Agrius
In Greek mythology, Agrius (Agrios, “wild”) was a name given to a number of different characters: a son of Porthaon and brother of Oeneus, a son of Odysseus and Circe, a Giant, a Centaur, and one of the suitors of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife.
Agrius, Son of Porthaon
The best-known Agrius was one of the sons of Porthaon (Portheus in Homer) and Euryte, together with Oeneus, Alcathous, Melas, Leucopeus and a daughter, Sterope (Apollodorus, Library 1.7.10). Homer names Agrius, Melas and Oeneus as the three sons who lived in Pleuron and steep Calydon, and Oeneus was the grandfather of Diomedes (Homer, Iliad 14.115–118). Oeneus held the throne of Calydon. When Tydeus, a son of Oeneus, had killed a relative and fled, Agrius brought a charge against him, and Tydeus went into exile at Argos (Apollodorus, Library 1.8.5).
Later the sons of Agrius, named by Apollodorus as Thersites, Onchestus, Prothous, Celeutor, Lycopeus and Melanippus, took the kingdom from Oeneus and gave it to their father; they also imprisoned Oeneus and tormented him. Diomedes, Oeneus’ grandson, came secretly from Argos with Alcmaeon and put to death all the sons of Agrius except Onchestus and Thersites, who had fled to the Peloponnese. Diomedes then gave the kingdom to Andraemon, who had married Oeneus’ daughter, and took Oeneus to the Peloponnese. The surviving sons of Agrius ambushed the old man at the hearth of Telephus in Arcadia and killed him, and Diomedes buried him at Argos in the place called Oenoe (Apollodorus, Library 1.8.6; compare Pausanias 2.25.2). In Apollodorus, Diomedes went on afterwards to the war against Thebes and Troy.
Family of Agrius
- Children
- Celeutor, Lycopeus, Onchestus, Prothous, Thersites, Melanippus (versions differ)
Agrius, Son of Odysseus and Circe
In Hesiod’s Theogony, Circe, the daughter of Helios, bore Odysseus two sons, Agrius and Latinus, and also a third, Telegonus. Agrius and Latinus ruled over the famous Tyrsenians in the recess of the holy islands (Hesiod, Theogony 1011–1016).
Agrius the Giant
One of the Giants who fought the gods was named Agrius. In Apollodorus’ account of the battle the Fates, fighting with bronze clubs, killed Agrius and Thoas (Apollodorus, Library 1.6.2).
Agrius the Centaur
A Centaur named Agrius appears in the story of Heracles and Pholus. When Heracles opened the jar of wine belonging to the Centaurs in the cave of Pholus, the smell drew the Centaurs to the cave armed with rocks and fir trees. Anchius and Agrius were the first to dare to enter and were driven back by Heracles with a shower of burning brands, and he shot at the others and pursued them as far as Malea (Apollodorus, Library 2.5.4).
Agrius, Suitor of Penelope
An Agrius is listed among the suitors of Penelope in Apollodorus’ catalogue of the men who courted her in the absence of Odysseus (Apollodorus, Epitome 7.27).
Agrius Sources
Homer, Iliad 14.115–118; Hesiod, Theogony 1011–1016; Apollodorus, Library 1.6.2, 1.7.10, 1.8.5–6, 2.5.4, Epitome 7.27; Pausanias 2.25.2.
See Also: Diomedes, Odysseus, Circe, Giants, Centaurs, Penelope, Oeneus, Heracles
What the ancient sources say
Passages that name Agrius, in the original with English translation. The line gives the work and reference as scholars cite it.
- Hyginus, Fabulae 168–177Danaus, Meleager and the Calydonian hunt, Lycaon and CallistoDanaus and his daughters, and Amymone, give way to a list of the Danaids and their husbands. The Calydonian boar hunt follows, with its catalogue of…
- Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.8.1–6Oeneus, Meleager and the Calydonian boarOeneus of Calydon is the first to receive a vine from Dionysus, and the Fates declare that his son Meleager will die when the brand on the hearth is burnt…
- Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.766–830Diomedes and Thersites; the Amazons buriedDiomedes, a kinsman of Thersites, is the only Argive angry at his death, and the two heroes are on the point of fighting before their comrades reconcile…
- Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 20.1–21.6Clinis and PolyphonteClinis of Babylon tries to sacrifice asses to Apollo as the Hyperboreans do; his maddened asses kill his family, who become birds. Polyphonte, who scorned…
- Strabo, Geography 10.3.1–6The Curetes of Aetolia and PleuronStrabo asks whether the Curetes were Acarnanians or Aetolians and uses Homer's lines on Pleuron, Calydon and the sons of Porthaon to decide. He tests…
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