Αλωαδαι
The name given to the sons of Poseidon by Iphimedia the daughter of Triops. Iphimedia was in fact married to Aloeus, himself the son of Poseidon and of Canace of the house of Deucalion (Table 10 and Table 8). Iphimedia had fallen in love with Poseidon and it was her custom to walk along the seashore scooping up the waves in her hand and emptying the water into her bosom. Eventually Poseidon succumbed to her love and gave her two sons, Otus and Ephialtes, who were giants; indeed each year they grew a cubit in breadth and a fathom in height. When they were nine years old, nine cubits (about four meters) broad and nine fathoms (nearly seventeen meters) tall, they decided to make war on the gods. For this purpose they put Ossa on Mount Olympus and Pelion on top of both, threatening to climb up to the sky. Next they announced that they would fill the sky with the mountains and make it dry and put the sea on what had hitherto been dry land.
In addition they declared their love for the goddesses, Ephialtes being in love with Hera and Otus with Artemis. Finally, as they were angry with Ares, who had caused the death of Adonis while hunting, they shut him in a brazen cauldron, having first bound him with chains, and left him there for three months until Hermes eventually managed to rescue him. All these outrageous actions brought the wrath of the gods on the two brothers. Sometimes the story is that Zeus struck them with lightning; others have it that Artemis changed herself into a doe and rushed between them them when they were hunting one day in the island of Naxos and in their haste to hit her they killed each other. When they reached Hades their punishment continued. They were bound with snakes to a pillar where an owl, perpetually screeching, came to torment them.
Various towns are said to have been founded by the Aloadae: Aloion in Thrace and Ascia on Helicon, where they were supposed to have restored a cult to the Muses. Their presence on Naxos at the time of their death was explained by an errand for which their foster-father Aloeus had made them responsible. It consiste of searching for their mother and their sister Pancratis, who had been carried off by Scellis and Cassamenus (see Iphimedia).
{E2 DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY}
Table of Sources:
- Apollod. Bibl. 1, 7, 4
- Hyg. Fab. 28
- Serv. on Virgil, Aen. 6, 582
- Hom. Il. 5, 385ff. with schol.; Od. 11, 305ff.