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Greek Mythology > People, Places, & Things > Erikhthonios (2)
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One of the legendary kings of Attika (Attica); the son of the god, Hephaistos (Hephaestus), and Gaia (Earth); he was the father of Pandion.
Gaia gave the infant Erikhthonios to Athene (Athena) for protection; Athene put Erikhthonios in a chest and gave it to the three daughters of Kekrops (Cecrops) to guard, with the admonition that they never open the chest; as you can imagine, the women could not resist opening the chest; when they beheld the snake-like appearance of Erikhthonios, they went mad and they made a suicidal leap from the rocky plateau of the Akropolis (Acropolis) at Athens.
It’s one of the mysteries of Greek mythology as to why three women, whose father, Kekrops, was also snake-like, would be driven mad by the snake-like appearance of Erikhthonios; perhaps they were driven mad not by his appearance but because they disobeyed Athene and were punished for their effrontery.
His name may also be rendered as Erikhthonius or Erichthonios.
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Earth to Elysian Fields Emathia to Eretria Erginos to Eulimene Eumaios to Exomis
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