who is cecrops in greek mythology

Κέκροπος) may refer to two legendary kings of Athens:

• Cecrops I, the first king of Athens. [1]
• Cecrops II, son of Pandion I, king of Athens. [2]
• Cecrops, son of Hephaestus. [3]

Full Answer

What is Cecrops the God of?

Cecrops or Cecrops I was the mythical founder and king of Athens in Greek mythology. His reign lasted for fifty years. It was believed that he was the one who taught the citizens of Athens of the secrets of marriage, reading, writing and ceremonial burial.

What did Cecrops do?

Cecrops succeeded King Actaeus, whose daughter, Aglauros, he married. He was said to have instituted the laws of marriage and property and a new form of worship. The abolition of human sacrifice, the burial of the dead, and the invention of writing were also attributed to him.

What is the meaning of Cecrops?

Cecrops in British English (ˈsiːkrɒps ) noun. (in ancient Greek tradition) the first king of Attica, represented as half-human, half-dragon.

Did Cecrops found Athens?

KEKROPS (Cecrops) was an early, earth-born king of Attika and founder the city of Athens. He was depicted as a man from the waist up with a serpent's-tail in place of legs.

How was Cecrops born?

In his myth, he was born directly from the soil of Attica, after Hephaestus attempted to rape Athena, but instead cast his seed upon the ground. Athena conceals the child in a basket and entrusts the child to the daughters of Cecrops with a command to never look inside.

What taboo did the daughters of Cecrops violate?

Erichthonius was put in a basket and given to the daughters of Cecrops, who ignored the taboo against looking inside the basket. Driven mad, they killed themselves, and Erichthonius was brought up by Athena.

What did Cecrops look like?

It was said that he was born from the earth itself (an autochthon) and was accordingly called a γηγενής (gēgenḗs "native"), and described as having his top half shaped like a man and the bottom half in serpent or fish-tail form.

How do you pronounce Cecrops?

Phonetic spelling of Cecrops. k-EH-k-r-aw-p-aa. ... Meanings for Cecrops. A mythical king of Attica and he was the founder and the first king of Athens.Examples of in a sentence.

Who is the first king of Athena?

According to the Greek mythology, Cecrops, who was half man and half serpent, founded Athens and became the first king. Around the tenth century B.C., the settlers formed twelve cities, of which Athens was always dominant.

What did king Cecrops decide each god had to do?

To solve their dispute, Zeus decided that each of them would make a gift to the city and king Cecrops would decide which gift was the best and therefore which god would be the patron of the city.

What was Athens called before Athena?

AktaioThe original name of Athens was Aktaio or Akti and it was taken from its first king, Aktaios. Its second name, Kekropia, was derived from King Kekropas. The history of Athens, the once-mighty city-state of antiquity, begins thousands of years ago and it is fascinating.

How did Zeus trick Hera?

The deceitful way Zeus tricked Hera into marrying him was an omen of the discord that continued throughout their marriage. After courting Hera to no avail, Zeus resorted to trickery by changing into a disheveled cuckoo. Hera took pity on the bird, holding it to her breast to keep it warm.

What is Cecrops's name?

The name of Cecrops is not of Greek origin according to Strabo. It was said that he was born from the earth itself (an autochthon) and was accordingly called a γηγενής ( gegenes "native"), and described as having his top half shaped like a man and the bottom half in serpent or fish-tail form. Hence he was called διφυής (diphues) or of two natures.

Where did Cecrops come from?

The name of Cecrops occurs also in other parts of Greece, especially where there existed a town named Athenae, such as in Boeotia, where he is said to have founded the ancient towns of Athenae and Eleusis on the river Triton, and where he had a heroum at Haliartus. Tradition there called him a son of Pandion. In Euboea, which also had a town named Athenae, Cecrops was called a son of Erechtheus and Praxithea, and a grandson of Pandion. From these traditions it appears, that Cecrops must be regarded as a hero of the Pelasgian race; and Müller justly remarks, that the different mythical personages of this name connected with the towns in Boeotia and Euboea are only multiplications of the one original hero, whose name and story were transplanted from Attica to other places. The later Greek writers describe Cecrops as having immigrated into Greece with a band of colonists from Sais in Egypt. But this account is not only rejected by some of the ancients themselves, but by the ablest critics of modern times.

What did Cecrops ask Apollo?

The oracle answered that the olive and the water were the symbols of Athena and Poseidon respectively, and that the people of Attica were free to choose which of these deities they would worship.

What is the origin of the name Cecrops?

