Icarius

In Greek mythology, there were two people named Icarius or Ikários (Ἰκάριος) (and another named Icarus).


 * 1) One Icarius was the son of Oebalus and Gorgophone and, through Periboea, father of Penelope, Perileos and Iphthime. According to other traditions, he was the father of Penelope, Alyzeus and Leucadius by Polycaste.  He was a Spartan king and a champion runner who would not allow anyone to marry his daughter unless he beat him in a race.  Odysseus succeeded.  He was the brother of Hippocoon and Tyndareus.  He was apparently still alive at the time of the events of the Odyssey.
 * 2) The other Icarius was from Athens. He was cordial towards Dionysus, who gave his shepherds wine. They became intoxicated and killed Icarius, thinking he had poisoned them. His daughter, Erigone, and her dog, Maera, found his body. Erigone hanged herself over her father's grave, thereby condemning other Athenian virgins to do the same Dionysus was angry and punished Athens with a plague, inflicting insanity on all the unmarried women, who all committed suicide. Icarius was placed in the stars as the constellation Boötes. There is a mosaic in Paphos, Cyprus, from a Roman villa from the mid 2nd century a.d. which is called "Dionysus House". The mosaic First wine drinkers describes Dionysus giving the gift of vine and wine to Icarius as a reward for Icarius' generous hospitality.