Areion

History

Areion was very popular in Greek myths, receiving mentions in epic stories, poems, and even travelogues across 11 centuries! Demeter and Poseidon are commonly given as Areion’s parents. And like any creature with two gods in its family tree, Areion was both skilled and powerful. The horse resisted being tamed, but could run faster than any other horse in mythology.

Story

“This horse is faster than the clouds, son,” Adrastus said of Areion before a chariot race. It was the boy’s first time driving Areion, and his father had warned him that the black horse needed neither bit nor bridle, neither spur nor voice. It would run, he had been told, faster than he could imagine. And so it did. Areion lit out ahead of the other chariot races, pulling the son of Adrastus faster than he’d ever wished to ride. The horse recognized that his passenger was lighter, so Areion swerved and dashed, whipping the chariot back and forth. The son of Adrastus won the race, but he never again asked to ride Areion, the fastest horse in the land.