CREUSA OF ATHENS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Creusa was the name of several female figures in tales from Ancient Greece. One such figure was Creusa, a daughter of Erechtheus, who would become mother of Ion.
Creusa Daughter of Erechtheus
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Creusa was born into the royal family of Athens, for she was named as the youngest daughter of King Erechtheus and Praxithea. Creusa thus had a number of siblings, including brothers, Cecrops, Metion and Pandorus, and sisters, Chthonia, Oreithyia, Pandora, Procris and Protogeneia.
In the simplest telling of Creusa’s life, the daughter of Erechtheus, would marry a man named Xuthus; Xuthus was the son of Hellen, son of Deucalion. Creusa would thereafter become mother to two sons by Xuthus, Achaeus and Ion, and a daughter named Diomede. Achaeus and Ion are the eponymous ancestors of the Achaeans and Ionians. |
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Creusa and Apollo
Another tale of Creusa and the conception of Ion is told by Euripides, in a play titled Ion.
The god Apollo had spied the beautiful Creusa from afar, and coming to Athens, he had his wicked way with the daughter of Erechtheus in a hillside cave near the city. Creusa of course fell pregnant, but Apollo aided her by keeping her pregnancy secret from her father.
Eventually though, Creusa would give birth to a son, but she hid him in an ornate cradle, which she placed in aforementioned cave. Hermes would rescue the son of Apollo before harm came to him, and took the baby boy, named Ion to Delphi.
Creusa would later marry Xuthus, but would be unable to have any children together. To find the reason for this, Creusa and Xuthus travelled to Delphi to consult the Oracle. Although not clear, as was the want of the Oracle, the prophecy received seemed to indicate that Ion, now a steward of Apollo’s temple, was Xuthus’ son.
Creusa feared some infidelity on the behalf of Xuthus, and so sought to have one her servants kill Ion, of course unaware that Ion was actually her son. The murderous attempt of course failed, and Creusa was forced to seek sanctuary from a vengeful Ion in Apollo’s temple. A pause ensued as Ion was unwilling to undertake an act of violence in Apollo’s temple.
During this pause the Oracle appeared carrying Ion’s old cradle, and instantly Creusa realised that Ion was her son, the one she had abandoned in the cave years before. Creusa and her son were reconciled, although the secret was kept from Xuthus, who adopted Ion as his own, following the words of the Oracle.
The god Apollo had spied the beautiful Creusa from afar, and coming to Athens, he had his wicked way with the daughter of Erechtheus in a hillside cave near the city. Creusa of course fell pregnant, but Apollo aided her by keeping her pregnancy secret from her father.
Eventually though, Creusa would give birth to a son, but she hid him in an ornate cradle, which she placed in aforementioned cave. Hermes would rescue the son of Apollo before harm came to him, and took the baby boy, named Ion to Delphi.
Creusa would later marry Xuthus, but would be unable to have any children together. To find the reason for this, Creusa and Xuthus travelled to Delphi to consult the Oracle. Although not clear, as was the want of the Oracle, the prophecy received seemed to indicate that Ion, now a steward of Apollo’s temple, was Xuthus’ son.
Creusa feared some infidelity on the behalf of Xuthus, and so sought to have one her servants kill Ion, of course unaware that Ion was actually her son. The murderous attempt of course failed, and Creusa was forced to seek sanctuary from a vengeful Ion in Apollo’s temple. A pause ensued as Ion was unwilling to undertake an act of violence in Apollo’s temple.
During this pause the Oracle appeared carrying Ion’s old cradle, and instantly Creusa realised that Ion was her son, the one she had abandoned in the cave years before. Creusa and her son were reconciled, although the secret was kept from Xuthus, who adopted Ion as his own, following the words of the Oracle.
What Happened to Creusa?
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It is commonly said that the Creusa did not commit suicide, like her sisters, when one of the daughters of Erechtheus, potentially Protogeneia, was sacrificed to ensure victory for the Athenians over the Eleusinians.
That being said, there is no specificity given to what happened to Creusa after the death of her sisters. For, at the end of the war, King Erechtheus was struck down by Poseidon. Creusa’s husband, Xuthus, was chosen to name the successor to the throne, and Xuthus chose Cecrops. This choice angered Metion and Pandorus, and Xuthus was thus forced into exile. Xuthus thereafter settled in Aegialus, although whether Creusa was with him is unclear. |
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Colin Quartermain - Creusa of Athens - 28th September 2025