Codrus, in Athenian legend, son of Melanthus, descendant of Neleus, and a member of the Messenian royal family. When the Dorians captured Messenia, Codrus came to Athens; there he became king at the time when the Dorians conquered the Peloponnese. When they invaded Attica (roughly in the eleventh century BC; see DORIAN INVASION) they were told by an oracle that they would be victorious if they spared the king. Codrus, hearing this, entered the Dorian camp in disguise, provoked a quarrel, and was killed; the Dorians then withdrew. One tradition said that because no one was thought worthy to succeed such a king, the kingly office was thereafter abolished, and archons appointed instead. The first archonship was held by Codrus' son Medon, from whom Solon and Peisistratus claimed descent. Another tradition made a later descendant the first archon.
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Codrus (Greek Κοδρος), King of Athens (r. ca 1089-1068 BC) was, according to Greek legend, the last of the legendary Kings of Athens.
During the time of the Dorian Invasion of Peloponnesus (c. 1068 BC), the Dorians had consulted the Delphic Oracle, who prophesied that their invasion would succeed as long as the king was not harmed. The news of this prophecy, that only the death of an Athenian king would ensure the safety of Athens, quickly found its way to the ears of Codrus. In devotion to his people, Codrus disguised himself as a peasant and made it to the vicinity of the Dorian encampment across the river, where he provoked a group of Dorian soldiers. He was put to death in the quarrel, and the Dorians, realizing Codrus had been slain, decided to retreat in fear of their prophesied defeat.
In the aftermath of these events, no one thought himself worthy to succeed Codrus, the title of king was abolished, and that of archon substituted for it. The first such archon was Codrus' son, Medon.
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 | Classical Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Codrus". Read more |
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