that not even Jupiter (Zeus), king of the gods, could control the fiercely hot chariot pulled by fire-breathing horses.
Who was Phaethon?
Phaethon was a name given to different figures in Greek mythology, but the best known was the son of the Oceanid nymph Clymene and either the god Apollo or Helios. both of those gods were associated with the sun.
What did Phaethon ask his mother?
The myth has it that when Phaethon was challenged by his friends, he asked his mother if his father was really a god. Clymene reassured him that it was true and told him to ask his father directly. So, he asked Apollo (or Helios) to give him some proof that he was his son by linking him to the sun in some way.
Why did the Earth burn up when Phaethon was on the driver's seat?
However, when he was placed on the driver's seat, Phaethon was unable to control the horses; the Earth was about to be burnt up due to the misdriving of the sun 's chariot.
Who were Phaethon's parents?
The parents of Phaethon were Apollo and Clymene.
What is the name of the god Apollo?
Phaethon. Phaethon. Myths / Figures / Phaethon. Phaethon was a name given to different figures in Greek mythology, but the best known was the son of the Oceanid nymph Clymene and either the god Apollo or Helios; both of those gods were associated with the sun.
Why was Phaethon happy?
Phaethon, happy because great Helios had recognized him as his son, decided to test the limits of his father's love and benevolence. The rash boy asked to be allowed to drive the awesome Chariot of the Sun for one day. Helios was fearful at his son's irrational request. He tried to explain to his son that even the mighty Zeus could not presume ...
Where did Phaethon go?
A delighted and hopeful Phaethon travelled to India, as there was the palace of his father who was supposed to begin every day his course from the East. When he reached the palace of Helios, he was astonished at its magnificence and luxury. His eyes were almost blinded by the dazzle of the light all around him.
What did Phaethon tell Helios about his son?
Phaethon told Helios about the humiliation he had to suffer because of the imputation of illegitimacy. He pleaded Helios to recognize him as his son and establish beyond all doubt the legitimacy of his birth. Helios got deeply moved and firmly affirmed Phaethon's paternity and legitimacy. In fact, he declared, in the presence of all his attendants, that he will gladly grant his son any favour that he would ask him.
What river did Phaethon fall into?
The body of the dead Phaethon fell into the Eridanus River, which was later to be known as the river Po of Italy.
What was the Chariot of the Sun's gash?
The Chariot of the Sun was said to have blazed a gash in the skies which supposedly became the Milky Way, a spiral galaxy.
What was Phaethon's palace made of?
The palace was supported by massive columns adorned with glittering gold and precious stones, while the ceilings and doors were made with polished ivory and silver. Phaethon watched with awe the exquisite representation of the earth, the sea and sky on the walls of the palace.
Who drove the Sun in a chariot?
According to the ancient myths, the Sun was put in a chariot and everyday God Helios would drive the chariot all along the sky. That is how the Sun would rise and set. Phaethon was the son the god Helios who secretly took the chariot one day to drive it.
Overview
Phaethon , also spelled Phaëthon, was the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the sun-god Helios in Greek mythology.
According to most authors, Phaethon is the son of Helios, and out of desire to have his parentage confirmed, travels to the sun-god's palace in the east. There he is recognised by his father, and asks him for the privilege to drive his chario…
Etymology
Ancient Greek Φαέθων, Phaethon, means "radiant", from the verb φαέθω, meaning "to shine." Ultimately the word derives from φάος, phaos, the Greek word for light, from the Proto-Indo-European root *bheh2-, 'to shine.'
Mythology
Details vary according to version, but most have Phaethon travel far east to meet his father, sometimes in order to get him to assure his paternity. There, he asks Helios for permission to drive his father's sun-chariot for a single day. Despite Helios' protests and advice against, Phaethon doesn't back down from his initial wish, and thus Helios reluctantly allows him to drive his chariot. Plac…
Post-classical works
• Dante refers to the episode in the Inferno, in "Purgatorio" canto IV and Paradiso canto XVII of his Divine Comedy.
• William Shakespeare uses the story of Phaethon in four places, most famously as an allegory in his play Richard II. He also makes Juliet wish "Phaëthon would whip [Phoebus's horses] to the west" as she waits for Romeo in Romeo and Juliet 3.2.3. It also appears briefly in The Two Gentlemen of Verona 3.1.154, and twice in Henry VI, Part 3 (1.4.33 and 2.6.12)
Shared name
The name "Phaethon", which means "Shining One", was given also to Phaethon of Syria, to one of the horses of Eos (the Dawn), the Sun, the constellation Auriga, and the planet Jupiter, while as an adjective it was used to describe the sun and the moon. In some accounts the planet referred to by this name is not Jupiter but Saturn.
When 1 Ceres and 2 Pallas – the first asteroids – were discovered, astronomer Heinrich Olbers sug…
See also
• Bellerophon
• Icarus
• Lucifer
• "Phaeton: The Chariot of Fire" episode
Sources
• Euripides (2008). "Online version". In Collard, Christopher; Cropp, Martin (eds.). Fragments: Oedipus-Chrysippus: Other Fragments. Loeb Classical Library. Vol. 506. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-99631-1.
• Apollonius Rhodius, (1912). Argonautica translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R.C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 1. London, UK: William Heinemann. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
External links
• The translation and reconstruction of Euripides' "Phaethon" made by Vlanes is now available as an ebook on Amazon: [1]
• George Stubbs's 'The Fall of Phaeton' at the Lady Lever Art Gallery
• Comet Phaethon's Ride, by Bob Kobres