Gods,Heroes,Myths Greek Mythology Homer's epics,Expeditions

The mythical king Endymion has starred in two stories. In the first, he is credited with introducing the foot races to the Olympic Games. In the second, more famous mythological story, the goddess Selene falls in love with Endymion while he is asleep.

According to myth, Endymion was the son of Aethlius and Calyce. However, some sources mention that his father was the god Zeus. Aethlius was one of Zeus's children, while Calyce was the daughter of Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolians who lived in Thessaly. According to an ancient myth from the Peloponnese, Endymion led the Aeolians from Thessaly to the Peloponnese, where he became the king of Elis.

According to myth, King Endymion had three sons: Paeon, Epeius, and Aetolus, as well as a daughter named Eurycyda. When his sons reached a young age, Endymion held a footrace to determine who would succeed him on the throne after his death. This footrace is considered the first race organized in Olympia, the site where the Olympic Games were later held.

Epeius managed to win the race and was declared the heir to the throne. Paeon, frustrated by his defeat, left the Peloponnese and traveled to mainland Greece, where he founded a region named Paeonia in his honor. Aetolus remained in Elis and took the throne after Epeius later died. However, Aetolus's reign was short-lived, as he was exiled for killing another king. Aetolus wandered until he established a new kingdom near the Achelous River, called Aetolia.

Hippasus, son of Eurycyda, took over the rule of Elis after succeeding Aetolus. The inhabitants of the region were called Eleans in honor of him and his family. According to the ancient writer Pausanias, the Eleans cared for Endymion's tomb in Olympia, at the starting point of the footrace. Other inhabitants, such as those of Heraclea, believed that Endymion left Elis and traveled to Mount Latmus, where he was buried and considered a local hero.

Regarding the mythical fate of King Endymion, one version of the story states that he was summoned by Zeus to Olympus. There, he fell in love with Hera/Juno, which enraged Zeus and led to Endymion's exile to the Underworld. However, these stories and myths can vary, with different versions presenting various details and differences depending on the source.

According to another tradition, Endymion is described as the most handsome man among all mortals in Greek mythology. One night, while he was sleeping under the stars, the goddess Selene fell in love with his beauty and descended to meet him. The next morning, Endymion awoke with vivid, pleasant dreams and decided to ask Zeus to grant him eternal sleep and immortality so that he could relive his moments of love with Selene. Zeus granted Endymion's wish, though some versions of the myth suggest that it was Selene herself who asked Zeus to let him sleep forever. Thus, Endymion sleeps in a cave on Mount Latmus, where these two stories converge.

In this version of the story recounted by Pausanias, it is said that Selene visited Endymion so often during the night that she bore him 50 daughters. This tradition highlights the close relationship between Endymion and the goddess Selene, and the goddess's longing to have him by her side forever.