Tithonus and Eos

Today's myth is about the Ancient Greek story of Tithonus and Eos. Eos was the daughter of Hyperion and Theia. Her brother was Helios and her sister was Selene. Eos herself was the Titan and Goddess of the dawn. It was said that she would rise each morning and with rosy fingers she would open the gates of heaven and allow the sun to rise.

Eos once had a very short lived tryst with the god of war Ares. The reason it was so short lived was because of Aphrodite's jealousy. She was so enraged by the affair that she cursed Eos with a voracious sexual appetite. She could not satisfy her desire no matter how hard she tried and this is why she was know to abduct young men to feed her desire. Tithonus was one of these men Eos abducted but there was something different about him.

Tithonus was a Trojan by birth and the son of King Laomedon of Troy by water nymph named Strymo. One day he was kidnapped from the royal house of Troy by Eos to be her lover. She was truly infatuated with Tithonus and wanted him to be hers, forever. 

Eos went to Zeus to plea to make her lover immortal for she wanted to be with Tithonus until the end of time. Aphrodite was having an audience with Zeus when Eos came arrived and stated her case. Aphrodite still bitter about Ares listened intently to the conversation between the titan and the god and smirked.

Aphrodite whispered into Zeus' ear after Eos was finished with her plea to which Zeus nodded. He told Eos that he would grant Tithonus immortality and her heart leaped at the idea of getting to live with her love for the rest of her life.

She returned to Tithonus and told him the good news about Zeus granting him immortality. They were happy for some time until Eos noticed Tithonus aging. His hair had began to thin and turn white and his once youthful physique fell into adulthood. In a panic she retreated to Olympus and sought another audience with Zeus.

She explained what was happening to Tithonus and asked for help but Zeus refused. He told her that Aphrodite pointed out during their original meeting that she had simply asked for immortality and not eternal youth so that is what Zeus granted her. Reeling from the betrayal Eos begged Zeus to reverse what he had done but he refused.

She returned home to Tithonus pained and heartbroken. Centuries passed and Tithonus was still living although he had wasted away to nothing. She could not take the pain of seeing her withered lover anymore so she lay him in a cave on a mountain where she blocked the door.

In some myths it is said that Tithonus could be heard talking from the cave until he finally got too weak to talk. Other myths state that Tithonus finally withered down to nothing more than a cicada forever making noise letting Eos know that he was still alive.