Cycnus

In Greek mythology, several characters were known as Cycnus (Ancient Greek: Κύκνος) or Cygnus. The literal meaning of the name is "swan", and accordingly most of them ended up being transformed into swans.

Cycnus, son of Ares.^[1]
Cycnus, king of Kolonai.^[2] Son of Poseidon.
Cycnus, lover of Phaethon.^[3]
Cycnus, son of Apollo.^[4]
Cycnus, son of King Ederion (Ancient Greek: Ἐδερίων) or Eredion of Achaea, who, in the 6th century CE account of John Malalas, seduced Leda and made her mother of triplets: the Dioscuri and Helen.^[5] In all other sources, she had these children by Zeus who approached her in the shape of a swan (kyknos). For more information, see Leda and the Swan.

Cycnus, one of the Suitors of Penelope who came from Dulichium along with other 56 wooers.^[6] He, with the other suitors, was shot dead by Odysseus with the assistance of Eumaeus, Philoetius, and Telemachus.^[7]
Cycnus, a blunder for Guneus in the manuscript of Hyginus^[8] (list of the Achaean leaders against Troy).

According to Pseudo-Eratosthenes and Hyginus' Poetical Astronomy, the constellation Cygnus was the stellar image of the swan Zeus had transformed into in order to seduce Leda^[9] or Nemesis.^[10] Pausanias and Servius state that Apollo turned Cycnus of Liguria into a swan after the death of his lover Phaeton, then later placed him among the stars as the constellation Cygnus.^[11]^[12]^[13]

^ Pausanias, 1.27.6
^ Strabo, 13.1.19
^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.367 sqq.
^ Antoninus Liberalis, 12
^ Malalas, 82.17; Tzetzes ad Lycophron, 88–89
^ Apollodorus, E.7.26–27
^ Apollodorus, E.7.33
^ Fabulae 97
^ Pseudo-Eratosthenes, Catasterismi 25
^ Hyginus, De astronomia 2.8.1
^ Pausanias. Description of Greece. 1.30.3.
^ Maurus Servius Honoratus. On Aeneid. 10.189.
^ Grimal, Pierre; Kershaw, Stephen (1990). A concise dictionary of classical mythology. Internet Archive (Reprint. 1994 ed.). Oxford, England ; Cambridge, Mass., USA : Blackwell. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-631-16696-2. Retrieved 2024-11-02.

[1] Pausanias, 1.27.6

[2] Strabo, 13.1.19

[3] Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.367 sqq.

[4] Antoninus Liberalis, 12

[5] Malalas, 82.17; Tzetzes ad Lycophron, 88–89

[6] Apollodorus, E.7.26–27

[7] Apollodorus, E.7.33

[8] Fabulae 97

[9] Pseudo-Eratosthenes, Catasterismi 25

[10] Hyginus, De astronomia 2.8.1

[11] Pausanias. Description of Greece. 1.30.3.

[msh-12] Maurus Servius Honoratus. On Aeneid. 10.189.

[13] Grimal, Pierre; Kershaw, Stephen (1990). A concise dictionary of classical mythology. Internet Archive (Reprint. 1994 ed.). Oxford, England ; Cambridge, Mass., USA : Blackwell. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-631-16696-2. Retrieved 2024-11-02.

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