Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Philomelus

In Greek mythology, Philomelus, Philomelos, Philomenus or Philomenos was a demigod and inventor of the wagon that became Ursa Major. His name means 'friend of ease' from philos and mêlos.

Last revised
Jun 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
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192 w
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Source
Philomelus
Inventor of the chariot
Other namesPhilomêlos, Philomenus, Philomenos
Genealogy
ParentsIasion and Demeter
SiblingsPlutus, Corybas, Despoina, Persephone, Iacchus, Arion
ChildrenParias

In Greek mythology, Philomelus, Philomelos, Philomenus or Philomenos (/ˌfɪləˈmləs/; Greek: Φιλόμηλος, romanizedPhilómêlos; /fɪˈlɒmɪnəs/; Greek: Φιλόμηλος, romanizedPhilómēnos) was a demigod and inventor of the wagon that became Ursa Major. His name means 'friend of ease' from philos and mêlos.

Family

Philomelus was the son of Demeter and Iasion, and the brother of Plutus. His son Parias gave his name to the Parians and the city of Parion (a town in Mysia on the Hellespont).

Mythology

Plutus was very wealthy, but would share none of his riches with his brother. Out of necessity, Philomelus bought two oxen, invented the wagona, and supported himself by ploughing his fields and cultivating crops. His mother, admiring him for this, put him in the heavens as the constellation Boötes.1

Notes

Notes

  1. sometimes plough
References

References

  1. Gaius Julius Hyginus. "Astronomica Bk 2". In Grant, Mary (ed.). The Myths of Hyginus. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies (No.34).
External links