King Lycaon

King Lycaon, ruler of Arcadia, appears as a hospitable host whose palace becomes a recruiting ground for Artemis’s hunting companions. He recognizes and honors the goddess, offers selected young women to serve her, and is unsettled when she asks to return for one of his daughters.

Identity and Setting

While Artemis hunts near Arcadia, King Lycaon invites her to a feast at his splendid palace. The city is bustling, and Artemis notices the high regard its townsfolk hold for her. Lycaon is described as a large man with a still larger black beard and small blue eyes, dressed in red regal clothing and wearing a golden crown. The encounter places him in the role of a local ruler receiving a powerful visiting goddess, rather than an opponent or a petitioner seeking rescue.

The account also identifies Lycaon as a favorite of Zeus. That connection situates the king within the divine network surrounding Artemis, while his greeting shows that he knows how she is worshipped: he addresses her as goddess of the Moon, maiden of the Silver Bow, and lady of the Wild Things. Artemis is pleased to hear these titles, which answer her wish to be known by many names.

Hospitality and Artemis’s Retinue

Lycaon welcomes Artemis to his house and receives her without rebuff. She promises to protect his city and its young women, making their meeting a reciprocal exchange: the king offers hospitality and assistance, while the goddess offers protection. He says that the people will sacrifice goats, sheep, and cattle for her that night, and explains that he has selected women native to Amnisos to serve as her faithful attendants. He presents them as young, strong, and beautiful, emphasizing their suitability for the companions Artemis wants.

Artemis asks to see the women, and Lycaon promptly leads her and her group to the garden. There, after making her selections, Artemis has chosen nineteen women in all. Her retinue is not yet complete, however. She tells Lycaon that she still lacks one companion and says she will return to inquire after his young daughter, noting that he has many daughters. The king looks troubled by the specific request and asks which daughter she means. The scene ends before that question is answered in the supplied account.

Relationships and Narrative Role

Lycaon’s role is defined by a contrast between ready public hospitality and private unease. He acknowledges Artemis’s divine status, provides prospective attendants, and accepts her protection for his city; yet her interest in a daughter makes him hesitate. The narrative therefore presents his household as the next possible source for Artemis’s expanding company, while leaving the particular daughter’s identity unresolved at this point.

His appearance is brief but consequential to the episode’s recruitment sequence. By welcoming Artemis and presenting the women from Amnisos, Lycaon helps turn her wish for hunting companions into an organized retinue. His final troubled response introduces a small obstacle at the edge of that success: Artemis’s search has reached his family, and the king does not immediately welcome that request.