Demophon

Demophon, or Demophōn in Greek, is the name attributed to more than one figure in Greek mythology. The two best-attested are a child raised by the goddess Demeter in Eleusis and a prince of Athens said to be a son of Theseus. In later sources the name sometimes becomes conflated with other legendary figures, so details vary by tradition.

Demophon of Eleusis refers to the infant of Celeus and Metaneira, the royal household of Eleusis. According to the myth, Demeter cared for him in her disguise as a mortal and attempted to confer immortality on the boy by placing him in the sacred fire each night. His mother, unaware of the goddess’s true nature, woke and drew him from the flames, interrupting the rite. The episode is linked to the Eleusinian Mysteries and the cycle of Demeter’s grief and restoration, though Demophon himself remains mortal in the end.

Demophon of Athens is described in some traditions as a prince or king, the son of Theseus. Across various accounts his place in the royal lineage is uncertain, and some versions present him as a co-ruler or as a figure whose rule follows Theseus’s death. The stories differ widely, and Demophon’s deeds are not as clearly defined as those of other legendary figures.

In summary, Demophon most often denotes either the Eleusinian child of Demeter or a mythic son of Theseus, with the surrounding narratives reflecting the fluid and varied nature of Greek myth. The two figures are generally treated as distinct within the surviving traditions, though later authors sometimes blur their identities.