Aeacus

/iːˈeɪkəs/ noun

Definition

In Greek mythology, a son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, known as a just ruler and wise king who became one of the judges of the dead in the underworld.

Etymology

From Greek Aiacos (Αἴακος), possibly from the root for 'grief' or 'woe' (aiai), though the etymology is debated. The figure appears consistently in Greek literature from Homer onward, suggesting he was an important regional deity adopted into the broader mythological tradition.

Kelly Says

Aeacus became so famous for his fairness that Greeks believed he was literally made a judge of souls in the afterlife—he sits alongside Minos and Rhadamanthus deciding where dead people go—which shows how much ancient cultures valued the idea of a 'just king.'

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