Greek Heroes » Inachos
Inachos, the king and presumable founder of Argos
Inachos, the King of Argos
Inachos was the king and, according to some beliefs, also the founder of Ancient Argos. Some people considered him also as a river god.
Family of Inachos
Inachos was a son of the Titans Tethys and Oceanus. Inachos mated with his sister, Melia and two sons were born, Phoroneus and Aigialeus.Phoroneus became the king who would give fire to his people and gather them in communities.
The founding of Argos and the Anger of Poseidon
According to the legend, Inachos settled in the kingdom of Argos many generations before the flood of Deucalion.During the flood of Deucalion, Inachos saved the surviving people by leading them from the mountains to the fields. Then he collected the water inside a riverbed and created the river Inachos, which was named after him. When the area was fertile and habitable, he brought the people back to the plain.
Soon, Inachos built the city of Argos (around 1986 B.C) and declared goddess Hera as the city's patron goddess.
This caused the anger of Poseidon, the god of the Seas. To take revenge, he flooded the region with water and ran the springs dry. Soon, there was no water in the land of Argos.