1. Family
Acacallis's lineage firmly places her within the royal house of Crete, connecting her to both powerful human and divine figures. Her relationships with gods, particularly Hermes and Apollo, led to the birth of several notable mythological children, whose stories often involve the founding of significant geographical locations.
1.1. Parentage and Siblings
Acacallis was the daughter of Minos, the renowned king of Crete. Her mother is identified as either Pasiphae, who was the daughter of the sun god Helios, or Crete, the daughter of Asterion. This dual parentage highlights the variations in ancient mythological traditions. Acacallis had several prominent siblings, including Ariadne, Androgeus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Glaucus, Catreus, and Xenodice.
1.2. Consorts and Children
Acacallis is primarily associated with two divine consorts: Hermes and Apollo. The children born from these unions are central to various myths and are often linked to the origins of cities and islands.
According to a Cretan mythological tradition, Acacallis had a son with Hermes named Cydon, who is credited as the founder of the city of Cydonia on the northwestern coast of Crete. However, other traditions attribute Cydon's parentage to Acacallis and Apollo, making him a brother to Oaxes. Yet another account states that Acacallis mothered Cydon with Hermes, and Naxos, the eponym of the island of Naxos, with Apollo.
Another significant tradition recounts that Acacallis and Apollo had a son named Miletus. Furthermore, other narratives suggest that Apollo was also the father of Amphithemis or Garamas, who is sometimes referred to as the first mortal born. Lastly, Apollo is also said to be the father of Phylacides and Phylander through Acacallis.
1.3. Comparative Family Sources
The various ancient sources present a complex and sometimes conflicting view of Acacallis's family tree, particularly regarding the parentage of her children. The table below illustrates these differences across key mythological texts.
| Relation | Names | Sources | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollonius | Apollodorus | Pausanias | Antoninus | Servius | Stephanus | |||||
| Arg. | Sch. | Eclog. | ||||||||
| Parents | Minos and Pasiphae | ✓ | ||||||||
| Minos and Crete | ✓ | |||||||||
| Minos | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Consort | Hermes | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Apollo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Children | Amphithemis | ✓ | ||||||||
| Cydon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Naxos | ✓ | |||||||||
| Phylacides | ✓ | |||||||||
| Phylander | ✓ | |||||||||
| Miletus | ✓ | |||||||||
| Oaxes | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
2. Mythology
The myths surrounding Acacallis predominantly focus on her divine unions and the subsequent fates of her children, often involving themes of abandonment, miraculous survival, and the founding of new settlements.
2.1. Mythological Role and Context
Acacallis's general significance within Cretan mythology lies in her role as a figure who bridges the gap between royal lineage and divinity. Her unions with gods like Hermes and Apollo are central to her narrative, leading to the birth of children who would become important figures in the mythological landscape. The circumstances surrounding these divine encounters are varied, often highlighting the power and influence of the gods. For instance, one account places Apollo's union with Acacallis in the context of his purification.
2.2. The Myth of Miletus
One significant myth involves Acacallis's son, Miletus, fathered by Apollo. Fearing the wrath of her father, Minos, Acacallis exposed the infant Miletus. However, Apollo intervened and commanded she-wolves to nurse the abandoned child until he was discovered and raised by shepherds. Miletus grew into a strong and handsome youth. When Minos developed an inappropriate desire for the boy, Miletus fled Crete to avoid becoming the king's eromenos. He eventually journeyed to Anatolia, where he founded the eponymous city of Miletus, located in Ionia.
2.3. The Myth of Phylacides and Phylander
Another mythological narrative concerns Acacallis's sons, Phylacides and Phylander, both born from her union with Apollo. According to Pausanias, this union occurred when Apollo came to Carmanor on Crete to be cleansed after slaying the monstrous serpent Python. In this specific version of the myth, Acacallis is described as a nymph. Like Miletus, Phylacides and Phylander were seemingly abandoned by their mother. Evidence of their veneration exists in the form of a bronze statue at Delphi, sent by the people of the Cretan city of Elyrus. This statue depicted a goat suckling the two children, strongly suggesting their abandonment and miraculous survival.
3. Name and Symbolism
The name Acacallis carries specific linguistic origins and symbolic associations within ancient Cretan culture, offering insights into its potential meanings.
3.1. Etymology and Meaning
The name Acacallis (ἈκακαλλίςAkakallisGreek, Ancient) is of Ancient Greek origin and is commonly interpreted to mean 'unwalled'. This meaning may allude to various symbolic interpretations, though direct mythological explanations are not always explicit. The Bibliotheca notably uses the variant spelling Acalle (ἈκάλληAkallēGreek, Ancient), indicating a slight variation in the transliteration or pronunciation of the name in different ancient texts.
3.2. Cretan Associations
In ancient Crete, the name Acacallis held a particular association with the narcissus flower. This connection is noted by ancient authors such as Athenaeus and Hesychius of Alexandria. While the precise symbolic interpretation of this association is not fully detailed in surviving texts, the narcissus flower itself often symbolizes renewal, spring, and sometimes self-love or death in Greek mythology. Its connection to Acacallis may suggest a link to nature, fertility, or perhaps the transient nature of life and abandonment, given the narratives of her exposed children.