Tithonus

Tithonus
The Myth of Tithonus
The mythical story of Tithonus
by Lilian Stoughton Hyde

The Myth of Tithonus
Every day, when Helios drove his wonderful horses and his fiery chariot across the sky, it was Aurora who opened the gates of pearl and drew back the dark curtains of the night; for Aurora, goddess of the dawn. She was so beautiful that the whole sky flushed pink with pleasure when she appeared in the east.

On the earth lived a mortal called Tithonus, who loved Aurora so well that he never failed to leave his bed while it was still dark, to watch for her coming. Aurora loved Tithonus in return, and one day she flew to the king of the gods, and begged of him that Tithonus might be given a draught of nectar, and so become immortal.

Jupiter granted this request, and Aurora took Tithonus up to Mount Olympus to live in her golden house.

Picture of Tithonus and Aurora

The goddess had forgotten to ask that Tithonus might never grow old. Therefore, the time came when gray hairs could be seen among his golden curls. Aurora was kind to him in spite of this, and continued to give him beautiful garments, and to feed him on ambrosia. Still, Tithonus grew older and older, and in time, after several hundred years, he was so very old that he could not move at all. Little was left of him but his voice, and even that had grown high and thin. Then he withered away so much that he had to be shut up in a room, for safe-keeping. Aurora felt so sorry to see him withering away in this manner that she changed him into a little insect, and sent him down to the earth again, where men called him the grasshopper.

Very glad to be free and active once more, Tithonus hopped about in the fields all day, chirping cheerfully to Aurora.

The Legend and Myth of Tithonus

The Myth of Tithonus
The story of Tithonus is featured in the book entitled Favorite Greek Myths by Lilian Stoughton Hyde, published in 1904 by D. C. Heath and Company.

Tithonus - A Myth with a Moral
Many of the ancient Myth Stories, like the legend of Tithonus, incorporate tales with morals that provided the old story-tellers with short examples of exciting tales for kids and children of how to act and behave and reflected important life lessons. The characters of the heroes in this type of fable demonstrated the virtues of courage, love, loyalty, strength, perseverance, leadership and self reliance. Whereas the villains demonstrated all of the vices and were killed or punished by the gods. The old, famous myth story and fable, like Tithonus, were designed to entertain, thrill and inspire their young listeners...

The Myth of Tithonus - the Magical World of Myth & Legend
The story of Tithonus is one of the fantastic stories featured in ancient mythology and legends. Such stories serve as a doorway to enter the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The names of so many of the heroes and characters are known today through movies and games but the actual story about such characters are unknown. Reading a myth story such as Tithonus is the easy way to learn about the stories of the classics.

The Magical World of Myth and Legend

The Short Story and Myth of Tithonus
The myth about Tithonus is featured in the book entitled The story of Tithonus is featured in the book entitled Favorite Greek Myths by Lilian Stoughton Hyde, published in 1904 by D. C. Heath and Company. Learn about the exciting adventures and dangerous quests undertaken by the mythical characters that feature in the hero myths, fables and stories about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome that are available on this website.

Myths and Stories about gods and goddesses

Tithonus

• Short story of Tithonus
• A Myth Story of the Ancient World
• The gods, goddesses of the ancient Myth Stories & Legends
• The monsters and beasts of classical Mythology
• The story of Tithonus by Caroline H. Harding and Samuel B. Harding
• A famous Myth Story and fable of the Ancient World for schools and kids