Echephron

Echephron

Lesserwell-documentedAncient Greek mythHomeric epicGreek mythography (Pausanias, Apollodorus)Pylos (Messenia)Troy (Anatolia)Psophis / Arcadia (Greece)
Origin

The name Echephron appears across multiple genealogical traditions rather than a single biographical narrative. In Homeric epic he is listed as one of the sons of Nestor of Pylos, present in Nestor's household when Telemachus visits. Other mythographic registers list an Echephron among the many sons of Priam of Troy. A third tradition, preserved in regional mythographic material summarized from Pausanias, names an Echephron as a son of Heracles and Psophis who is credited with changing the name of the city Phegia to Psophis; this latter account ties the figure to local eponymy and civic identity rather than heroic exploits.

Appearance

No distinctive physical description is provided in the sources; each attested Echephron appears as an ordinary human member of heroic or royal households. For example, the Homeric passage lists him among Nestor's sons gathered in the palace, implying a standard human, princely appearance without supernatural markers.

Abilities

The provided materials do not attribute supernatural powers or special abilities to any bearer of the name. The attested actions are genealogical or civic: presence in a prince's household (son of Nestor), membership in Priam's numerous offspring (son of Priam), and a toponymic/civic act (son of Heracles credited with renaming a city). No feats of magic, prophecy, or otherworldly behavior are recorded in the cited sources.

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HHeraclesEEchephron
related
Related Entities
Heracles
Ancient

Heracles

Heracles is the greatest hero of Greek myth whose career bridges mortal hero-cult and full divinization. Celebrated for his Twelve Labours, martial prowess, and travels between the mortal world, the underworld, and Olympus, he functioned as a civic patron, ancestor of royal lines (the Heracleidae), and object of cult that treated him both as chthonic hero and as god.

Community Record

Sources
  1. [1]
    Echephron - Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 'Echephron' (entry provides summary that the name belongs to three characters and gives Greek spelling).wiki
  2. [2]
    The Odyssey, Book III (MIT Classics translation). Homer, Odyssey, Book 3 — lists Nestor's sons including 'Echephron' among those who gather round him when Telemachus visits.literary
  3. [3]
    Pausanias (summary in archive material) — material on Psophis and Erymanthus. Archive item summarizing Pausanias: accounts linking a son of Heracles named Echephron to the renaming of the city Phegia to Psophis.other
  4. [4]
    Wikidata entry for Echephron. Wikidata item noting Echephron as a mythical son of Nestor among other identifications.other
  5. [5]
    Person: Echephron (University of Victoria Myth Index). UVic myth catalog entries listing occurrences and genealogical attributions for bearers of the name Echephron.academic
well-documented