Eagle is Periphas

There was once in Attica a certain Periphas, of earth-sprung stock, who lived there even before Cecrops, son of Earth, had emerged. He ruled the men of old and was just, rich and pious. He made many sacrifices to Apollo and numerous were his fair judgments. No one could reproach him with anything.

His leadership was willingly accepted by all. Because of the pre-eminence of his good works, men took away honours due to Zeus and decided that they belonged to Periphas. They set up shrines and temples to him and addressed him by the name of Zeus the Saviour, the Overlooker of All and the Gracious.

Zeus, indignant, wanted to incinerate the entire household of Periphas with a thunderbolt, but Apollo asked that he should not be utterly annihilated since he had been assiduously honoured by Periphas. This Zeus granted to Apollo and he went on to the house of Periphas and came upon him when he was making love to his wife. He pressed both hands on him and turned him into a bird, an eagle. His wife asked Zeus to turn her into a bird too so that she would be a companion for Periphas. So he turned her into a vulture.

Zeus granted Periphas certain honours for the piety he had shown when he was human. He made him king of all birds and gave him the task of guarding his sacred sceptre, together with the right of approaching his throne. To the wife of Periphas, whom he had turned into a vulture, he granted the privilege of being a sign of good omen in all the affairs of mankind.


- Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses, 6: Periphas