Ion

Ion was the son of Creusa, the beautiful daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens, and the sun-god Phoebus Apollo, to whom she was united without her father's knowledge.

Fearing the anger of Erechtheus, Creusa placed her newborn baby in a little wicker basket and hung some golden charms around his neck. She prayed to the gods for his protection and hid him in a lonely cave. Apollo, pitying his deserted child, sent Hermes to carry him to Delphi, where he left the basket on the steps of the temple. The next morning, a Delphic priestess discovered the infant and was so charmed by his appearance that she adopted him as her own son. The child was carefully raised by his kind foster mother and grew up serving in the temple, entrusted with some of its minor duties.

Now let us return to Creusa. During a war with the Euboeans, in which they were decisively defeated, Xuthus, son of Aeolus, greatly distinguished himself on the side of the Athenians. As a reward for his valuable services, the hand of Creusa, the king's daughter, was given to him in marriage. Their union, however, was not blessed with children, which grieved them both deeply. So they traveled to Delphi to consult the oracle. The response was that Xuthus should regard the first person he met upon leaving the sanctuary as his son.

It happened that Ion, the young guardian of the temple, was the first to catch his eye. When Xuthus saw the beautiful youth, he gladly welcomed him as his son, declaring that the gods had sent him to be a blessing and comfort in his old age. But Creusa concluded that the youth was the offspring of a secret marriage by her husband, and she was filled with suspicion and jealousy. An old servant, observing her grief, begged her to take comfort, assuring her that the cause of her distress would soon be removed.

When Xuthus gave a grand banquet to celebrate the public adoption of his son, the old servant of Creusa contrived to mix a strong poison into the wine of the unsuspecting Ion. But Ion, following the pious custom of the ancients of offering a libation to the gods before drinking, poured a portion of the wine on the ground before bringing it to his lips. Suddenly, as if by a miracle, a dove flew into the banquet hall and sipped the wine of the libation. The poor little creature began to tremble and in a few moments died.

Ion suspected the fawning servant of Creusa, who had so eagerly filled his cup. He seized the old man violently and accused him of murderous intent. Unprepared for the sudden attack, the servant admitted his guilt but pointed to Xuthus's wife as the one who had urged him to do it. Ion was about to take revenge on Creusa when Apollo intervened. His foster mother, the Delphic priestess, appeared and explained the true relationship between Creusa and Ion. To set all doubts to rest, she brought out the charms she had found around the infant's neck and the wicker basket in which he had been carried to Delphi.

Mother and son were reconciled, and Creusa revealed to Ion the secret of his divine origin. The priestess of Delphi foretold that he would become the father of a great nation called the Ionians after him, and that Xuthus and Creusa would have a son named Dorus, who would be the ancestor of the Dorian people. Both prophecies came true in due time.