Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/230

 198 HISTORY OF GREECE. Poseidon Erechtheus 1 as a hero, Erechtheus, son of the Earth and now, as a king, son of Pandion : so much did the ideas of divine and human rule become confounded and blended together in the imagination of the Greeks in reviewing their early times. The daughters of Erechtheus were not less celebrated in Athe- nian legend than those of Pandion. Prokris, one of them, is among the heroines seen by Odysseus in Hades : she became the wife of Kephalus, son of Deiones, and lived in the Attic deme of Thorikus. Kephalus tried her fidelity by pretending that he was going away for a long period ; but shortly returned, disguis- ing his person and bringing with him a splendid necklace. He presented himself to Prokris without being recognized, and suc- ceeded in triumphing over her chastity. Having accomplished this object, he revealed to her his true character : she earnestly besought his forgiveness, and prevailed upon him to grant it. Nevertheless he became shortly afterwards the unintentional au- thor of her death : for he was fond of hunting, and staid out a long time on his excursions, so that Prokris suspected him of visiting some rival. She determined to watch him by concealing herself in a thicket near the place of his midday repose ; and when Kephalus implored the presence of Nephele (a cloud) to protect him from the sun's rays, she suddenly started from her hiding-place : Kephalus, thus disturbed, cast his hunting-spear unknowingly into the thicket and slew his wife. Erechtheus in- terred her with great magnificence, and Kephalus was tried for the act before the court of Areopagus, which condemned him to exile. 2 Kreiisa, another daughter of Erechtheus, seduced by Apollo, becomes the mother of Ion, whom she exposes immediately after his birth in the cave north of the acropolis, concealing the fact from every one. Apollo prevails upon Hermes to convey the new-born child to Delphi, where he is brought up as a servant of the temple, without knowing his parents. Kreiisa marries Xuthus, son of .jiEolus, but continuing childless, she goes with Xuthus to 1 Pjseidon is sometimes spoken of under the name of Erechtheus simply (Lycophron, 158). See Hesychius, v. 'Epex&ei<. Fr. 82; ap. Schol. Eurip. Crest 1648. Apollodoras (iii 15, 1) gives the story differently.
 * Pherekyd6s,Fragm.77,Didot; ap. Schol. ad Odyss. xi. 320; Hellanikus