Aegialeus

In Greek mythology, Aegialeus (also Aegealeus, Egialeus) is a name attributed several individuals.

* Aegialeus was the elder son of Adrastus, a king of Argos, and either Amphithea or Demonassa. [Tripp, Edward. "Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology". New York: Thomas Crowell Press, 1993 (p. 18).] Aegialeus was identified as one of the Epigoni, who avenged their fathers' disastrous attack on the city of Thebes by retaking the city, by both Pausanias and Hellanikos. While his father was the only one of the Seven Against Thebes who did not die in the battle, Aegialeus was the only one of the leaders of the Epigoni who was killed while they retook the city. Laodamas, the son of Eteocles, killed him at Glisas, and he was buried at Pagae in Megaris. [Pausanias. "Description of Greece", 1.44.4.] Adrastus died of grief after his son's death, and Cyanippus, who was either the son or the brother of Aegialeus, succeeded him as the king of Argos.

* Aegialeus was one of the sons of the river god Inachus. His mother was the Oceanid Melia, and his brother was Phoroneus. In a variant myth, he was called the son of Phoroneus by the goddess Peitho. He was the founder of Sicyon and was usually said to have died childless. In other stories he was the father of Europs, in a variant genealogy that makes him the ancestor of Apis (both of these figures were usually called the sons of Phoroneus). Aegialeus was the first inhabitant of Sicyon, and ruled over the district of the Peloponnese called Aegialus after him. He also founded the city of Aegialea. [Apollodorus. "The Library", [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus2.html 2.1.1] - "Having now gone through the family of Deucalion, we have next to speak of that of Inachus. Ocean and Tethys had a son Inachus, after whom a river in Argos is called Inachus. He and Melia, daughter of Ocean, had sons, Phoroneus, and Aegialeus. Aegialeus having died childless, the whole country was called Aegialia; and Phoroneus, reigning over the whole land afterwards named Peloponnese, begat Apis and Niobe by a nymph Teledice. Apis converted his power into a tyranny and named the Peloponnese after himself Apia; but being a stern tyrant he was conspired against and slain by Thelxion and Telchis. He left no child, and being deemed a god was called Sarapis. But Niobe had by Zeus (and she was the first mortal woman with whom Zeus cohabited) a son Argus, and also, so says Acusilaus, a son Pelasgus, after whom the inhabitants of the Peloponnese were called Pelasgians. However, Hesiod says that Pelasgus was a son of the soil."] [Pausanias. "Description of Greece", [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias2A.html 2.5.6] - "The Sicyonians, the neighbours of the Corinthians at this part of the border, say about their own land that Aegialeus was its first and aboriginal inhabitant, that the district of the Peloponnesus still called Aegialus was named after him because he reigned over it, and that he founded the city Aegialea on the plain. Their citadel, they say, was where is now their sanctuary of Athena; further, that Aegialeus begat Europs, Europs Telchis, and Telchis Apis."] [ [http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Peitho.html Theoi Project: Peitho] - "PEITHO was the goddess or spirit (daimona) of persuasion, seduction and charming speech. In combination with force ("bia") she also represented forceful inducement and rape (including bridal abduction). Peitho was a close companion of the goddess Aphrodite. Pietho [sic] was usually depicted as a woman with her hand lifted in persuasion or fleeing from the scene of a rape. Her attributes sometimes included a white dove and ball of binding twine."]

* Aegialeus was, in a tradition followed by Pacuvius, [Cicero. "De Natura Deorum", iii. 19.] Justin, [Junianus Justinus, xlii. 3.] and Diodorus, [Diodorus Siculus, iv. 45.] the name given to the son of Aeëtes, who was murdered by Medea. Other traditions call this figure Absyrtus. [cite encyclopedia
last = Schmitz
first = Leonhard
authorlink =
title = Absyrtus
encyclopedia = Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
volume = 1
pages = 3-4
publisher =
location = Boston
date = 1849
url = http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0012.html
accessdate = ]

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