Phaethon

= //**Phaethon**// =

The son of Klymene and Apollo, the sun god. (Helios is another name for Apollo)

There is a story, which even you have preserved, that once upon a time Paethon, the son of Helios, having yoked the steeds in his father's chariot, because he was not able to drive them in the path of his father, burnt up all that was upon the earth, and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt. Now this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals." In Aristotle's Meteorology, Aristotle says, "...the stars...fell from heaven at the time of Phaethon's downfall."Aristotle is saying Phaethon caused a meteor shower. This has led many scientists including Immanuel Velikovsky to speculate that Phaethon was a comet. The chariot of the sun had 7 horses, named Bronte, Eos, Ethiops, Ethon, Erythreios, Philogea, and Pyrois. Their names translate to Thunder, Dawn, Flashing, Fiery, Red-Producer, and Earth-Loving.

=__//**~Questions~**//__ = =//**1. Who was Phaethon's father?**// = =//**2. How many horses are on the sun chariot?**// = =//**3. Would you have done the same thing that Phaethon did?**// = =//**4. Predict what would have happened if Phaethon had been able to circle 's house without catching the village on fire?**// = =//**5. What was Phaethon doing at the beginning of the passage?**// = =//**6.**// Explain why someone like Phaethon would lie to someone else like Epaphus. = =//**7. If you could drive the sun chariot what would you do?**// = =//**8. Predict what would have happened if Phaethon told the truth about visiting his dad.**// = =//**1-4 Ali**// = =//**5-8 Darek**// =