Demophon of Elaeus
A Thracian king whose sacrifices led to revenge and a constellation.
Demophon is a king of Elaeus in Thrace from ancient Greek and Roman mythology. He is known for sacrificing the daughters of noblemen to combat a plague, an act that provoked revenge from a father named Mastusius. The tale survives only through a Roman work attributed to Gaius Julius Hyginus, drawing on an earlier Greek source.
Quick Facts
- Title
- King of Elaeus
- Location
- Elaeus in Thrace (Thracian Chersonnese, now Gallipoli peninsula)
- Associated figure
- Mastusius
- Associated constellation
- Crater (The Wine-cup)
- Field
- Mythology
- Nationality
- Greek (mythological king of Elaeus in Thrace)
Facts from the source article.
Mythology
Demophon ruled the Greek colony of Elaeus in the Thracian Chersonnese when a destructive plague struck the city. He consulted the oracle of Apollo, who instructed that each year a nobleborn maiden must be sacrificed to the ancestral gods to stop the plague. Demophon followed this command, selecting victims by lot but always excluding his own daughters. The nobleman Mastusius objected, demanding that Demophon's daughters also be entered in the drawing. Enraged, Demophon sacrificed Mastusius' daughter without drawing lots. Mastusius concealed his anger and later invited Demophon and his daughters to a solemn sacrifice. Demophon sent his daughters ahead, and Mastusius killed them all, mixing their blood with wine in a bowl. When Demophon arrived and learned what happened, he ordered Mastusius and the bowl thrown into the sea. The cape was named Mastusian after the nobleman, the harbor the Bowl, and the bowl became the constellation Crater.
Culture
This myth is preserved only in the first-century work De astronomia by Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus, who attributes it to the Greek historian Phylarchus. Phylarchus, known for sensational tales, may have connected the story to his claim that human sacrifice occurred when setting out against an enemy. The myth taught a moral lesson about the persistence of hatred and is one of several where virginity leads to the death of young girls in sacrificial roles, reinforcing the idea that a girl's value was defined by her virginity.
More in Human Sacrifice in Folklore and Mythology
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