Ixion was a mortal in Greek Mythology who had the misfortune of making Zeus his enemy. As punishment for this, Zeus condemned Ixion to an eternity in hell on a spinning wheel of fire. This article will outline the story behind Ixion, how he offended his powerful god, and what kind of immortality he’s faced with now.
Who Was Ixion?
A brief description of Ixion in Greek mythology was that he was a son of the god Ares and a Thracian princess named Pirene. He was one of the most well-known kings of Thessaly, and he was known to be a great horseman and charioteer. Unfortunately, he ended up offending the god Zeus by making advances on his wife Hera.
Ixion was the king of Thessaly, a region of Greece. Ixion was well-known for being a great charioteer and a fair leader. Like many kings across the world, he had many wives as well. In this case, Ixion did have one queen that he married: his sister-in-law, Hera.
The War
Zeus saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him and make him his slave forever. Still a baby, Ixion was taken by Zeus and Hera to Mount Olympus to be raised as the son of the king of gods and goddesses. As with all babies in Greek mythology, Ixion had two nurses to help him with his needs and another watch over him. Zeus took one of these women for himself, but Hera took the other.
Zeus’ plan worked out pretty well. Ixion grew up to be an exceptional king, and he was known all over Greece for his great leadership and skill as a charioteer. Eventually, he became the king of Thessaly.
The Erotic Jealousy
Once Ixion became the most powerful king in Greece, Zeus was unhappy with him. He worked hard to make Ixion feel the same way. Zeus told Ixion that he needed to find the most beautiful woman in Greece and make her his wife.
A Dress? For Gods?
Ixion wanted to make sure that he didn’t make a mistake by picking the wrong woman. He asked his son Zetes to ask all the girls he knew if they were beautiful enough. Zetes came back with the answer that they weren’t.
That’s when Ixion realized that his son had been lying to him, and he was telling him what Zeus had told them. He told Achaeus that he would never, ever get married.
A Very Quick Marriage
Zeus’ plan worked, and soon Ixion married a beautiful woman named Merope. Zeus wanted to make sure that the marriage was perfect on his own, so he made Ixion forget about his wife. He then made Merope forget about him too.
For seven days, the two only saw each other for just one minute. When it was over, both Ixion and Merope forgot about what had happened for seven years.
A Marriage Without a Wedding
Zeus punished Ixion for the breach of his trust by putting him on a fiery wheel. Ixion was then thrown into Tartarus to be in torture forever. Zeus then took Merope as his prisoner and made her immortal to never age or die, just like her husband. They are together forever; they’re both immortal, but they are also together in their eternal punishment in Tartarus.
The Wheel of Fire
The wheel that Ixion is on is a lot like the one on which Prometheus was in chain. Prometheus was chained to a rock for eternity to steal fire from Zeus and give it to man. Ixion is on a verticle wheel that has spokes made of knives. The wheel is in place in Tartarus, the worst place to be in Greek mythology. It’s right above the deepest, darkest pit in the underworld.
The Future
Zetes and Calais, sons of the god Boreas, forever chase Ixion on their winged horses. There is sending to protect the boundaries of our world and Tartarus so that no one can escape. Ixion and his son-in-law Pelops would both be out of Tartarus if it were not for these two gods. If you’d like to learn more about them, check out some mythology books or websites.
The Past
Ixion is a pretty tragic figure in Greek mythology. He was a famous king, but he had very little luck. He was in love with the woman who would become Hera, so Zeus stole his wife right under his nose and then made him forget about it. When he got married to the next perfect woman, Zeus made him forget about her too! Zeus then punished Ixion by chaining him to a wheel with knives for spokes. He was the ultimate victim!
The Myth
Zeus punished Ixion by tricking him into marrying his daughter. Zeus also made sure that he and Hera would be together forever after they were in the chain to fiery wheels in Tartarus.
So, in conclusion, Ixion was a great king sentenced to an eternity of torment for making a terrible mistake that caused him to be in throw into Tartarus.
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