Ephialtes

Ephialtes is a name associated with several figures in ancient Greek history and mythology.

In mythology, Ephialtes is one of the Aloadae, a pair of giant brothers who, along with Otus, sought to storm Mount Olympus. He is typically described as a son of Poseidon (and sometimes of Iphimedeia) and, with Otus, attempted to overthrow the gods. In most traditions the brothers are slain by the gods—often said to have been killed by Artemis and Apollo when their hubris was finally punished.

In Athenian history, Ephialtes was a prominent political figure and democrat in the mid-5th century BCE. He and his allies pushed for reforms that reduced the power of the aristocratic Areopagus and expanded the authority of the popular institutions, including the Assembly and the courts. His reforms laid groundwork for Athenian democracy and were a prelude to the more extensive policies pursued by later leaders such as Pericles. He is generally considered to have been assassinated around 461–460 BCE, an event that interrupted the immediate momentum of his constitutional changes.

The name Ephialtes also appears in the context of the Persian Wars. Ephialtes of Trachis, a local resident of Thessaly, is remembered for revealing the path around Mount Athos? No, for guiding Xerxes I through the mountains at Thermopylae, allowing the Persian forces to outflank the Greek defenders. The episode gave rise to the modern use of the name Ephialtes as a term for a traitor in Greek culture.