Lycaon

Lycaon

Lycaon was a king of Arcadia in Greek mythology, son of Pelasgus and Meliboea.

A version of the myth in which Lycaon appears says that he had fifty sons with various wives. All of them were quite nefarious and carefree. Zeus visited them while being transformed as a pheasant, in order to test them. The sons fed the transformed god, but in the food they mixed the entrails of a child; Zeus, outraged, destroyed the table on which the food was served, and then killed Lycaon and his sons. Only Nyctimus, the youngest of the sons, survived because of the intervention of Gaea.

According to a different version, Lycaon killed his son Nyctimus and mixed his body parts in the food which he served to Zeus. The mighty god was enraged, and killed Lycaon and all of his sons, while he brought Nyctimus back to life.

Lycaon Q&A

Who was Lycaon?

Lycaon was a king of Arcadia in Greek mythology, son of Pelasgus and Meliboea. A version of the myth in which Lycaon appears says that he had fifty sons with various wives.

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