Phocus- Greek HeroHero
Also known as: Phokos and Φῶκος
Description
Born to a Nereid who turned seal to escape his father, Phocus outshone his half-brothers at the discus — and they killed him with one. Aeacus banished Peleus and Telamon from Aegina; Peleus went on to father Achilles, Telamon to father Ajax.
Mythology & Lore
The Favored Son
Phocus was the son of Aeacus, king of Aegina, and the Nereid Psamathe. His very existence was the product of divine pursuit: Aeacus had desired Psamathe, who transformed into a seal (phōkē) to escape him, but he caught her nonetheless. The child born of this union bore a name derived from his mother's transformation — Phōkos, "the seal's son" — and inherited something of her divine nature. Aeacus favored him above his other sons, Peleus and Telamon, born to his mortal wife Endeis.
The favoritism bred resentment, and Phocus's athletic prowess sharpened it further — he excelled at the discus and other competitive sports, outshining his half-brothers in the very arena where Greek men proved their worth. Peleus and Telamon conspired to kill him. During an athletic contest, Telamon struck Phocus with a discus — whether the throw was openly murderous or disguised as an accident varies by source. Some accounts give the fatal blow to Peleus instead, and some traditions hold that their mother Endeis urged them to it, fearing Aeacus would pass the kingdom to his favored son.
The Exile That Made Heroes
When Aeacus discovered the murder, he banished both sons from Aegina forever. Peleus traveled to Phthia in Thessaly, where he married the sea-goddess Thetis and fathered Achilles. Telamon settled on Salamis, where he became king and fathered Ajax. A fratricidal murder on a small Aegean island scattered two brothers to opposite shores of Greece — and their sons would fight side by side at Troy.
Phocus's own sons, Panopeus and Crisus, settled in central Greece in the region that took their father's name: Phocis.
Relationships
- Associated with