SOSIPOLIS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Sosipolis was a demi-god from tales of Greek mythology. Sosipolis revered as both the saviour and protector of Elis. 

​Sosipolis Son of Eileithyia

Pausanias would regard Sosipolis as a son of the goddess Eileithyia, the Greek goddess of childbirth; Pausanias doesn’t expand on who the father of Sosipolis is though. 

​Sosipolis Saviour of Elis

​Sosipolis was worshipped and venerated in Elis, the city of the western Peloponnese, for the name Sosipolis can be translated as “saviour of the city”, and tale is told of how Elis was saved by the son of Eileithyia.

Elis was at the time under attack by an Arcadian army, and battle-lines had been formed for one decisive battle. A woman, possibly Eileithyia, came forth with a boy held firmly against her. The woman told of how a vision had come to her which showed this boy as the champion of Elis and the Eleans. 

The military leaders believed the woman’s story, and placed the boy in front of their arranged ranks.  The Arcadians then advanced. As they did so, the boy was transformed into a serpent. In the face of such an act of the gods, the Arcadians fled, but much of the fleeing army was chased down by the Eleans, providing the people of Elis a famous victory. 

Thereafter, Sosipolis was depicted as a young boy adorned in a military cloak and holding a cornucopia. At Olympia, at the foot of the Cronos, was located a sanctuary to Eileithyia and Sosipolis, but whilst the part dedicated to Eileithyia was open to the public, the sanctuary of Sosipolis could only be visited by a dedicated priestess.

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Colin Quartermain - Sosipolis - 11th April 2026