Acragas (mythology) explained

In Greek mythology, Acragas or Akragas (Greek: Ἀκράγας) was a river god^[1] said to be a son of Zeus and the Oceanid Asterope. The town of Acragas (modern Agrigento) in Sicily takes its name from the river,^[2] which flows to the east of the plateau on which the town was built.

The name "Acragas" likely originates from the Greek karkinos (crab), due to a large population of crabs in its waters.

References

• Billerbeck, Margarethe, Stephani Byzantii Ethnica: Volumen I: Α - Γ, Walter de Gruyter, 2006. .
• Meineke, August, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorvm quae svpersvnt, Berolini: Impensis G. Reimeri, 1849. Internet Archive.
• Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Acragas" .

Notes and References

1. Web site: #SmartEducationUnescoSicilia The first settlement: the foundation of Akragas . 2024-11-06 . en-GB.
2. Smith, "Acragas"; Stephanus of Byzantium, s. v. Akragantes (Meineke, p. 74, Billerbeck, p. 121).