Arcas
Family: Arcadians · Role: father of Pelasgus · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 14
After Nyctimus died, Arcas, son of Callisto, succeeded him as king of Arcadia. During his reign, the country was called Arcadia instead of Pelasgia, and its people Arcadians instead of Pelasgi. He learned sowing corn from Triptolemus and spinning from Adristas, and had the sons Azan, Aphidas, and Elatus; when they grew up, he divided the country among them. He was also the father of Pelasgus, Autolaus, Diomenea, and Erymanthus, and Hyperippe is named as his daughter.
In time, Arcas married the nymph Erato, interpreter of Pan. After his death, his remains were brought from Mænalus to Mantinea in accordance with an oracle at Delphi. Stymphelus, founder of a town, was his great-grandson.
Relationship record
Life events
- Nyctimus died, and Arcas succeeded him as king.(Book 8 · Chapter 4 · 📍 Arcadia)
- With: Nyctimus
- “And after the death of Nyctimus Arcas the son of Callisto succeeded him in the kingdom.”
- Arcas renamed the country Arcadia and its inhabitants Arcadians.(Book 8 · Chapter 4 · 📍 Arcadia)
- “And in his reign the country was called Arcadia instead of Pelasgia, and the inhabitants were called Arcadians instead of Pelasgi.”
- Arcas divided the country among his three legitimate sons.(Book 8 · Chapter 4 · 📍 Arcadia)
- Arcas’s remains were brought from Mænalus to Mantinea according to an oracle at Delphi.(Book 8 · Chapter 9 · 📍 Mænalus)
- “his remains were brought from Mænalus in accordance with the oracle at Delphi.”
- The Mantineans removed the remains of Arcas, son of Callisto, following Delphi’s oracle.(Book 8 · Chapter 36 · 📍 Three Roads)
- With: Callisto
- “whence the Mantineans, according to the bidding of the oracle at Delphi, removed the remains of Arcas the son of Callisto”
- Erato, Pan’s interpreter, married Arcas, the son of Callisto.(Book 8 · Chapter 37 · 📍 temple of Pan)
- With: Erato
- “and that his interpreter was the Nymph Erato, who married Arcas the son of Callisto.”
Book 2 · Chapter 14
- child: Pelasgus “and lived three generations earlier than Pelasgus the son of Arcas”
Book 5 · Chapter 1
- child: Hyperippe “But a more probable account is that Endymion married Asterodia, others say Chromia the daughter of Itonus the son of Amphictyon, others say Hyperippe the daughter of Arcas, and had three sons, Pæon and Epeus and Ætolus, and one daughter Eurycyde.”
Book 8 · Chapter 4
- with Nyctimus (Arcas succeeded Nyctimus as king.) “And after the death of Nyctimus Arcas the son of Callisto succeeded him in the kingdom.”
- parent: Callisto “Arcas the son of Callisto succeeded him in the kingdom.”
- mentor: Triptolemus “And he introduced sowing corn being taught by Triptolemus”
- mentor: Adristas “having learnt spinning from Adristas.”
- child: Azan “and they say Arcas had by her Azan and Aphidas and Elatus”
- child: Aphidas “and they say Arcas had by her Azan and Aphidas and Elatus”
- child: Elatus “and they say Arcas had by her Azan and Aphidas and Elatus”
- child: Autolaus “he had had a bastard son Autolaus still earlier.”
- with Nyctimus (Arcas succeeded Nyctimus as king.) “And after the death of Nyctimus Arcas the son of Callisto succeeded him in the kingdom.”
Book 8 · Chapter 9
- parent: Callisto (Callisto is Arcas's mother.) “near the altar of Hera is the tomb of Arcas, the son of Callisto”
- child: Diomenea (Arcas is Diomenea's father.) “the Mantineans have the brazen image of a woman, who they say is Diomenea the daughter of Arcas”
Book 8 · Chapter 22
- with Stymphelus (Stymphelus was the great-grandson of Arcas.) “Stymphelus, the founder of the town, was great grandson of Arcas, the son of Callisto.”
- parent: Callisto “Arcas, the son of Callisto”
- younger kin: Stymphelus (Arcas was Stymphelus's great-grandfather.) “Stymphelus, the founder of the town, was great grandson of Arcas, the son of Callisto.”
Book 8 · Chapter 24
- child: Erymanthus “Erymanthus, the son of Arcas”
Book 8 · Chapter 25
- child: Autolaus “found by Autolaus the bastard son of Arcas and brought up by him”
Book 8 · Chapter 36
- parent: Callisto “whence the Mantineans, according to the bidding of the oracle at Delphi, removed the remains of Arcas the son of Callisto.”
Book 8 · Chapter 37
- married with Erato “It is said that in ancient times Pan gave oracular responses, and that his interpreter was the Nymph Erato, who married Arcas the son of Callisto.”
- parent: Callisto “It is said that in ancient times Pan gave oracular responses, and that his interpreter was the Nymph Erato, who married Arcas the son of Callisto.”
Book 8 · Chapter 48
- child: Elatus “Elatus one of the sons of Arcas”
Book 10 · Chapter 9
- child: Elatus “the sons of Arcas, Elatus and Aphidas and Azan”
- child: Aphidas “the sons of Arcas, Elatus and Aphidas and Azan”
- child: Azan “the sons of Arcas, Elatus and Aphidas and Azan”
- with Dædalus of Sicyon (interaction) “the Victory and effigy of Arcas were by Dædalus of Sicyon”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.