THE POTAMOI INACHUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The River God Inachus
Inachus was a river god from Greek mythology. Inachus was the Potamoi who represented the river of the same name, with the River Inachus flowing through Argolis in the Peloponnese and out into the Argolic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.
The Birth of Inachus
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As a Potamoi, Inachus was considered to be one of the 3000 sons of the Titan god Oceanus, and his wife Tethys; making Inachus brother to the 3000 Oceanids (water nymphs).
As with all river gods of Greek mythology, Inachus was depicted in various forms including that of a man, a bull, fish or merman. |
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A less poetic version of the story of Inachus though, names Inachus simply as the first king of Argos after whom the River Inachus was named; and therefore not a river god at all. Inachus, as a river god, does appear in the founding myth of Argos, for it was said that it was the waters of the Potamoi that first made the Argive plain inhabitable.
Inachus the Father
Inachus was considered to have been father to many children, as would be expected as a fertile source of life.
The Inachides were an indeterminate number of daughters of Inachus, with the Inachides being the Naiad nymphs associated with the various freshwater sources throughout Argolis.
Two of these Naiad nymphs are arguably more significant than the others. Mycenae was the water nymph of a town which was then named after her; and Io, although normally simply named as an Argive princess, who was a lover of Zeus, and ancestor of much of the Achaean population.
Inachus was also father to several named sons, including Aegialeus, a king of Sicyon, and Phoroneus, the first king of Argos (if Inachus was not the first).
The matter of who was the mother of the various children of Inachus is not always clear; often no mother is mentioned, but where one is, the name of Melia or Argia are most common. Both Melia and Argia were considered to be Oceanid nymphs.
The Inachides were an indeterminate number of daughters of Inachus, with the Inachides being the Naiad nymphs associated with the various freshwater sources throughout Argolis.
Two of these Naiad nymphs are arguably more significant than the others. Mycenae was the water nymph of a town which was then named after her; and Io, although normally simply named as an Argive princess, who was a lover of Zeus, and ancestor of much of the Achaean population.
Inachus was also father to several named sons, including Aegialeus, a king of Sicyon, and Phoroneus, the first king of Argos (if Inachus was not the first).
The matter of who was the mother of the various children of Inachus is not always clear; often no mother is mentioned, but where one is, the name of Melia or Argia are most common. Both Melia and Argia were considered to be Oceanid nymphs.
Inachus and Io
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Inachus’ daughter Io was desired by Zeus, but as the god was having his way with the Naiad nymph, the pair were discovered by Zeus’ wife Hera. Zeus quickly transformed Io into a white heifer, but Hera was not fooled, and subsequently Io, in the form of a heifer, would have to wander the earth.
Inachus would grieve when he found that his daughter was missing, and retreated into his cave. Eventually though, the wandering Io, came to he banks of the Inachus and lay down by its side. Now Inachus and the Inachides recognised the beauty of the cow, but did not initially recognise it as Io, although Io did eventually spell out her name. Inachus rejoiced, but soon father and daughter would once again be parted for Io’s wanderings were not yet done, for Io was destined to travel onwards to Egypt. Inachus the JudgeFamously, Inachus would act as a judge, along with the other Potamoi Asterion and Cephissus, during a dispute between Hera and Poseidon. The two Olympian gods both claimed dominion over the Argive region, and so the Potamoi were called upon to make a decision, and despite Poseidon being nominally the king of the Potamoi, Inachus and his brothers ruled in favour of Hera.
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This decision did not go down well with Poseidon, and the Olympian took away the water from the three Potamoi, causing the land to go dry; an event that is repeated every year during the hot summers.
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