In Greek mythology, Porthaon (Ancient Greek: Πορθάων) was a king of Calydon in Aetolia. He was the son of Agenor (or, in some accounts, Ares) by Epicaste, and the brother of Demonice and possibly Thestius. By his wife Euryte, daughter of Hippodamas, he fathered Oeneus and several other children. His name appears connected to Greek verbs meaning "to destroy."
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I.Etymology
The name Porthaon (Ancient Greek: Πορθάων) appears related to the Greek verbs portheō and perthō, both of which carry the sense of "to destroy." This was held to be a fitting name for a figure sometimes described as a son of Ares, the god of war.
II.Family
Porthaon was the son of Agenor — or, in some traditions, of Ares — by Epicaste, and was thus the brother of Demonice (also known as Demodice) and possibly of Thestius.
He was the husband of Euryte, daughter of Hippodamas, who became the mother of his children: Oeneus, Agrius, Alcathous, Melas, Leucopeus, and Sterope.
In some accounts his wife is instead named Laothoe, who bore him three daughters: Sterope, Eurythemiste, and Stratonice.
By an unnamed servant, Porthaon was also said to be the father of the Argonaut Laocoön. In addition, Dia, the consort of his son Agrius, was sometimes called his daughter.
III.Mythology
Porthaon reigned as a king of Calydon in Aetolia. Through his son Oeneus, who succeeded to prominence in the region, he stands at the head of the celebrated Calydonian royal house, the line that would later produce such figures as Meleager, Tydeus, and Deianira.
His descendants feature in the great Aetolian myths, and his genealogy connects him to the wider dynasties of central Greece through his parents and siblings.