Erichthonius of Athens

King Erichthonius (also called Erechtheus I or Erichthonios) was, according to some legends, autochthonous (born of the soil), and in other accounts he was the son of Hephaestus and Gaia or Athena or Atthis.

According to Apollodorus, Athena visited Hephaestus to request some weapons, but Hephaestus was so overtaken by desire that he attempted to seduce her in his workshop. Determined to maintain her virginity, Athena fled, but despite Hephaestus' lameness, the smith-god caught Athena and unsuccessfully attempted to rape her. During the struggle, his semen fell on her thigh, and Athena, in disgust, wiped it away with a scrap of wool. She threw it to the ground, impregnating Gaia. Gaia returned the infant son to Athena, who named him Erichthonius, from chthon "earth", and placed him in a small box.

Athena then gave three sisters, Herse, Pandrosus and Aglaulus the box and warned them to never open it. Overcome with curiosity, Aglaulus and Herse (although sources are unclear whether only one sister, or all three participated) opened the box which contained the infant and future-king, Erichthonius ("troubles born from the earth"). The sisters were terrified by the sight that awaited them - either a snake coiled around an infant, or an infant that was half-man and half-serpent - the sisters went insane and threw themselves off the Acropolis.

Athena then raised Erichthonius herself on the Acropolis. As an adult, Erichthonius drove out Amphictyon, who had usurped the throne of Athens from Cranaus and became king. He married Praxithea, a naiad, and had a son, Pandion I.

An alternative version of the same story is that, while Athena was gone bringing a mountain from Pallene to use in the Acropolis, the sisters, minus Pandrosus again, opened the box. A crow witnessed the opening and flew away to tell Athena, who fell into a rage and dropped the mountain (now Mt. Lykabettos). Once again, Herse and Aglaulus went insane and threw themselves to their deaths off a cliff.

Erichthonius later became King of Athens and implemented many beneficial changes to Athenian culture. During this time, Athena frequently protected him. He founded the Panathenaic Festival in the honor of Athena. He taught his people to yoke horses and use them to pull chariots, smelt silver and till the earth with a plough. It was said that Erichthonius invented the four-horse chariot.

Erichthonius was killed by either Poseidon or Zeus as revenge for killing Himmarados of Thrace during a war between Eleusis and Athens. He was succeeded by his son Pandion I. He was sometimes said to be a snake with a human head. The snake was his symbol.

References

*Greek Mythology Link 2003-10-01