Notes on Akrisios, the Mythical Founder of Larisa in Thessaly

The tradition attributing the foundation of the Thessalian city of Larissa to Akrisios is very modest and full of contradictions. It seems that in the 5th century BC a version of the myth appeared, according to which Akrisios, king of Argos and grandfather of Perseus, died and was buried in Larisa. This story was probably inspired by the fact that this Thessalian city and the Argive acropolis bore the same name. Knowing this, early mythographers such as Pheredykes and Hellanikos created alternative versions of myths that were originally associated with Argos. New myths enriched the picture of Larisa’s past and may thus have been attractive to its citizens. Although they probably established a hero-cult of Akrisios, it was not until the Roman period that he began to be seen as the founder of the city.