indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
Latinized form of Ἐριχθόνιος (Erichthonios), which is of uncertain etymology, possibly pre-Greek. Folk etymology connects it to Greek ἐρέχθω (erechthô) "to rend, break". This was the name of a mythical king of ancient Athens. Early Greek texts do not distinguish between him and Erechtheus, his grandson, but by the 4th century BC they were distinct figures. According to some versions of the legend, Erichthonius was autochthonous (born of the soil, or Earth) and raised by the goddess Athena. The snake is his symbol, and he is represented in the statue of Athena in the Parthenon as the snake hidden behind her shield.