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Iasion

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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 mortal in Greek myth who became Demeter’s lover and was killed by Zeus’s thunderbolt out of jealousy.

Detailed Definition
Iasion lay with Demeter in a thrice-plowed field, an act of fertility magic, but Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt for daring to couple with a goddess. His brief myth underscores the peril of divine-mortal unions. In poetry, he symbolizes transient earthly joy and the violent enforcement of cosmic boundaries.
Example
Example in poetry:
Iasion lies with Demeter in a thrice-plowed field and is struck by Zeus’s thunderbolt in Homer’s Odyssey; In Hesiod’s Theogony, he fathers Plutus, god of wealth; Ovid alludes to his brief union in Metamorphoses; Virgil references Iasion’s fate in Georgics as a cautionary tale; Later mythographers cite Iasion as a link between agriculture and divinity; Modern verse uses Iasion to explore mortal-divine intimacy.
Additional Notes
Iasion, a mortal lover of Demeter, was struck by Zeus’ thunderbolt for their union; his brief myth underscores divine jealousy and the peril of mortal-divine affairs—rarely featured but useful in poetry about forbidden love or agricultural fertility (Demeter’s domain).
Also Known As
Lover of Demeter Thunder-Struck Suitor Iasios
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