Ixion (English spelling)

A king of the Lapiths who appears in Greek mythology. When he proposed marriage to Dia, the daughter of King Dioneus, he was allowed to marry her on the condition that he would give her great gifts. However, he not only did not keep his promise, but he also lied and threw King Dioneus into a furnace and burned him to death. People avoided him for committing the grave crime of filicide, and no one tried to cleanse him of his sin. Seeing this, Zeus felt pity for him and cleansed him of his sin, invited him to a heavenly meal, where he tasted nectar (drink) and ambrosia (food), and made him immortal. However, Ixion forgot the kindness of Zeus and fell in love with Hera, his wife, and tried to seduce her. To punish him, Zeus made a cloud to resemble Hera, and Ixion copulated with her and boasted that he had "fulfilled his desire," so Zeus became angry and cast him into Tartarus in the underworld. Ixion was bound to a burning chariot of fire, and because he was immortal he had to endure eternal torture. It is said that when Ixion mated with a cloud, the half-man, half-horse Centaurs were born.

[Masahiro Ogawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ギリシア神話に登場するラピテス人の王。彼はディオネウス王の娘ディアに求婚したとき、王に多大な贈り物をするという約束をして結婚を許された。しかし、彼は約束を守らないばかりか、偽ってディオネウス王を竈(かまど)に突き落として焼き殺した。人々は親族殺しという重罪を犯した彼を避け、またその罪を清めてやろうという者も1人もいなかった。これをみて哀れに思ったゼウスは、その罪を清めてやったうえに、彼を天上の食事に招いてネクタル（飲物）とアンブロシア（食物）を味わわせ、不死とした。ところがイクシオンはゼウスの恩を忘れ、その妻であるヘラ女神に思いを寄せ、誘惑を試みた。彼を懲らしめるためにゼウスが雲でヘラ女神の似姿をつくると、イクシオンはこれと交わり、「思いを遂げた」と誇ったため、ついに怒ったゼウスにより冥界(めいかい)のタルタロスへ落とされた。燃える火の車に縛り付けられたイクシオンは、不死身のため、永劫(えいごう)の責め苦を受けなければならなかった。なお、イクシオンが雲と交わったために生まれたのが半人半馬族のケンタウロス（ケンタウロイ）だとされている。

［小川正広］

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