Acanthus (son of Autonous)

Mythology

Autonous, son of Melaneus and Hippodamia, had sons Erodius, Anthus, Schoeneus, and Acanthus, and a daughter Acanthis. Autonous neglected farming, so his lands produced only rushes and thistles, leading him to name his children after such plants: Acanthus, Schoeneus, Acanthis, and Erodius (from eroded land). Erodius tended the horse herds. When Anthus drove the mares from their pastures, they became enraged, attacked him, and began devouring him despite his cries to the gods. His father panicked and failed to drive the horses off; the mother fought but could not stop the slaughter. Autonous became a quail for having quailed at driving off the horses. The mother became a crested lark for heading toward the mares to fight for her son. Anthus, Erodius, Schoeneus, Acanthus, and Acanthyllis were turned into birds bearing their own names. The servant who attended Anthus became a heron, smaller than the dark variety, which does not associate with the anthus bird, just as the anthus bird avoids horses because of Anthus's suffering. To this day, when it hears a horse neigh, this heron flies away while imitating the sound.