In Greek mythology, Pandion I was a legendary King of Athens, the son and heir of Erichthonius of Athens and his wife, the naiad Praxithea, and thus a grandson of the god Hephaestus. He was the fifth king in the traditional Athenian line of succession, reigning between Erichthonius and his own son Erechtheus. He is best known as the father of Procne and Philomela, whose marriage alliance with the Thracian king Tereus led to one of the most violent tragedies in Greek myth. His name derives from the Ancient Greek Pandíōn, meaning "all-divine."
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Pandion I" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Overview
In Greek mythology, Pandion I was a legendary King of Athens, the son and heir to Erichthonius of Athens and his wife, the naiad Praxithea. Through his father, he was the grandson of the god Hephaestus.
The name Pandion derives from the Ancient Greek Pandíōn, literally meaning 'all-divine.'
II.Family
Pandion married Zeuxippe, a naiad. Their children included two sons, Erechtheus and Butes, and two daughters, Procne and Philomela.
Some accounts also identify him as the father of Teuthras, Thespius, and Cephalus. In addition, Hesiod and Sappho name him as the father of the Swallow, or Chelidon, a doublet of Philomela.
III.Mythology
Pandion I served as the fifth king of Athens in the traditional line of succession. He was preceded by Cecrops I, Cranaus, Amphictyon, and Erichthonius, and was succeeded by Erechtheus, Cecrops II, and Pandion II.
According to the Bibliotheca, Pandion fought a war with Labdacus, the king of Thebes, over boundaries, and married his daughter Procne to Tereus in exchange for help in the fighting. During his reign, the gods Demeter and Dionysus came to Attica.
Upon his death, Erechtheus inherited the kingdom, while Butes received the priesthoods of Athena and of Poseidon Erechtheus. Pandion himself is said to have died of grief when he discovered that his daughters, Procne and Philomela, had died.