Full Answer
What is the story of Cephalus in Greek mythology?
Cephalus. Cephalus, in Greek mythology, son of Hermes and Herse, daughter of Cecrops, king of Athens. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, he was beloved by the goddess Dawn (Eos, or Aurora), who carried him off to live with her on Mount Olympus. With his hound, Laelaps (Hurricane), he overcame the vixen of Teumessus that had ravaged Boeotia.
Is Cephalus related to Phylacus?
Cephalus was a son of Deioneus, the king of Phocis, and his wife Diomede. Thus Cephalus was sibling to Actor, Aenetus, Asterodia and Phylacus. Cephalus would travel from Phocis to Athens were he fell in love with Procris, the daughter of the king of Athens, Erechtheus.
Is Cephalus the father of Tithonus?
In some accounts, Cephalus was said to be the son of Hermes by Creusa [1] or of Pandion I. [2] Because of Cephalus's great beauty, Eos (Dawn) fell in love with him. He was eventually carried off and ravished by her in Syria. [3] Consorting with the goddess, by some accounts Cephalus became the father of Tithonus, the father of Phaethon. [4]
Who was Cepheus in Greek mythology?
In Greek mythology, Cepheus was the name of two kings in Aethiopia, grandfather and grandson. The better known Cepheus is the son of Agenor and grandson of the other Cepheus. He was married to Cassiopeia, with whom he had a beautiful daughter, Andromeda. At some point, his wife committed hubris by boasting that she...
What was Cephalus known for?
Cephalus of Phocis was a mortal prince in Greek mythology, famous for being the husband of Procris, the Athenian princess. At one time Cephalus was the owner of the legendary hunting dog Laelaps, and also a comrade of the Theban general Amphitryon.
Is Cephalus a god?
Cephalus was a figure in Greek mythology, son of the ruler of Phocis, Deion, and Diomede. He was married to Procris, daughter of the king of Athens Erectheus and Praxithea. However, he was kidnapped by the goddess of dawn, Eos, and they became lovers.
What goddess was in love with Cephalus?
AuroraIn Greek mythology, Cephalus and Procris are a young couple, newly married, whose love was destined to end in tragedy. Aurora, the goddess of dawn fell in love with Cephalus. He rejected her and she retaliated by planting in him seeds of suspicion concerning his wife's faithfulness.
Who is Aurora and Cephalus son?
HesperosPseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 42 : "Some have said it [Hesperos (Hesperus)] represents the son of Aurora [Eos] and Cephalus, who surpassed many in beauty." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 47.
Who is the male god of beauty?
AdonisIn modern times, the term “Adonis” can be used to refer to a man who is desirable and attractive. The word has deep roots in ancient Greek mythology because Adonis is the god of beauty and attraction – a male counterpart for Aphrodite.
Why did Cephalus test his wife?
Enter your search terms: Cephalus sĕ´fäləs [key], in Greek mythology, husband of Procris. The two swore eternal fidelity, but Eos, who had fallen in love with Cephalus, persuaded him to test his wife. Cephalus disguised himself and offered to pay Procris to commit adultery.
Who is the goddess that Cephalus rejected to be his wife?
Later, Aurora, goddess of dawn, fell in love with the mortal Cephalus and tried to seduce him. He thought only of his wife Procris, however, and rejected her.
What is the name of Cephalus wife?
Even in the versions where Cephalus has sex with Eos, though, he never stops talking about how his true love is his wife, Procris.
What is the moral of the story Cephalus and Procris?
The myth of the huntsman Cephalus and his wife Procris was presented as a parable of the misfortunes caused by a lack of marital trust and fidelity.
Who is goddess Aurora?
In Greek legend, Eos, or Aurora, the goddess of dawn, falls in love with the mortal Tithonus, son of King Laomedon of Troy. According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Aurora prevailed on Jupiter to grant the young human immortality, though later realized that she failed to stipulate his eternal youth in this request.
Who is the Greek god of love?
ErosEros was the Greek god of carnal love. In Latin he is called Amor (love) or Cupid (desire). Eros was the assistant, and according to some the son, of Aprhodite, the goddess of love and fertility. He made people fall in love by shooting an arrow into their heart.
Who punished Aphrodite?
(2) WRATH PERSONAL VENDETTA EOS The goddess of the dawn was cursed by Aphrodite with an unquenchable desire for young men as punishment for lying with the goddess's lover Ares.
