Aras (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Aras was an autochthon who was believed to have built Arantea, the most ancient town in Phliasia, Peloponnese. He had a son called Aoris, and a daughter called Araethyraea. The latter is said to have been fond of chase and warlike pursuits; she was also the mother of Phlias by Dionysus. When she died, her brother called the country of Phliasia after her Araethyrea. The monuments of Araethyrea and her brother, consisting of round pillars, were still extant in the time of Pausanias; and before the mysteries of Demeter were commenced at Phlius, the people always invoked Aras and his two children with their faces turned towards their monuments.