Lycaon

Lycaon was a king of Arcadia, possibly reigning in the time before the great Deluge. Lycaon was said to have founded the city of Arcadia, and named the city after himself, Lycaeum.

Lycaon was a son of Pelasgus, who was either the son of Zeus and Niobe (daughter of Phoroneus), according to Apollodorus (from his source, Acousilaus), or that Pelasgus was earth-born, according to Hesiod. Lycaon's mother was Meliboia, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, or another nymph named Cyllene. Lycaon had as many as 50 sons by different women (Apollodorus listed the sons' names), and one daughter named Callisto.

In the Catalogues of Women, one of his sons was named Pallas, who constructed a city and named it Pallantium.

Lycaon and his sons were infamous for their arrogance and their impiety. According to Apollodorus, Zeus wanted to investigate the tyranny of Lycaon, so he went to the king disguised as a labourer. Lycaon offered hospitality to the labourer (Zeus), sitting the disguised god in the seat of honour at the banquet table. The eldest son, Mainalos, led his brothers to slaughter a baby, then cut open the baby and served the flesh and entrails to the guest.

Zeus immediately recognised the human flesh, turned over the table, and hurled thunderbolts that killed Lycaon and all except his youngest son, Nyctimus, because the goddess Gaea had intervened. Nyctimus became king of Arcadia, ruling in Lycaeum. Zeus was said to have brought the flood that wiped out mankind, because of the crimes of Lycaon and his sons.

There are several different variations to the myth of Lycaon.

According to poem The Astronomy, attributed to Hesiod, the baby was Arcas, the son of his daughter Callisto. After Zeus seduced and impregnated Callisto, and after she gave birth to a son named Arcas, Lycaon decided to avenge his disgrace upon the god by entertaining Zeus at his hall, killing his grandson and serving the baby's flesh to the god. The poem doesn't mention what punishment the god inflicted upon wicked king, nor does it mention any involvement of Lycaon's sons.

Other myths have a different fate for Arcas. See the article on Callisto.