Oxylus (/ˈɒksɪləs/;Ancient Greek: ὌξυλοςOxulos), was a mythical king ofElis, who came fromAetolia and was son ofHaemon (himself son ofThoas) or ofAndraemon.
Oxylus was exiled from Aetolia on account of unintentional homicide; his victim was either his own brother Therimus or a certain Alcidocus, son of Scopius.[1] In his wanderings, he metTemenus, son ofAristomachus, on a road. Temenus had been told by anoracle to look out for a man with three eyes, and since Oxylus was riding a horse or mule with one eye, he matched that description.[2] Oxylus then, as theoracle had recommended, accompanied Temenus and his brother,Cresphontes, in their invasion of thePeloponnese. He advised them to invade the Peloponnese by ship, sailing fromNaupactus toMolycrium.[3] For his aid, Oxylus asked to be givenElis, a fertile land, as his own.
Since Oxylus suspected that the Dorians would not give Elis to him, when they saw how fertile it was, he led them throughArcadia and not Elis. Nevertheless,Pausanias says that he did have to fight over the land with the DorianDius.[4] The latter proposed that each side chose a single soldier to represent his army. Degmenus, an archer, fought for Dius and Pyraechmes, a slinger, for Oxylus; the latter won, and Oxylus received Elis as his domain.[5]Strabo tells the same story, but says that the opponent was the nativeEpeans.[6]Polyaenus calls the archer Aeschines rather than Degmenus.[7]
After gaining control of Elis, Oxylus settled Aetolians there and allowed Dius to settle with special rights. Pausanias says that Oxylus allowed the Epeans to stay too and maintained the existing cults; Strabo says that he drove the Epeans out.[8][6] He allowed Dius to settle there as well, and brought the people from the surrounding villages into the city, thus becoming the city's founder.[8] In accordance with a prophecy of the oracle, he brought in Agorius, great-grandson ofOrestes and thus a descendant ofPelops, as a co-founder. The land became prosperous under him.[9] The Dorians swore an oath never to invade Elis, which Strabo presents as a precursor of theOlympic truce and the reason why Elis had no city walls. This truce lasted until the time ofPheidon of Argos.[6]
By his wife Pieria, Oxylus had two sons:Aetolus, who died before his parents and was buried next to the gate leading to Olympia, andLaias, who inherited the kingdom after him.[10] A descendant,Iphitus, re-established theOlympic Games, an event connected by some authors with the firstOlympiad in 779 BC.[11][12] A family claiming descent from Oxylus is attested at Elis from the fourth century BC until AD 157.[13]