In Greek mythology, Phoenix or Phoinix (Ancient Greek: Φοῖνιξ; gen.: Φοίνικος, romanized: Phoinix, lit. 'sun-red') was the eponym of Phoenicia who together with his brothers were tasked to find their abducted sister Europa.
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Family
Phoenix was a son of King Agenor of Tyre by either Telephassa, Argiope, Antiope, Damno or Tyro. He was the brother of Europa, Cadmus, Cilix, Syros, Isaia and Melia.
In some accounts, Phoenix's father was called King Belus of Egypt and sibling to Agenor, Phineus, Aegyptus, Danaus and Ninus. In the latter's version of the myth, Phoenix' mother could be identified as Achiroe, naiad daughter of the river-god Nilus.
Phoenix was believed to have fathered a number of children with different women. By Cassiopeia, Phoenix had a daughter, Carme, and three sons: Cilix, Phineus, and Doryclus, as well as a stepson Atymnius, whose natural father was Zeus; by Alphesiboea, he had Adonis. Phoenix was also credited as the father of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, whose wife was another Cassiopeia.
According to early accounts, Europa was not Phoenix's sister, but his daughter, while Cadmus was identified as his son. Otherwise, Europa was called one of his two daughters by Perimede, daughter of Oeneus, the other one being Astypalaea; she was also included on the list of Phoenix's children by Telephe, daughter of Epimedusa, her siblings in this case being Peirus and Astypale (apparently identical to the aforementioned Astypalaea).