Representation of Cecrops I. Cecrops I from " Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum ". Cecrops ( / ˈsiːkrɒps /; Ancient Greek: Κέκροψ, Kékrops; gen .: Κέκροπος) was a mythical king of Attica which derived from him its name Cecropia, having previously borne the name of Acte or Actice (from Actaeus ). He was the founder and the first king ...

What is the Acropolis called?

The Acropolis was also known as the Cecropia in his honor. The Athenians are said to have called themselves Cecropidæ, during the reigns of the five following kings, in his honor.

Who was Cecrops' mother?

Apparently Cecrops married Aglaurus, the daughter of Actaeus, former king of the region of Attica, whom he succeeded on the throne. It is disputed that this woman was the mother of Cecrops's son Erysichthon. Erysichthon predeceased him, and he was succeeded by Cranaus, who is said to have been one of the wealthiest citizens of Athens at that time.

Who was the author of the first elements of civilized life?

Cecrops was represented in the Attic legends as the author of the first elements of civilized life such as marriage, the political division of Attica into twelve communities, and also as the introducer of a new mode of worship.

Where was Cecrops' home?

​Cecrops home was to be Attica, a region ruled by King Actaeus. Cecrops would marry the daughter of Actaeus, Agraulos, and became father to a son, Erysichthon, who predeceased his father, and three daughters Agraulos, Herse and Pandrosos.#N#The daughters of Cecrops would appear in the tale of Erichthonius, for they were charged to look after the basket that contained the goddess’s foster son. These daughters of Cecrops were ordered not to look inside the basket, but this order was ignored with deadly results.

What did Cecrops accept?

Cecrops would accept the olive tree, and from that day forth Athena became the main deity worshipped in the city, and the city was thus renamed Athens. An angry Poseidon, in retribution, would flood the Thriasian Plain, although Zeus would later have his brother ensure that the water receded.

Why did Cecrops choose the olive tree?

It would seem that Cecrops had an easy decision to make for something of substance could be taken from the olive tree, whilst there was little use for a saltwater well, but the well and tree were said by some to be just symbols, for with the trident induced well, Poseidon was offering naval power, whilst the olive tree, was a promise of peace. Thus, Cecrops had chosen peace for his city.

How many towns and cities were founded by Cecrops?

The 12 towns and cities founded by Cecrops were; Cecropia, Tetrapolis, Epacria, Decelea, Eleusis, Aphidna, Thoricus, Brauron, Cytherus, Sphettos and Cephisia. Of these 12, Cecropia is arguably the most famous, for it was renamed, in the time of Cecrops, to Athens.

Who was the first king to end the practice of human sacrifices?

​ Cecrops, as ruler of Cecropia, was said to have brought civilisation to the region, but is primarily remembered as the first king to end the practice of human, or live animal, sacrifices to the gods.

Who built the first settlement in Attica?

​Whilst Actaeus might have built a city named Acte, it was generally considered that Cecrops was the first to build the 12 settlements of Attica that would, in the time of Theseus, come to be regarded as Athens as a whole.

Greek legendary mortal

His birth details are a bit vague. But he sprang from the soil, making him the son of Gaia, although for some reason he did turn out half-man and half-serpent.

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Where did Cecrops live?

The name of Cecrops occurs also in other parts of Greece, especially where there existed a town of the name of Athenae, such as in Boeotia, where he is said to have founded the ancient towns of Athenae and Eleusis on the river Triton, and where he had a heroum at Haliartus.

Who wrote the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology?

This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology(1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain.

What is the name of the first king of Attica?

According to Apollodorus 1 the first king of Attica, which derived from him its name Cecropia, having previously borne the name of Acte. He is described as an autochthon, and is accordingly called a γηγενής ( gēgenēs ), the upper part of whose body was human, while the lower was that of a dragon.

Is Cecrops a Pelasgian?

From these traditions it appears, that Cecrops must be regarded as a hero of the Pelasgian race; and Müller justly remarks, that the different mythical personages of this name connected with the towns in Boeotia and Euboea are only multiplications of the one original hero, whose name and story were transplanted from Attica to other places.

Who was King Cecrops?

King Cecrops of Athens, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. KEKROPS (Cecrops) was an early, earth-born king of Attika and founder the city of Athens. He was depicted as a man from the waist up with a serpent's-tail in place of legs. Kekrops was the first man to offer sacrifices to the goddess Athena after her birth from ...

Where did Cecrops originate?

The name of Cecrops occurs also in other parts of Greece, especially where there existed a town of the name of Athenae, such as in Boeotia, where he is said to have founded the ancient towns of Athenae and Eleusis on the river Triton, and where he had a heroum at Haliartus. Tradition there called him a son of Pandion.

