Oenopion

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In Greek mythology, Oenopion (Ancient Greek: Οἰνοπίων, English translation: "wine drinker", "wine-faced"), son of Dionysus and Ariadne, was a legendary king of Chios, said to have brought winemaking to the island. He had one daughter: Merope. The story of Oenopion differs somewhat in different ancient sources; what follows is Hesiod's version. For the details, see Orion. Orion walked to Chios over the Aegean, and Oenopion welcomed him with a banquet; Orion got drunk and assaulted Merope. In revenge, Oenopion stabbed out Orion's eyes, and then threw him off the island. Hephaestus took pity on the blind Orion and gave him his servant Cedalion as a guide. Cedalion guided him east, where the rising sun restored Orion's sight. Orion then decided to kill Oenopion, but the Chians had built the king an underground fortress, and Orion couldn't find him. (Other sources say it was an iron fortress, built by Hephaestus.) Orion then went to Crete.

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Last updated on Wednesday February 13, 2008 at 12:18:32 PST (GMT -0800)
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