Ion (mythology)

According to Greek mythology, Ion (Ancient Greek: Ἴων, gen.: Ἴωνος; Modern Greek: Ίωνας της Ελίκης Ionas tis Elikis) was the illegitimate child of Creüsa, daughter of Erechtheus and wife of Xuthus.Hesiod, Catalogue of Women fr. 10(a). He had a wife Tulipi, daughter of Strimon. Creusa conceived Ion with Apollo then she abandoned the child. Apollo asked Hermes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved (and raised) by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle. Later, Xuthus was informed by the oracle that the first person he met when leaving the oracle would be his son, and this person was Ion. He interpreted it to mean that he had fathered Ion, when, in fact, Apollo was giving him Ion as an adoptive son. Creusa was planning on killing Ion due to her jealousy that Xuthus had a son while she was still childless. At the same time, Ion was planning on doing harm to Creusa. In the end, Creusa found out that Ion was her child, and only Xuthus' adopted child. His story is told in the tragedy Ion by Euripides.
Ion was the founder of Helike (the modern Eliki) in Achaea (a modern prefecture). Ion was the son of Xuthus who brought to the area during the reign of the king of Selinus. He married the girl named Helike who succeeded the throne. He built the city of Eliki who received the name of his wife and made the capital of the kingdom. Where he took an expedition against Eleusis (now Elefsina) with the help of the Athenian and in the battle he was killed near Eleusis.
According to mythological accounts, Ion founded a primary tribe of Greece, the Ionians. He is linked to the figure Javan from the Hebrew Bible.Bromiley, Geoffrey William (General Editor) (1994). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume Two: Fully Revised: E-J: Javan. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 971. ISBN 0-8028-3782-4.
==References==
Category:Greek Mythology