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thewrathfulwitch · 7 months

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Ion of Delphi

Cerusa of Athens was the only remaining daughter of King Erechtheus that had not been married, the King looking for a suitable husband for her to marry despite her being childless. She secretly had an affair with Apollon, which bore her a son. Afraid of what her father would do, she abandoned the child in a cave where she hoped Apollon would protect him.

Without Apollon to lean on, she was wedded to the neighboring Prince Xuthus, a Prince who had aided Athens in the war. Years went on with them being childless, assuming Ion was dead.

In truthful reality, Apollon had Hermes carry Ion to the Temple of Delphi, where he was found by a priestess. The Priestess named him the name he is known by and raised him. He was a boy dedicated to the Temple of his father, taking great care of the holy place.

Years later, King Xuthus and Queen Cerusa came to Delphi looking for answers about how to help their childless marriage. King Xuthus was told to take a son of the first boy he came across. As he exited the Shrine, he saw Ion speaking to his wife and took him as the heir. Cerusa was skeptical, worried this was a bastard son of her husband's.

Cerusa asked an old servant to poison him at the feast of Ion's adoption, using the Gorgon's blood that was given by Athena herself to do so. He was given a special drinking bowl with the poisoned wine yet he poured it out as a libation to the God he revered all these years. Birds came to drinking the wine on the ground and as their beaks got wet, they shrieked in pain and convulsed violently.

It was from there that Ion asked the old servant why he was poisoned, since the servant gave the wine to him, and the Delphi elders ordered that the Queen be executed for such an act. She ran and hid amongst the crowd at the Temple, where the Pythia revealed herself from the Shrine.

She spoke openly before all, where she revealed the origins of Ion before the crowds. The dots were put together and the mother and son were reunited, with knowledge that Apollon was the father. Athena came to them, speaking for Apollon, telling Ion to go to Athens and take his claim to the throne. She spoke how he would be the father to the people known as the Ionians. To King Xuthus and Cerusa, she promised another son named Dorus, who would father the Dorian people.

Myths of the World: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece by A.R. Hope Moncrieff

#dorian greece #ionian greece #apollon #apollo #ion of delphi #dorus #cerusa of athens #xuthus of athens #a.r. hope moncrieff #greek mythos

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thebeautifulbook · 1 year

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