What is Cephalus justice?
Cephalus who was a representative of traditional morality of the ancient trading class established the traditional theory of justice . According to him 'justice consists in speaking the truth and paying one's debt. Thus Cephalus identifies justice with right conduct.
Who was the patron god of the city of Rome?
JupiterJupiter (Zeus) Roman god of the sky and thunder, and patron god of Rome. Jupiter was a son of Saturn; brother to Neptune, Pluto and Juno, to whom he was also husband.
Who was the goddess Aurora?
In Greek legend, Eos, or Aurora, the goddess of dawn, falls in love with the mortal Tithonus, son of King Laomedon of Troy. According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Aurora prevailed on Jupiter to grant the young human immortality, though later realized that she failed to stipulate his eternal youth in this request.
Was Cephalus a metic?
There, Socrates is welcomed by Polemarchus' father, Cephalus, a wealthy old metic who came to Athens from his native Syracuse to operate a business manufacturing shields for Athenian infantrymen during the Peloponnesian War.
Who was Cephalus of Phocis?
Cephalus of Phocis was a mortal prince in Greek mythology, famous for being the husband of Procris, the Athenian princess. At one time Cephalus was the owner of the legendary hunting dog Laelaps, and also a comrade of the Theban general Amphitryon .
What did Cephalus call out for?
Cephalus would call out for Aura (or Zephyr or Nephele) to come to him, but it was an innocent request for he was simply asking for a cooling breeze, but an agitated Procris at that moment made a rustling sound in the thicket. Cephalus, believing that the noise was from a wild animal, threw his newly acquired javelin at the thicket, and as was its want, the javelin hit its mark.
Why did Cephalus leave his wife?
Some tell of Cephalus simply leaving his wife, in order that he could test her fidelity; whilst other ancient sources tell of the goddess Eos abducting Cephalus, for the goddess of the Dawn had herself fallen in love with Cephalus.
Where did Procris end up?
When Procris realised that she had been discovered as an adulteress, she fled from Athens, and eventually ended up on Crete, but she would return to Athens with Laelaps, the hunting dog, and a javelin that always hit its mark.
Where did Cephalus die?
A few of these same ancient sources also tell of the death of Cephalus, for he was not destined to live into old age, and still remorseful about the killing of his first wife, Cephalus was said to have leapt to his death from the clifftops, possibly at Cape Leucas.
Who found Cephalus in Exile?
Cephalus in Exile. In exile, Cephalus was found by Amphitryon who was in need of the services of Laelaps. Amphitryon needed the army of Creon of Thebes in order to go to war with the Teleboans, but Creon had set a condition that Amphitryon must rid Thebes of the Teumessian Fox, hence the need for Laelaps.
Did Cephalus cheat on Procris?
Cephalus had killed his wife, but Procris would die happily in his arms, when Cephalus explained that he was not cheating on her. It was said that Cephalus was subsequently tried upon the Areopagus (Ares Rock), although this was a place normally associated with trials of deliberate murder rather than accidental death.
Family
In some accounts, Cephalus was said to be the son of Hermes by Creusa or of Pandion I.
Mythology
Because of Cephalus's great beauty, Eos (Dawn) fell in love with him. He was eventually carried off and ravished by her in Syria. Consorting with the goddess, by some accounts Cephalus became the father of Tithonus, the father of Phaethon. Another version of the myth provides that Phaethon was said to be his son instead of Tithonus.
What is the meaning of the name Cephalus?
It could be that Cephalus means the head of the sun who kills (evaporates) Procris (dew) with his unerring ray or 'javelin'. Cephalus was one of the lovers of the dawn goddess Eos .
Who is Cephalus' son?
Cephalus is also made out to be an Aeolian, the son of Deion/Deioneos, ruler of Phocis, and Diomede, and grandson of Aeolus. Athenians further localised the myth by asserting that Cephalus was married to Procris, a daughter of Erechtheus, an ancient founding-figure of Athens. The goddess of dawn, Eos, kidnapped Cephalus when he was hunting. The resistant Cephalus and Eos became lovers, and she bore him a son named Phaëthon (not to be confused with the son of the sun-god Helios ). Some sources also give Tithonos and Hesperus as children of Cephalus and Eos. However, Cephalus always pined for Procris, causing a disgruntled Eos to return him to her, making disparaging remarks about his wife's fidelity.
What gifts did Cephalus bring to Procris?
