Phaethon

1. Phaethon

2. Phaethon is the son of Helios, the sun god and clymene. Phaethon was a mortal. Helios

3. Clymene told Phaethon who his father was. The other children didn’t believe him when he told them this so he doubted his mother. She told him to go ask his father himself.

4. When Phaethon asked Helios told him that he was his father. And to prove so he told Helios to ask for whatever he wanted and he swore by the Styx he would give it to him.

5. Phaethon had often dreamed of doing his fathers job of riding in the chariot and steering it around the earth, so he asked to take his place for aday

6. Helios realized what he had done and tried to convince his son otherwise. He told him that only he could steer the chariot, that not even Jove could handle it. He also told him of many dangers that may come upon him.

7. Phaethon didn’t care about any of the dangers and wasn’t scared a bit so with the fire horses yoked to the chariot he climbed in and drove off.

9. Not long after he left earth the fire horses became out of control going in whichever direction they pleased. Phaethon became horribly frightened and let go of the reins.

10. The fire horses dove down to earth and set the world on fire. Starting from the highest mountains where the muses lived and working its way down the fire raged on.

11. Mother Earth cried out to the Gods and they heard her and had to stop the fire at once.

12. Jove grabbed a lightening bolt and set the chariot and Phaethon on fire and sent the horses hurling down into the sea to put them out.

13. Phaethon fell burning from the chariot to earth. He landed in the Eridanus river, a river not seen by mortals, and died.

15. The naiads felt sorry for him dying so young and bravely and buried him in a carved box.

16. His sisters came and mourned over him and there they were turned into poplar trees on the banks of the Eridanus.