InGreek mythology,Arcas (/ˈɑːrkəs/;Ancient Greek:Ἀρκάς) was a hunter who became king ofArcadia. He was remembered for having taught people the arts of weaving and baking bread and for spreading agriculture to Arcadia.
Arcas was the son ofZeus andCallisto.[1] In other accounts, his birth mother was calledMegisto, daughter ofCeteus, son ofLycaon,[2] or elseThemisto, daughter ofInachus.[3]
Arcas was married to eitherLaodamia (Leaneira), daughter ofAmyclas of Sparta;Meganeira, daughter ofCrocon;[4] thenymphChrysopeleia; or theDryadErato. He also left a number of children, including the sonsAzan,Apheidas,Elatus, andTriphylus,[5] an illegitimate sonAutolaus[6] and at least two daughters,Hyperippe[7] andDiomeneia.[8] Arcas's other sons wereErymanthus[9] andPelasgus.[10]
| Relation | Names | Sources | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollodorus'sBibliotheca | Pausanias'sDescription of Greece | ||||
| Parents | Callisto and Zeus | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Wife | Leanira | ✓ | |||
| Meganira | ✓ | ||||
| Chrysopelia | ✓ | ||||
| Erato | ✓ | ||||
| Laodameia | ✓ | ||||
| Unknown | ✓ | ||||
| Children | Elatus | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Apheidas | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Azan | ✓ | ||||
| Triphylus | ✓ | ||||
| Pelasgus | ✓ | ||||
| Hyperippe | ✓ | ||||
| Diomeneia | ✓ | ||||
| Erymanthus | ✓ | ||||
| Autolaus | ✓ | ||||
Callisto was a nymph in theretinue of the goddessArtemis, or in some sources the daughter of KingLycaon. As she would not be with anyone but Artemis, Zeus cunningly disguised himself as Artemis and raped Callisto. The child resulting from their union was called Arcas.[11][12][13]
Hera became jealous, and in anger, she transformed Callisto into abear. She would have done the same or worse to her son, but Zeus hid Arcas in an area ofGreece, which would come to be calledArcadia, in his honor. Arcas was given into a care of one of thePleiades, Maia. There, Arcas safely lived until one day, during one of the court feasts held by kingLycaon (Arcas's maternal grandfather), Arcas was placed upon the burning altar as a sacrifice to the gods. He then said to Zeus, "If you think that you are so clever, make your son whole and un-harmed". Zeus became enraged and made Arcas whole and directed his anger toward Lycaon, turning him into the firstwerewolf.[14][15]
Then, Arcas became the new king of Arcadia and the country's greatesthunter. One day, when Arcas went hunting in the woods, he came across his mother. Seeing her son after so long, she went forth to embrace him. Not knowing that the bear was his mother, he went to kill her with anarrow. In one version of the story, Arcas hunted Callisto because she had entered the forbidden sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion.[16] Zeus however, watching over them, stopped Arcas from shooting Callisto and raised them into the heavens as constellations (Boötes[17] andUrsa Major). When Hera heard of that, she became so angry that she askedTethys to keep them in a certain place so that the constellations would never sink below the horizon and receive water.[18] Arcas's bones were brought from Mount Maenalos to an altar of Hera inMantinea according to the instructions of the Delphic Oracle.[19]
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