In Greek mythology, Agrius was a son of the Calydonian king Porthaon and his wife Euryte, and a brother of Oeneus, Alcathous, Melas, Leucopeus, and Sterope. His sons overthrew his brother Oeneus and handed the kingdom of Calydon to Agrius. The usurpation was undone by the hero Diomedes, who returned to restore Oeneus and destroy the house of Agrius. The ancient sources differ on the timing of these events and on Agrius's own fate.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Agrius (son of Porthaon)" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Family
Agrius was the son of the Calydonian king Porthaon and Euryte, and the brother of Oeneus, Alcathous, Melas, Leucopeus, and Sterope.
Agrius was the father of six sons, namely Melanippus, Thersites, Onchestus, Prothous, Celeutor, and Lycopeus, possibly all by Dia, daughter of Porthaon (which makes the wife technically his sister or half-sister). Alcathous may also be the son of Agrius, since Diodorus claimed that, together with Lycopeus, he was killed by their cousin Tydeus, who then fled to Argos.
II.Mythology
Agrius's sons overthrew Oeneus and gave the kingdom to their father. Agrius and his sons were themselves overthrown by Diomedes, who reinstated Oeneus as king. All the sons except Thersites were killed by Diomedes.
The ancient accounts diverge on the chronology and on Agrius's end. The Bibliotheca places these events before the expedition of the Greeks against Troy, while Hyginus states that Diomedes, when he heard after the fall of Troy of the misfortune of his grandfather Oeneus, hastened back and expelled Agrius, who then committed suicide. According to still other accounts, Agrius and his sons were all slain by Diomedes.
III.Etymology
The name Agrius derives from the Ancient Greek Ἄγριος, meaning "wild."