Arion (horse)

In Greek mythology, Arion or Areion (/əˈraɪ.ən/;[1]Ancient Greek: Ἀρίων, Ἀρείων), is a divinely-bred, fabulously fast, black-maned horse. He saved the life of Adrastus, king of Argos, during the war of the Seven against Thebes.[2]

Arion was (by most accounts) the offspring of Poseidon and Demeter.[3] When the goddess Demeter was searching for her daughter Persephone, she was pursued by Poseidon. To escape Poseidon, Demeter turned herself into a mare and hid among the mares of Oncius, king of Thelpusa in Arcadia. But Poseidon turned himself into a stallion and mated with Demeter, fathering Arion.[4] Other accounts had Arion as the offspring of Gaia (Earth),[5] or of Zephyrus and a harpy.[6]

Arion was given to the hero Heracles, who rode Arion into battle during his expedition to Elis, and also during his combat with Ares' son Cycnus. Later Heracles gave Arion to Adrastus, the king of Argos.[7] Adrastus took Arion with him on the disastrous expedition of the Seven against Thebes. On the way to Thebes, Arion competed and finished first in the first Nemean Games.[8] At Thebes, when the battle was lost, Arion quickly spirited his master Adrastus away from the battlefield, saving his life, when all the other leaders of the expedition were killed.[9]

  1. ^ Avery, Catherine B., ed. (1962). New Century Classical Handbook. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. p. 154.
  2. ^ Hard, pp. 58, 101–102, 321; Grimal, p. 52 s.v. Areion; Tripp, p. 101 s.v. Arion; Smith, s.v. Arion 2; Parada, s.v. Arion 1; Leaf, p. 496, note to Iliad 23.346
  3. ^ Hard, p. 101.
  4. ^ Apollodorus, 3.6.8; Pausanias, 8.25.5, 8.25.7.
  5. ^ Pausanias, 8.25.8–9, citing Antimachus.
  6. ^ Hard, p. 58; Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 4.569–573.
  7. ^ Schol. (D) Iliad 23.346 (see Thebaid fr. 11 West, pp. 52–55); Shield of Heracles, 120 (Most, pp. 10, 11); Pausanias 8.25.10. Compare with Statius, Thebaid 6.311–314 and Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 4.569–573, which say that Arion was given to Adrastus by the gods. For Arion as Adrastus' horse see: Homer, Iliad 23.346–7; Antimachus (apud Pausanias, 8.25.9); Statius, Thebaid 6.314; Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 4.569–573.
  8. ^ Propertius, Elegies 2.37–38; Statius, Thebaid 6.301–530 (which has Arion being driven by Adrastus' son-in law Polynices, finishing first, but pulling an empty chariot, Polynices having been thrown off along the way). Compare with Callimachus, fr. 223 Trypanis and Whitman pp. 154, 155; Apollodorus, 3.6.4, which simply says that "Adrastus won the horse race".
  9. ^ Hard, p. 102, p. 321; Gantz, p. 517; Thebaid fr. 11 West, pp. 52–55; Hyginus, Fabulae 68A; Apollodorus, 3.6.8; Strabo, 9.2.11; Pausanias, 8.25.8; Pancrates of Alexandria (Page, pp. 518, 519).