PANOPEUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

​Panopeus was a hero spoken of in tales of Greek mythology. A son of Phocus, Panopeus would fight alongside Amphitryon, and also hunt with Meleager. 

Panopeus son of Phocus

​Panopeus was the son of Phocus, born to a woman named Asteria, Asterodia or Asteropeia. Panopeus was said to have had a twin brother called Crisus, with the pair always arguing. 

Phocus was killed by his stepbrothers, Telamon and Peleus, and subsequently Panopeus and Crisus departed from Aegina, and travelled to Phocis, where their father had previously spent some time. 

The Curse of Panopeus

​Panopeus was said to have caused his own son to have been cursed. Panopeus would join Amphitryon in his quest against King Pterelaus and the Taphians, with Panopeus fighting alongside Amphitryon, Heleus, and Cephalus. 

Panopeus though, rashly, would take an oath, calling upon Ares or Athena, that he would take none of the spoils of war. It was an oath that he very quickly broke. The gods then cursed his son Epeius to be a weakling.

Epeius would be a named as an Achaean leader at Troy, and although sometimes referred to as a coward, Epeius would build the Wooden Horse, and was one of those who hid in its belly before the sack of Troy.

Some say Panopeus was also father to a daughter called Aegle, although this only appears in a single source; Aegle was a lover of Theseus. 

Panopeus the Hunter

​Later, Ovid tells of Panopeus being one of those who hunted the Calydonian Boar, the band of hunters, led by Meleager, who sought to rid Calydon of the monstrous boar. 

Panopeus was also regarded as a founding hero, for the son of Phocus was credited with building the town of Panopeus, a historic town of Phocis near the border with Boeotia. 

Contents

Colin Quartermain - Panopeus - 30th August 2021