Daedalion

Mythology

Daedalion's daughter Chione was so beautiful that at age fourteen she attracted a thousand mortal admirers, as well as the gods Apollo and Hermes. While returning from visits to earth, both gods saw her and were filled with lust. Hermes used magic to put Chione into a deep sleep and raped her; later that evening Apollo visited her in the guise of an old woman. From these unions Chione bore twins: Autolycus by Hermes, who became a notorious thief and charlatan, and Philammon by Apollo, famed for his voice and skill with a lyre. Chione then boasted that her beauty surpassed that of Artemis. To avenge this blasphemy, Artemis shot an arrow through Chione's tongue, killing her. Daedalion, overcome with grief despite his brother Ceyx's attempts to console him, tried three times to throw himself onto her funeral pyre but was restrained. After a fourth failed attempt, he ran at impossible speed through fields and forests, climbed to the summit of Mount Parnassus, and jumped. Apollo took pity on him and transformed him into a hawk before he hit the ground. The hawk's great strength and its tendency to hunt other birds are said to result from Daedalion's former courage and the rage caused by his daughter's death.