Ενδυμιων

The genealogy of Endymion varies with the authors. He is most frequently depicted as the son of Aethlius (the son of Zeus) and Calyce (Table 24), though sometimes his father is said to have been Zeus himself. He led the Aeolians from Thessaly to Elis, and ruled over them. Then he married (his wife's name also varies from one author to another) and had three sons - Paeon, Epeius, and Aetolus - and a daughter, Eurycyde. Some authors credit him with another daughter, Pisa, who gave her name to the city of Pisa in Elis.

The most famous legend about Endymion is that of his intrigue with Selene (the Moon). When Selene saw Endymion, depicted in the legend as a young shepherd of great beauty, she fell violently in love with him and seduced him. At Selene's request Zeus promised to grant Endymion one wish; he chose the gift of eternal sleep, and fell asleep, remaining young forever. Some versions claim that it was during this sleep that Selene saw him and fell in love with him. Sometimes the Peloponnese is the location of the legend, and sometimes Caria, not far from Miletus (see also HYPNUS). Endymion is said to have given his lover fifty daughters.

{E2 DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY}