Ixion
Ixion ruled the ancient tribe of Thessaly known as the Lapiths. His lineage traces back to Perimele and either Ares, Leonteus, Antion, or Phlegyas. The name Phlegyas connotes fire itself in Greek tradition. Ixion fathered Pirithous, a son who later slew a kinsman while wandering in search of purification. Some accounts suggest Zeus might have been Pirithous's true father instead. This uncertainty appears in Book 14 of Homer's Iliad where Zeus boasts about his past conquests.
Deioneus stole horses from Ixion after the king failed to pay a promised bride price for Dia. Dia was also called Hebe, daughter of Hera, or possibly Hera herself. Ixion invited Deioneus to a feast at Larissa with hidden intent. He pushed his father-in-law into a bed of burning coals concealed beneath wood and ash. This act made Ixion the first man guilty of kin-slaying in Greek mythology. Neighboring princes refused to perform cleansing rituals due to this violation of xenia laws. The crime left him an outlaw shunned by all other rulers.
Zeus took pity on the outcast Ixion and brought him to Olympus. There he introduced the Lapith king to the table of the gods. Instead of gratitude, Ixion grew lustful for Hera, Zeus's wife. Zeus discovered these intentions and created a cloud shaped like Hera named Nephele. From the union between Ixion and this false-Hera came either Imbros or Centauros. Pindar wrote that these beings mated with Magnesian mares on Mount Pelion. They became known as the Ixionidae race of Centaurs.
Hermes bound Ixion to a winged fiery wheel spinning eternally through space. At first the wheel spun across the heavens before later myths placed it in Tartarus. Virgil described this punishment in his Georgics and Metamorphoses. Some versions claim Ixion remained trapped in Hades after death. His torment stopped only when Orpheus played his lyre during a rescue mission for Eurydice. Pindar mentioned feathers attached to the burning solar wheel in his Second Pythian Ode.
Scholar Robert L. Fowler noted the narrative motivation creaks at every juncture. Martin Nilsson suggested origins in rain-making magic rituals from ancient times. The story serves as a warning about blasphemous conduct by officiants performing such rites. In the fifth century, Pindar expanded the example in his Second Pythian Ode. He applied the tale to Hiero I of Syracuse, the tyrant he sang about. This analysis frames the myth as a cautionary tale against dangerous magical practices.
Aeschylus wrote a tragedy about Ixion that has since disappeared from history. Sophocles also dramatized the life of the Lapith king before his work was lost. Euripides contributed another version of the story now known only through fragments. Timasitheos composed an additional play on this subject that no longer exists. These four tragedians once brought the figure to life on stage. Their works remain absent despite their historical importance to Greek theater traditions.
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Common questions
Who was Ixion in Greek mythology?
Ixion ruled the ancient tribe of Thessaly known as the Lapiths. His lineage traces back to Perimele and either Ares, Leonteus, Antion, or Phlegyas.
What crime did Ixion commit against Deioneus?
Ixion pushed his father-in-law Deioneus into a bed of burning coals concealed beneath wood and ash at Larissa. This act made Ixion the first man guilty of kin-slaying in Greek mythology.
How did Zeus punish Ixion for his lust toward Hera?
Hermes bound Ixion to a winged fiery wheel spinning eternally through space. At first the wheel spun across the heavens before later myths placed it in Tartarus.
When did Pindar expand the story of Ixion in his Second Pythian Ode?
In the fifth century, Pindar expanded the example in his Second Pythian Ode. He applied the tale to Hiero I of Syracuse, the tyrant he sang about.
Why is the myth of Ixion considered a warning according to scholars?
Martin Nilsson suggested origins in rain-making magic rituals from ancient times. The story serves as a warning about blasphemous conduct by officiants performing such rites.
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8 references cited across the entry
- 1harvnbKerenyi (1951) p. 159Kerenyi — 1951
- 3reportBrill's New Pauly OnlineR. Bloch — Brill — 2006
- 6bookThe Romantics and Their ContemporariesPearson Education — 2006
- 7journalThe Myth of Kephalos as an Aition of Rain-Magic (Pherekydes FGrHist 3 F 34)Robert L. Fowler — 1993