What was the second Kekrops?

CECROPS II KING OF ATTICA. The second Kekrops was simply a duplication of the first, invented to pad out the list of mythical Athenian kings. The kings Erekhtheus-Erikhthonios and Pandion were multiplied in the same manner.

What is the meaning of the name Kekropia?

CECROPIA, CECROPIDES & CECROPIDAE. Kekropia (Cecropia), the Kekropides (Cecropides) and Kekropidai (literally "the sons of Kekrops") were names used by the poets for Athens and the Athenians in general.

Who worked the Athenian Hill of Mars?

Herse and Pandrosos . . . [and] the third, Aglauros.". "Minerva [Athena] worked the Athenian Hill of Mars, where ancient Cecrops built his citadel, and showed the old contention [i.e. her contest with Poseidon] for the name it [i.e. Athens] should be given.".

Who was the eldest son of Erekhtheus?

6 : "Poseidon having destroyed Erekhtheus (Erechtheus) and his house, Kekrops (Cecrops), the eldest of the sons of Erekhtheus, succeeded to the throne. He married Metiadousa, daughter of Eupalamos, and begat Pandion. This Pandion, reigning after Kekrops, was expelled by the sons of Metion in a sedition.".

Who founded the cities of Athens and Eleusis?

18 : "Eleusis and Athens on the Triton River [in Boiotia]. These cities, it is said, were founded by Kekrops (Cecrops), when he ruled over Boiotia (Boeotia), then called Ogygia, but were later wiped out by inundations.". Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.

What is the story of Herakles and the Cercopes?

The story of Herakles and the Cercopes has been interpreted as a reminiscence of Phoenician traders bringing apes to Greek markets. See O. Keller, Thiere des classischen Alterthums (Innsbruck, 1887), p. 1. The interpretation may perhaps be supported by an Assyrian bas-relief which represents a Herculean male figure carrying an ape on his head and leading another ape by a leash, the animals being apparently brought as tribute to a king. See O. Keller, op. cit., p. 11, fig. 2.

What does the proverb "Kerkopes" mean?

Suda writes that Greeks used the proverb Ἀγορὰ Κερκώπων, meaning market of Kerkopes in reference to bad and knavish people , because Herakles bound the Kerkopes at the market of Ephesus.

What is the name of the forest creature that lived in Thermopylae?

Heracles and the Cercopes ( Metope in Paestum ). In Greek mythology, the Cercopes / sərˈkoʊˌpiːz / ( Greek: Κέρκωπες, plural of Κέρκωψ, from κέρκος ( n .) kerkos "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae or on Euboea but roamed the world and might turn up anywhere mischief was afoot.

Where are monkeys found in the Minoan art?

Monkeys figure in four Minoan frescos at Akrotiri, most famously in the crocus-gathering Xeste 3 fresco, where the monkey's ritual aspect, attending an enthroned female, is interpreted by Nanno Marinatos as servants of the divinity, acting as intermediary between humanity and the divine world.

Who changed the monkeys?

As monkeys. In another myth, designed to explain their name ("tail-men" in Greek), Zeus changed the Cercopes into monkeys. This story inspired modern zoologists to name the genus of monkeys depicted in Minoan frescoes as Cercopithecus .

Who stole Heracles' weapons?

They were proverbial as liars, cheats, and accomplished knaves. They once stole Heracles ' weapons, during the time he was the penitent servant of Omphale in Lydia. He seized and bound them at Ephesus and punished them by tying them to a shoulder pole he slung over his shoulder with their faces pointing downwards, the only way they appear on Greek vases. Their mother, Theia, begged Heracles to let her sons go. This particular myth is depicted on a metope at Temple C at Selinus. According to Pherecydes, the Cercopes were turned to stone.

Who is Herse in Greek mythology?

Myths / Mortals / Herse. Herse was a mortal woman in Greek mythology, daughter of Cecrops. Her sisters were Aglauros and Pandrosos. She is mentioned in the myth of Erichthonius, one of the first kings of Athens.

Who was the baby that Athena gave to Herse?

Where the wool touched the earth, it impregnated the goddess of earth Gaea, resulting in the birth of a baby, named Erichthonius. Athena tried to hide the baby in a box and gave it to Herse and her sisters, instructing them never to open it.

Who is Herse's sister?

Herse was a mortal woman in Greek mythology, daughter of Cecrops. Her sisters were Aglauros and Pandrosos.

Overview

Etymology and form

Family

Mythology

Multiple Cecrops

See also