Phaethon
Frieze-Dennison Vergil
- Son of Helios and Clymene, who, having obtained from his father permission to drive the sun's chariot for a day, lost control of the steeds, and was struck down by a thunderbolt of Jupiter, to prevent his setting the earth on fire, Cic. Off. 3, 25, 94; id. N. D. 3, 31, 76; cf.: Phaëthontem orbi terrarum educare, Suet. Calig. 11; Ov. M. 2, 47 sq.; Verg. A. 10, 189.—
- B An epithet of the sun (poet.), Verg. A. 5, 105; Sil. 6, 3.—Hence,
- A Phăĕ-thontēus, a, um, adj., = Φαεθόντειος, of or belonging to Phaëthon, Phaëthontean (poet.): ignes, Ov. M. 4, 246: Padus (because Phaëthon is said to have fallen into the Padus), Mart. 10, 12, 2: favilla, i. e. fulmen, Stat. Th. 1, 221: umbra, i. e. of the poplar (because the sisters of Phaëthon were changed into poplars), Mart. 6, 15, 1.—
- B Phăĕthontĭas, ădis, f., = Φαεθοντιάς, a Phaëthontiad, i.e. a sister of Phaëthon. They wept for their brother, and were changed into poplars (acc. to others, into alders), while their tears were converted into amber: Phaëthontiadum silva sororum, Sen. Herc. Oet. 185; Verg. E. 6, 62; cf. Ov. M. 2, 340 sqq.—
- C Phăĕthentis, ĭdis, f., = Φαεθοντίς, subst., i. q. Phaëthontias, a Phaëthontiad, a sister of Phaëthon (poet.), Avien. Arat. 792.—As adj., of or belonging to Phaëthon, Phaëthontian: gutta, amber (into which the tears of Phaëthon's sisters were said to be converted), Mart. 4, 32, 1.—
- D Phăĕthontĭus, a, um, adj., = Φαεθόντιος.
- 1 Of or belonging to Phaëthon, Phaëthontian: fabula, Stat. S. 2, 4, 9: amnis, i.e. Padus (v. Phaëthonteus), Sil. 7, 149. —
- 2 Of or belonging to the sun: ora, the sun's disk, Sil. 10, 110.
Foeton, Solis et Climenae filius
Phebus fingitur sagittis suis peremisse Phitona
prima posita inter septem pedisecas Junonis habens alias pedisecas est Iris, secunda Phiton [v. l. Phites ], tertia cometa, quarta fulmen
que radiis solis in eam descendentibus vel ex velocitate motus accenditur dumque violentia ventorum accepta intemptat in eam partem, evolat ubi ventos non invenit, que stella discurrens vel igneum jaculum putatur; tales figuras Phitones [v. l. Phitonas ], id est calores, appellant
si vero quattuor venti oppositi nubem illam intercipiant, quia ex omni parte comprimitur,in rotundum formatur eodemque modo quo Phitones [vv. ll. Phiton, typhones ] accensa stella creditur et cometa vocatur
laphite, quasi laophite, id est lapidei et ardentes, dicuntur dum reis quamvis supplicantibus minime parcunt et contra eos face iracundie se accendunt, et lapidei merito dicuntur et ignei. laos enim lapis, Pheton ardor dicitur
pheson [v. l. Phefan ] ‥ lac fervens
- 1. epith. v.d. zonnegod;
- 2. zoon v.d. zonnegod; Phaëthon mocht één keer de zonnewagen besturen; daarbij raakten de onstuimige paarden uit de baan en kwamen ze te dicht in de buurt v.d. aarde, zodat er een geweldige brand ontstond; Zeus moest Phaëthon met zijn bliksem doden om een grotere ramp te voorkomen; — adj. Phaëthontēus, a, um, fem. ook Phaëthontis, idis [volucris = zwaan; gutta = barnsteen] of Phaëthonius, a, um [amnis = de rivier de Po]; — Phaëthontiades, um f zusters v. Phaëthon.
(Φαέθων), that is, the shining.
1. This name occurs in Homer (ll. 11.735, Od. 5.479) as an epithet or surname of Helios, and is used by later writers as a real proper name for Helios (Apollon, Rhod. 4.1236; Virg. Acn. 5.105); but it is more commonly known as the name of son of Helios by the Oceanid Clymene, the wife of Merops. The genealogy of Phaethon, however, is not the same in all writers, for some call him a son of Clymenus, the son of Helios, by Merope (Hyg. Fab. 154), or a son of Helios by Prote (Tzeiz. Chil. 4.127). or, lastly, a son of Helios by the nymph Rhode or Rhodos. (Schol. ad Pind. Ol. 6.131.) He received the signifieant name Phaethon from his father, and was afterwards also presmnptouus and ambitious enoug to request his father one day to allow him to drive the chariot of the sum across the heavens. Helios was induced by the entreaties of his son and of Clymene to yield, but the youth being too weak to cheek the horses, came down with his chariot, and so near to the earth, that he almost set it on fire. Zeus, therefore, killed him with a flash of lightning, so that he fell down into the river Eridanus or the Po. His isters, who had yoked teh horses to the chariot, were metamorphosed into poplars, and their tears into amber. (Eurip. Ilippol. 737, &c.; Apoolon. Rhod. 4.598, &c.; Lueian, Dial. Dcor. 25 ; Hygin, Fab. 152, 154; Verg. Ecl. 6.62, Aen 10.190; Ov. Met. 1.755, &c.)
2. A son of Cephalus and Eos, was carried off by Aphrodite, who appointed him guardian of her temple. (Hes. Th. 986.) Apooldorus (3.14.3) calls him a son of Tithonus, and grandson of Cephalus, and Pausanias (1.3.1) a son of Cephalus and Hemera.
3. The name of one of the horses of Eos. (Hom. Od. 23.246) It is also a surname of Absyrtus. (Apollon. 3.245.) [L.S]
a slave or freedman of Q. Cieero. (Cie. ad Q. Fr 1.4. ad Att. 3.8.)
(Φαέθων, “the shining”). A name that occurs in Homer as an epithet or surname of Helios (the Sun), and is used by later writers as a proper name for Helios; but it is more commonly known as the name of a son of Helios by the Oceanid Clymené, the wife of Merops. The genealogy of Phaëthon, however, is not the same in all writers, for some call him a son of Clymenus, the son of Helios by Meropé, or a son of Helios by Proté, or, lastly, a son of Helios by the nymph Rhodé or Rhodos. He received the significant name of Phaëthon from his father, and was afterwards presumptuous and ambitious enough to request his father to allow him, for one day, to drive the chariot of the sun across the heavens. Helios was induced, by the entreaties of his son and of Clymené, to yield; but the youth being too weak to check the horses, they rushed out of their usual track, and came so near the earth as almost to set it on fire. Thereupon Zeus killed him with a flash of lightning, and hurled him down into the river Eridanus. His sisters, the Heliades or Phaëthontiades, who had yoked the horses to the chariot, were metamorphosed into poplars, and their tears into amber. See Baugert, De Fabula Phaëthontea (Halle, 1885); and Heliadae.
- Paus. 1.4.1, Paus. 2.3.2, or of Cephalus and Day: Paus. 1.3.1
- his sisters bewail his fate beside the Eridanus: Paus. 1.4.1
- statue of Phaethon in chariot: Paus. 2.3.2
- father of Astynous: Apollod. 3.14.2