Lycaon of Arcadia


In Greek mythology, Lycaon was a king of Arcadia who, in the most popular version of the myth, tested Zeus' omniscience by serving him the roasted flesh of Lycaon's own son Nyctimus, in order to see whether Zeus was truly all-knowing.
In return for these gruesome deeds, Zeus transformed Lycaon into a wolf and killed his offspring; Nyctimus was restored to life.
Despite being notorious for his horrific deeds, Lycaon was also remembered as a culture hero: he was believed to have founded the city Lycosura, to have established a cult of Zeus Lycaeus and to have started the tradition of the Lycaean Games, which Pausanias thinks were older than the Panathenaic Games. According to Gaius Julius Hyginus, Lycaon dedicated the first temple to Hermes of Cyllene.

Family

Lycaon was the son of Pelasgus and either the Oceanid Meliboea or Deianira, daughter of another Lycaon. His wife was called Cyllene, a naiad nymph who gave her name to Mount Cyllenê though sometimes she was regarded as his mother instead. In some accounts, the Arcadian town Nonakris was thought to have been named after his wife. Lycaon was also known to have had at least three daughters: Callisto, Dia and Psophis.

Sons of Lycaon

According to the Bibliotheca, Lycaon has 50 sons. An alternate list of Lycaon's sons is given by Pausanias. According to his account, almost each of them founded a city in Arcadia and became its eponym.
NameApollodorusPausaniasOthersNotes
Acacusfoster-father of Hermes; founded Acacesium
Acontes
Aegaeon
Alipherusfounded Aliphera
Ancyor
Archebates
Aseatasfounded Asea
Bucolion
Canethus
Carteron
Cauconeponym of the Caucones that were believed to have settled in Triphylia
Charisiusfounded Charisia
Cleitorpossibly eponym of Cleitor
Corethon
Cromusfounded Cromi
Cynaethus
Daseatasfounded Dasea
Eleutherstayed aside from the abomination
Euaemonpossibly eponym of Euaemon
Eumetes
Eumon
Genetor
Haemonpossibly eponym of Haemoniae
Harpaleus
Harpalycus
Helix
Helissonfounded the town of Helisson
Heraeusfounded Heraea
Hopleus
Hypsusfounded Hypsus
Lebadusstayed aside from the abomination
Leo
Linus
Lyciusfounded Lycoa
Lycros
Macareusfounded Macaria
Macednusfounded Macedonia
Maenalusfounded Maenalus
Mantineusfounded Mantinea
Mecisteus
Melaeneusfounded Melaneae
Nyctimussucceeded to Lycaon's power
Oenotrusthe youngest, founded Oenotria in Italy
Orchomenusfounded Orchomenus and Methydrium
Orestheusfounded Oresthasium
Pallasfounded Pallantium
Parrhasiusfounded Parrhasia and said to be the father of Arcas
Peraethusfounded Peraetheis
Peucetius
Phassus
Phigalusfounded Phigalia
Phineus
Phthiuspossibly eponym of Phthiotis
Physius
Plato
Polichus
Portheus
Prothous
Socleus
Stymphaluspossibly eponym of the town Stymphalus
Teleboas
Tegeatesfounded Tegea
Thesprotusfounded Thesprotia
Thocnusfounded Thocnia
Thyreusfounded Thyraeum
Titanas
Trapezeusfounded Trapezus
Tricolonusfounded Tricoloni

Versions of the main myth

There are several versions of the Lycaon myth already reported by Hesiod, told by several authors. The most popular version is the one reported by Ovid in the first book of his Metamorphoses.
The different versions of the myth are as follows:
The English poet Robert Graves, in his The Greek Myths, explained the origin of Lycaon's myth as follows:

In popular culture