Phoenix (son of Agenor)

Phoenix from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum

In Greek mythology, Phoenix or Phoinix (Greek: Φοῖνιξ Phoinix, gen.: Φοίνικος) is the eponym of Phoenicia who together with his brothers were tasked to find their abducted sister Europa.

Family

Phoenix was a son of Agenor and Telephassa (or Argiope[1]), brother of Cadmus, Cilix and Europa.[1][2] He was believed to have fathered a number of children with different women. By Cassiopeia, Phoenix had a daughter Carme[3] and three sons, Cilix, Phineus, and Doryclus, as well as a stepson Atymnius whose natural father was Zeus;[4] by Alphesiboea, he had Adonis.[5] He was also credited as the father of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia and husband of another Cassiopeia.[6]

According to the Iliad, Europa was not Phoenix's sister, but his daughter.[7] Europa is otherwise called one of his two daughters by Perimede, daughter of Oeneus, the other one being Astypalaea;[8] she is also included on the list of his children by Telephe, her siblings in this case being Peirus, Phoenice, and Astypale (apparently identical to the aforementioned Astypalaea).[9] Telephe, daughter of Epimedusa, is probably the same as Telephassa, whom Moschus[10] calls wife and not mother of Phoenix.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF PHOENIX'S FAMILY ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SOURCES
Relation Names Sources
Hes. Hom. Pher. Bac. Sch. on Eur. Mosc. Con. Apollod. Hyg. Pau. Anton. Non. Tzet.
Parents Agenor and Damno √
Agenor and Telephassa √
Agenor and Argiope √
Agenor √
Belus √ √
Wife Cassiopeia √ √
Telephe √ √
Alphesiboea √
Perimede √
Children Europa √ √[11] √[11] √ √ √ √[12] √
Phineus √
Astypale √ √ √
Phoenice √
Peirus √
Cadmus √
Thasus √
Adonis √
Cepheus √
Carme √

Mythology

When Europa was carried off by Zeus, her three brothers were sent out by Agenor to find her, but the search was unsuccessful. Phoenix eventually settled in a country in Asia which he named Phoenicia after himself.[2][13]

Argive family tree

Argive genealogy in Greek mythology
InachusMelia
ZeusIoPhoroneus
EpaphusMemphis
LibyaPoseidon
BelusAchiroëAgenorTelephassa
DanausPieriaAegyptusCadmusCilixEuropaPhoenix
MantineusHypermnestraLynceusHarmoniaZeus
Polydorus
SpartaLacedaemonOcaleaAbasAgaveSarpedonRhadamanthus
Autonoë
EurydiceAcrisiusInoMinos
ZeusDanaëSemeleZeus
PerseusDionysus
Colour key:

     Male
     Female
     Deity

References

  1. 1 2 Hyginus, Fabulae, 6 & 178
  2. 1 2 Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 1. 1
  3. ↑ Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses, 40
  4. ↑ Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, 2. 178
  5. ↑ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, 3. 14. 4
  6. ↑ Hyginus. Astronomica, 2.9.1
  7. ↑ Homer, Iliad, 14. 321
  8. ↑ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7. 4. 1
  9. ↑ Scholia on Euripides, Phoenician Women, 5
  10. ↑ Moschus, Idylls, 2. 42
  11. 1 2 Though Europa was unnamed in this text, she must be the daughter of Phoenix who coupled with Zeus.
  12. ↑ Europa's mother was not named by Apollodorus, if her father was Phoenix.
  13. ↑ Hyginus, Fabulae, 178
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