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283:, the king of Athens, and warned them never to look inside. Pandrosus obeyed, but Herse and Aglaurus were overcome with curiosity and opened the box, containing the infant and future-king, Erichthonius ("troubles born from the earth," following another etymology). (Sources are unclear regarding how many sisters participated.) The sisters were terrified by what they saw in the box: Either a snake coiled around an infant, or an infant that was half-human and half-serpent. They went insane and threw themselves off the
774:
788:
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to request some weapons, but
Hephaestus was so overcome by desire that he tried to seduce her in his workshop. Determined to maintain her virginity, Athena fled, pursued by Hephaestus. He caught Athena and tried to rape her, but she fought him off. During the struggle, his semen fell on her thigh,
453:
506:
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to use in the
Acropolis. While she was away, Aglaurus and Herse opened the box. A crow saw them open the box, and flew away to tell Athena, who fell into a rage and dropped the mountain she was carrying which became
264:). As she fled, Erichthonius was born from the semen that fell to the earth. Athena, wishing to raise the child in secret, placed him in a small box and then made sure no one would ever find out by giving him away.
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434:
472:
757:
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An alternative version of the story is that Athena left the box with the daughters of
Cecrops while she went to fetch a limestone mountain from the
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was said to have been so impressed with his skill that he raised him to the heavens to become the constellation of the
Charioteer (
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360:, or four-horse chariot, to get around more easily. He is said to have competed often as a chariot driver in games.
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210:
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851:
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689:
658:
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Apollodorus, The
Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes.
299:. As in the first version, Herse and Aglaurus went insane and threw themselves to their deaths off a cliff.
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163:
154:, his grandson, but by the fourth century BC, during Classical times, they are distinct figures.
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in the honor of Athena, and set up a wooden statue of her on the
Acropolis. According to the
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71:
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615:
497:
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It was said that
Erichthonius was lame of his feet and that he consequently invented the
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The snake is his symbol, and he is represented in the statue of Athena in the
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with ἐρέχθω, "shake" is a late folk-etymology; other folk-etymologies include
151:
27:
542:
414:
372:
325:
316:
280:
276:
734:
The Iliad with an
English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes
357:
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as the snake hidden behind her shield. The most sacred building on the
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329:. During this time, Athena frequently protected him. He founded the
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146:(born of the soil, or Earth) and adopted or raised by the goddess
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receives the baby
Erichthonius from the hands of the earth mother
31:
807:
Warburg
Institute Iconographic Database (images of Erichthonius)
361:
494:
The finding of the infant Erichthonius by Cecrops's daughters
479:
The finding of the infant Erichthonius by Cecrops's daughters
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twelve years earlier, and became king of Athens. He married
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Erichthonius of uncertain etymology is possibly related to a
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and Athena, in disgust, wiped it away with a scrap of wool (
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98:
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80:
150:. Early Greek texts do not distinguish between him and
718:, Moyer Bell Ltd; Unabridged edition (December 1988),
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Erichthonius was succeeded by his son Pandion I.
753:
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
104:
95:
83:
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287:. Other accounts state that the snake killed them.
86:
613:(December 1988). "25 Athene's Nature and Deeds".
619:(unabridged ed.). Moyer Bell. p. 99.
742:Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
694:Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
587:
585:
8:
267:Athena gave the box to the three daughters (
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134:) was a legendary early ruler of ancient
740:; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924.
307:When he grew up, Erichthonius drove out
692:; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.
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530:
460:The Discovery of the Child Erichthonius
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441:Erichthonius Released from His Basket
7:
822:Autochthons of classical mythology
311:, who had usurped the throne from
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786:
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704:Etymological Dictionary of Greek
597:Etymological Dictionary of Greek
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486:
471:
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383:, is dedicated to Erichthonius.
70:
847:Mythological people from Attica
349:, and to till the earth with a
337:, he taught his people to yoke
243:, Athena visited the smith-god
706:, 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2009.
1:
429:Erichthonius of Athens in art
256:) and flung it to the earth (
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657:Cambridge, MA / London, UK:
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54:Staatliche Antikensammlungen
513:Mercury, Herse and Aglauros
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517:Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre
323:, with whom he had a son,
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25:
18:
411:
404:
396:
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218:Scorning the Advances of
842:Kings in Greek mythology
738:Harvard University Press
690:Harvard University Press
659:Harvard University Press
481:by Jacob Jordaens (1617)
16:Legendary king of Athens
36:Birth of Erichthonius:
832:Children of Hephaestus
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57:
780:Ancient Greece portal
665:– via Perseus,
661:/ William Heinemann.
653:]. Translated by
341:and use them to pull
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35:
331:Panathenaic Festival
170:. The connection of
138:. According to some
19:For other uses, see
377:Acropolis of Athens
368:) after his death.
736:. Cambridge, MA.,
641:pseudo-Apollodorus
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464:Peter Paul Rubens
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412:Succeeded by
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237:According to the
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21:Erichthonius
682:Apollodorus
651:The Library
646:Bibliotheca
345:, to smelt
240:Bibliotheca
197:, "earth".
56:(Inv. 2413)
48:red-figure
816:Categories
611:Graves, R.
557:References
539:Ἐριχθόνιος
400:Amphictyon
381:Erechtheum
309:Amphictyon
245:Hephaestus
227:, between
220:Hephaestus
172:Ἐριχθόνιος
152:Erechtheus
119:Ἐριχθόνιος
28:Erechtheus
26:See also:
578:2.546–551
543:pre-Greek
525:Footnotes
415:Pandion I
373:Parthenon
326:Pandion I
317:Praxithea
285:Acropolis
277:Pandrosus
201:Mythology
164:pre-Greek
158:Etymology
142:, he was
125:romanized
766:See also
667:Tufts U.
643:(1921).
595:(2009).
547:Erekteu-
358:quadriga
343:chariots
273:Aglaurus
168:Erekteu-
676:Sources
424:Gallery
313:Cranaus
281:Cecrops
127::
64:, King
50:stamnos
722:
663:3.14.6
623:
519:(1763)
447:(1606)
379:, the
366:Auriga
351:plough
347:silver
339:horses
262:chthôn
216:Athena
195:chthôn
166:form *
148:Athena
136:Athens
38:Athena
730:Homer
649:[
574:Iliad
569:Homer
321:naiad
303:Reign
279:) of
269:Herse
254:erion
250:ἔριον
206:Birth
180:erion
176:ἔριον
140:myths
46:Attic
720:ISBN
621:ISBN
362:Zeus
319:, a
275:and
258:χθών
192:χθών
188:eris
184:ἔρις
42:Gaia
515:by
496:by
462:by
443:by
60:In
818::
750:;
732:,
712:;
702:,
684:,
584:^
571:,
353:.
271:,
260:,
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229:c.
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93:oʊ
44:,
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726:.
696:.
629:.
549:.
108:/
105:s
102:ə
99:i
96:n
90:θ
87:ˈ
84:k
81:ɪ
78:r
75:ə
72:/
68:(
23:.
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