Ixion (King of the Lapiths)

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Ixion and Nephele ( Peter Paul Rubens , 1615)

Ixion ( ancient Greek Ἰξίων Ixíōn ), a king of the Lapiths , a son of Phlegyas , Ares , Leonteus or Antion and Perimela , brother of Koronis , is the figure in Greek mythology who first murdered a relative. His palace was in the city of Gyrton .

The atrocity

For the marriage to Dia he had promised her father Deioneus rich bridal gifts and invited him to his home to give them to him there. Instead, he had a pit lined with glowing coals, into which Deioneus now fell. At first no one agreed to atone for Ixion for his deed - until Zeus had mercy on him, raised him to Olympus and made him immortal, presumably because he had fallen in love with Dia himself. With Dia he begat the Peirithoos .

Further misconduct

Ixion oppressed Hera in his wine frenzy in Olympus . Zeus now formed a cloud in its image, which was called Nephele (Greek: cloud), and when Ixion was associated with this, the Centauros was born, who later fathered the Centaurs with the mares of Mount Pelion . Hygin calls the cloud Nubes (lat. Cloud), and Ixion fathered the centaurs Eurytion and Nessus with her .

The punishment

Ixion on the wheel

As punishment for the misused hospitality of Zeus, Ixion was sentenced to be tied to a wheel of fire and set to the sky to repeat in eternal rotation: "You should repay the benefactor with thanks." He was later transferred to Tartarus , with a different version the story mentions a wheel with living snakes instead of fire. In addition to fire, Ixion has a special relationship with rain: The name is derived from ισχύς ischýs , German 'strength' and ιώ iṓ , German 'moon' and is reminiscent of the mistletoe ( ἰξία ixía or ἰξός ixós ), which he replaces shows external sexual organs in the cult of the oak as the god of thunder . In ritual marriage he marries the moon goddess Dia, who brings the rain.

Aeschylus had written a tragedy about him called Ixion . Hygin is the name of a constellation that is supposed to represent Ixion tied to the wheel.

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Web links

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