Cecrops in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Cecrops

9 passages from 4 ancient authors that tell of Cecrops, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Discover the story of Cecrops, the mythical founder of Athens, and his role in Greek mythology. Explore his unique nature, reign, and impact on Athenian history. For the story in one place, read our article on Cecrops.

Apollodorus (2)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.14.1–8Cecrops, Athena and Poseidon, and the early kings of AthensCecrops, a son of the soil, is the first king of Attica, and in his reign Athena and Poseidon contend for the land and the gods award it to Athena. The section covers Cecrops's daughters, Cephalus, Cinyras and Adonis, the kings Cranaus, Amphictyon and Erichthonius (born from Hephaestus's seed), the gift of wine to Icarius and Erigone's death, and ends with Pandion and the story of Procne, Philomela and Tereus.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.15.1–3.16.2Erechtheus, Aegeus, Minos's war on Athens and the birth of TheseusPandion's sons divide his inheritance and Erechtheus becomes king; his daughters include Procris, killed accidentally by Cephalus, and Orithyia, carried off by Boreas. The section covers Cleopatra and Phineus, Eumolpus and the war with Erechtheus, who sacrifices his daughter, and Aegeus and his marriages. Minos, to avenge Androgeus, takes Megara through Scylla's treachery and imposes the tribute of youths and maidens for the Minotaur. It ends with the birth of Theseus to Aethra and his first two labours, where the surviving text of the Library breaks off.

Euripides (1)

Euripides, Ion 255–310First episode: Creusa tells Ion of Athens and her ancestryIon asks why Creusa weeps, and she gives her name and tells him that she is the daughter of Erechtheus of Athens, whose family springs from Erichthonius, born from Earth. She tells how Athena gave the infant to the daughters of Cecrops to guard, how they opened the chest and died, and how she herself, of her father's children, alone survived. She says that her husband, Xuthus, a foreigner who won her by helping Athens in war, has come with her to ask the oracle about children.

Ovid (1)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.708–832Aglauros and EnvyHermes (Mercury) sees Herse, daughter of Cecrops, among the girls bringing offerings to Athena (Minerva), and her sister Aglauros asks for gold before she will help him. Athena, angry, goes to the dwelling of Envy and sends her to fill Aglauros with jealousy. Aglauros sits at the door to bar Hermes' way and is turned to stone.

Pausanias (5)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.5.1–5Athens: the Rotunda and the eponymous heroes of the tribesNear the Council House is the Rotunda, where the presidents sacrifice, and above it stand statues of the heroes who gave their names to the Athenian tribes, among them Hippothoon, Antiochus, Ajax, Leos, Erechtheus, Aegeus, Oeneus and Acamas. Pausanias distinguishes two kings called Cecrops and two called Pandion, and tells of Pandion’s exile at Megara and of Tereus, Procne and Philomela. He adds the later tribes named after Attalus, Ptolemy and the Emperor Hadrian, and mentions Hadrian’s benefactions.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.2.1–6Athens: from Piraeus to the Ceramicus, tomb of Antiope, early kingsEntering Athens from Piraeus, Pausanias notes the tomb of the Amazon Antiope, the ruins of Conon’s walls and the graves of Menander and a cenotaph of Euripides, which leads him to poets at royal courts. Inside the gate he describes the building for the processions, a temple of Demeter with statues attributed to Praxiteles, the colonnades to the Ceramicus and the sanctuary of Dionysus with clay images of Amphictyon feasting the gods. He ends with the first kings of Athens, from Actaeus and Cecrops to Cranaus, Amphictyon and Erichthonius.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.31.1–6Attica: the townships of Alimus, Prasiae, Phlya, Myrrhinus and AcharnaePausanias surveys the small townships of Attica in order: Alimus, Zoster, Prospalta, Anagyrus, Cephale, Prasiae, Lamptrae, Potami, Phlya, Myrrhinus, the Athmonians and Acharnae. He records their cults and altars, the route of the Hyperborean first-fruits to Prasiae, the tombs of Erysichthon, Cranaus and Ion, and offers his own explanation of the goddesses Colaenis and Amarysia.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.2.1–7Arcadia: Lycaon and the wolf legend of Zeus LycaeusPausanias tells how Pelasgus' son Lycaon founded Lycosura, gave Zeus the surname Lycaean and founded the Lycaean games, which Pausanias thinks older than the Panathenaic games. Lycaon sacrificed a human child on the altar of Lycaean Zeus and was turned into a wolf, which Pausanias believes, arguing that in early days men became gods and the gods punished the wicked. He also reports that a man is said to turn into a wolf at each sacrifice and regain human shape after nine years if he abstains from human flesh. He warns that lovers of the marvellous build fiction on a foundation of truth.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.33.1–7Haliartus, Tilphusa and Alalcomenae: Tiresias' grave and the temple of AthenaPausanias describes Haliartus with the shrine of Cecrops, and the spring Tilphusa where Tiresias died and was buried. He notes the open-air sanctuary of the Praxidicae, the roofless temples without images, and the river Lophis, named after the son who was sacrificed to bring water. At Alalcomenae he describes the temple of Athena, whose ancient ivory image Sulla carried off, and the little torrent called the Triton.