Home › Glossary › Letter D

Demophon

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A son of Theseus whom Demeter attempted to make immortal by burning away his mortality; his story symbolizes interrupted divine favor.

Detailed Definition
While Demeter, grieving Persephone, stayed in Eleusis, she attempted to make the infant Demophon immortal by burning away his mortality. His mother interrupted the ritual, causing his mortality to remain. Poets use this myth to reflect on the limits of divine grace and the human condition’s inescapability.
Example
Example in poetry:
Demophon, son of Theseus, is raised by Celeus in Eleusis during the Homeric Hymn to Demeter; In fragmentary plays, Demophon is nearly immortalized by Demeter’s fire ritual; Later mythographers cite Demophon as a link between Athens and Eleusinian rites; Roman poets reference Demophon in genealogical epics; His story appears in hymnic poetry as a failed apotheosis; Modern verse uses Demophon to explore interrupted divinity.
Additional Notes
Demophon, son of Theseus, was nearly sacrificed by the Athenians but saved by his mother’s intervention; less prominent in myth, he appears in Euripides’ Suppliants—his story touches on civic duty, maternal protection, and the ethics of sacrifice; occasionally referenced in Athenian patriotic poetry.
Also Known As
Son of Theseus King of Athens Demophoon
Skip to main content