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In Greek mythology, Eurotas (Ancient Greek: Εὐρώτας) is a River god and was a king of Laconia.

Mythology[]

Eurotas bequeathed the kingdom to Lacedaemon, the son of Zeus and Taygete, after whom Mount Taygetus was named, according to Pausanias. This Lacedaemon married his daughter Sparta and renamed the state after his wife.

Pausanias says: "It was Eurotas who channeled away the marsh-water from the plains by cutting through to the sea, and when the land was drained he called the river which was left running there the Eurotas." The "cutting through" is seen by Pausanias’ translator and commentator, Peter Levy, S.J., as an explanation of Eurotas (or Vrodamas) Canyon, a ravine north of Skala where the river has cut through the foothills of Taygetus after changing direction to the west of the valley.

Family[]

Eurotas was the son of King Myles of Laconia and grandson of Lelex, eponymous ancestor of the Leleges. Eurotas had no male heir but he did have two daughters Sparta and Tiasa by Clete.

Sparta 2

Eurotas (left) with her daughter Sparta (right)

Lelegid/Lacadaemonid Genealogy in Greek mythology
 
 
Poseidôn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lelex
 
Cleocharia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myles
 
Euhippe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clete
 
Eurotas
 
 
Zeús
 
 
 
Taygete
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lapithes of the Lapiths
 
Orsinome
 
 
 
 
 
Sparta
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lacedaemon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acrisius of Argos
 
Eurydice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amyclas
 
Diomede
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zeús
 
Danaë
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Philomela
 
Cynortas
 
 
 
Argalus
 
 
 
 
 
 
Perseus
 
Andromeda
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gorgophone
 
Oebalus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hippomenes
 
Tyndareus
 
 
 
Leda
 
 
 
Zeús
 
Polycaste
 
Icarius
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Castor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Polydeuces
 
 
Penelope
 
Odysseus of Ithaca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Agamemnon of Mycenae
 
Clytaemnestra
 
 
 
 
 
Helen
 
Menelaus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Telemachus
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Eurotas (view authors). As with Myth and Folklore Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported).
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