Anius (grievous, troublesome) In Greek mythology, son of Apollo by Rhoeo (or Creusa). Rhoeo’s father, Staphylus of Naxos, a son of Dionysus and Ariadne, put Rhoeo to sea in a box. Rhoeo was carried to Delos and there gave birth to her son Anius. Apollo taught Anius divination and made him priest-king over Delos. Because they were descendants of Dionysus, the daughters of Anius by the nymph Dorippe— called Oeno, Spermo, and Elais—had the gift of turning anything they pleased into wine, corn, or oil. When Agamemnon set sail for the Trojan War, he wished to take the three women to help supply his troops with food. They complained to Dionysus, who transformed them into doves. Vergil’s Aeneid (book 3) and Ovid’s Metamorphoses (book 13) tell the story.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
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