In returning and reconciling, Procris brought two magical gifts, an inerrant javelin that never missed its mark, and a hunting hound, Laelaps that always caught its prey. The hound met its end chasing a fox (the Teumessian vixen) which could not be caught; both fox and the hound were turned into stone. But the javelin continued to be used by Cephalus, who was an avid hunter.
When was Cephalus sacrificed?
Sumptuous sacrifices for Cephalus and for Procris are required in the inscribed sacred calendar of Thorikos in southern Attica, dating perhaps to the 430s BCE and published from the stone in 1983.
Who sided with Perseus in the Third Macedonian War?
Cephalus a Molossian who sided with Perseus in Third Macedonian War
Who is Cepheus in Greek mythology?
Myths / Mortals / Cepheus. In Greek mythology, Cepheus was the name of two kings in Aethiopia, grandfather and grandson. The better known Cepheus is the son of Agenor and grandson of the other Cepheus. He was married to Cassiopeia, with whom he had a beautiful daughter, Andromeda.
Who was Cepheus?
In Greek mythology, Cepheus was the name of two kings in Aethiopia, grandfather and grandson. The better known Cepheus is the son of Agenor and grandson of the other Cepheus.
What was the name of the sea creature that ravaged the coasts of Aethiopia?
This triggered the wrath of god Poseidon, who either flooded the lands of Aethiopia or sent a terrible sea creature called Cetus to ravage the coasts of the area. Cepheus and Cassiopeia consulted an oracle on what they should do, and they were advised to sacrifice their daughter to Cetus in order to appease the god.
Who is the father of Iphiclus?
Cephalus is also called the father of Iphiclus by Clymene. 6 He is said to have put an end to his life by leaping into the sea from cape Leucas, on which he had built a temple of Apollo, in order to atone for having killed his wife Procris. 7
Did Procris and Cephalus go out?
Procris returned home in the disguise of a youth, and went out with Cephalus to chase. When he perceived the excellence of her dog and spear, he proposed to buy them of her; but she refused to part with them for any price except for love. When he accordingly promised to love her, she made herself known to him, and he became reconciled to her. As, however, she still feared the love of Eos, she always jealously watched him when he sent out hunting, but on one occasion he killed her by accident with the never-erring spear. 2
Overview
In Greek mythology, Cephalus is an Aeolian prince, the son of Deion/ Deioneos, ruler of Phocis, and Diomede, and grandson of Aeolus. He was one of the lovers of the dawn goddess Eos.
Etymology
The word kephalos is Greek for "head", perhaps used here because Cephalus was the founding "head" of a great family that includes Odysseus. It could be that Cephalus means the head of the Sun who kills (evaporates) Procris (dew) with his unerring ray or 'javelin'.
Sumptuous sacrifices for Cephalus and for Procris are required in the inscribed sacred calendar of Thorikos in southern Attica, dating perhaps to the 430s BCE and published from the stone in 1983.
Family
Cephalus was the brother of Aenetus, Phylacus, Actor and Asterodia. By Procris or Procne, he was the father of Arcesius or Archius and by Clymene, daughter of Minyas, of Iphiclus and Alcimede. In some accounts, he was called the father of Oia, wife of Charops and eponym of the deme Oia in Attica. A son of Cephalus, Canes was said to be a king of Phocis and husband of Evadne, daughter of Pelias.
Mythology
Athenians localised the myth by asserting that Cephalus was married to Procris, a daughter of Erechtheus, an ancient founding-figure of Athens. The goddess of dawn, Eos, fell in love with him and kidnapped Cephalus when he was hunting. The resistant Cephalus and Eos became lovers, and she bore him a son named Phaethon (not to be confused with the son of the sun-god Helios). Some source…
In literature
The legend of Cephalus and Procris figures twice in Ovid: in the third book of Ars Amatoria and in the seventh book of the Metamorphoses. It is retold in Cephalus and Procris; Narcissus, a 1595 poem by Thomas Edwards. It is echoed in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (Act V, scene i), where Pyramus and Thisbe refer to "Shafalus" and "Procrus." While Milton's "the Attic boy" in Il Penseroso is also a reference to Cephalus.
Further reading
• Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
• Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; …
External links
• John Flaxman's statue 'Cephalus and Aurora' at the Lady Lever Art Gallery
• Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Cephalus
• Images of Cephalus and Aurora and Cephalus and Procris in the Warburg Institute Iconographic Database