Saon of
Samothrace, also called Samon, son of either
Zeus and an unnamed
nymph (
Nymphe) or of
Hermes and
Rhene. He was believed to have unified all the inhabitants of the island, who had previously lived in scattered settlements, into one people, which he further subdivided into five tribes named after his sons. He was also said to have established laws for the newly formed people.[1]
Saon of
Acraephnium, of whom the following story is related by
Pausanias. When
Boeotia was struck by a lasting
drought, each of its cities sent delegates to
Delphi to inquire of a possible remedy; the
Pythia in her turn directed them to the oracle of
Trophonius in
Lebadea. The delegates could not find the oracle until Saon, the oldest of the Acraephnian envoys, noticed a swarm of bees and understood that he should follow it. At once he saw the bees flying into the ground, right where the oracle was.[2]
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.
Saon of
Samothrace, also called Samon, son of either
Zeus and an unnamed
nymph (
Nymphe) or of
Hermes and
Rhene. He was believed to have unified all the inhabitants of the island, who had previously lived in scattered settlements, into one people, which he further subdivided into five tribes named after his sons. He was also said to have established laws for the newly formed people.[1]
Saon of
Acraephnium, of whom the following story is related by
Pausanias. When
Boeotia was struck by a lasting
drought, each of its cities sent delegates to
Delphi to inquire of a possible remedy; the
Pythia in her turn directed them to the oracle of
Trophonius in
Lebadea. The delegates could not find the oracle until Saon, the oldest of the Acraephnian envoys, noticed a swarm of bees and understood that he should follow it. At once he saw the bees flying into the ground, right where the oracle was.[2]
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.