Dardanus

Dardanus left Samothrace after Iasion died and went towards the mainland opposite the island. Some Samothracian tellings called Iasion Eetion. Eetion was the son of Electra, daughter of Atlas, so he and Dardanus shared a mother. Electra bore Dardanus, Eetion, and Harmonia after she joined with Zeus. In another telling, Dardanus was the son of Zeus and Electra. Dardanus grieved for his brother and abandoned Samothrace.

In one telling, Zeus sent a great flood over Samothrace, and the waters drove Dardanus from the island. Some tellings identified this flood with the flood of Deucalion. Dardanus crossed the waters towards the mainland. One telling said that he kept himself afloat with inflated skins. Other tellings said only that he crossed the sea and reached the Troad.

Teucros ruled the land that Dardanus reached. Teucros was the son of the River Scamander and the nymph Idaia, and his people were called Teucrians after him. He welcomed Dardanus, gave him a share of the land, and gave him his daughter Bateia as a wife. Dardanus founded the city of Dardanos there. After Teucros died, Dardanus called the whole country Dardania.

Dardanus comes into possession of the sacred rites of Samothrace and prepares to carry them to the Troad. The account gives two possibilities for how this began. He either learned the rites or inherited them. It gives no further detail about the person who may have taught him, the manner of any inheritance, or the rites themselves. Their origin remains at Samothrace, where they were already established before Dardanus took them elsewhere.

Dardanus then transported the Samothracian rites towards Asia and brought them to the Troad. The passage does not name the place from which he departed. It does not describe his journey, state whether he travelled alone, or identify the objects connected with the observance. It also gives no account of its words, ceremonies, or powers. It records only that Dardanus carried this sacred observance from Samothrace to the Troad.

After reaching the Troad, Dardanus established the observance among his people. The rites therefore acquired a place beyond Samothrace through his action and authority. The passage does not identify these people by name. It does not describe how the ceremonies were instituted or say who performed them afterwards. It ends with the establishment of the Samothracian mysteries in the Troad, where Dardanus had brought them for observance among his people.

Stricken with grief after the death of his brother, Dardanos left Samothrace and crossed to the mainland opposite. His brother Iasion had conceived a passion for Demeter and was struck by a thunderbolt when he tried to violate the goddess. Dardanos and Iasion were the sons of Electra, daughter of Atlas, and Zeus.

The king of the mainland was Teucros, son of the River Scamander and the nymph Idaia. The people of the land were called Teucrians after him. Teucros received Dardanos as an immigrant and welcomed him into his kingdom. He gave Dardanos a share of the land and his daughter Bateia in marriage.

Dardanos then founded the city of Dardanos. Teucros allowed him to succeed to power. When Teucros died, Dardanos gave his name to the whole country, which became known as Dardania. The account does not describe the boundaries of the land or the arrangements by which Dardanos ruled it.

Dardanos had two sons, Ilos and Erichthonios. Ilos died without offspring, so Erichthonios inherited the kingdom. Erichthonios married Astyoche, daughter of Simoeis, and became the father of Tros. When Tros later succeeded to the throne, he named the country Troy after himself.