Achelous. In Greek mythology, Achelous was originally the god of all water and the rivers of the world were viewed by many as his sinews.
Later, in Hellenistic times, he was mostly relegated to the Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. Achelous was also an important deity in Etruscan mythology, intimately related to water as in the Greek tradition but also carrying significant chthonic associations.
Man-faced bull iconography was first adapted to represent Achelous by the Etruscans in the 8th century BC, and the Greeks later adopted this same tradition. Homer placed Achelous above all, the origin of all the world's fresh water and perhaps all water.
By Roman times, Homer's reference was interpreted as making Achelous prince of rivers. According to Alcaeus he was the son of Gaia and Oceanus, whereas Hesiod in his canonical Theogony presented Tethys and Oceanus as the parents of all three thousand river gods.
In the Renaissance, the improvisatory mythographer Natalis Comes made for his parents Gaia and Helios. Some derived the legends about Achelous from Egypt, and describe him as a second Nilus. Herodotus compared the two rivers in their power to amass new land: There are other rivers as well which, though not as large as the Nile, have had substantial results. In particular, there is the Ach
Later, in Hellenistic times, he was mostly relegated to the Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. Achelous was also an important deity in Etruscan mythology, intimately related to water as in the Greek tradition but also carrying significant chthonic associations.
Man-faced bull iconography was first adapted to represent Achelous by the Etruscans in the 8th century BC, and the Greeks later adopted this same tradition. Homer placed Achelous above all, the origin of all the world's fresh water and perhaps all water.
By Roman times, Homer's reference was interpreted as making Achelous prince of rivers. According to Alcaeus he was the son of Gaia and Oceanus, whereas Hesiod in his canonical Theogony presented Tethys and Oceanus as the parents of all three thousand river gods.
In the Renaissance, the improvisatory mythographer Natalis Comes made for his parents Gaia and Helios. Some derived the legends about Achelous from Egypt, and describe him as a second Nilus. Herodotus compared the two rivers in their power to amass new land: There are other rivers as well which, though not as large as the Nile, have had substantial results. In particular, there is the Ach
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