Acræphnia, a town in Bœotia; whence Apollo is called Acraæphnius. Herodotus, bk. 8, ch. 135.
Acragallĭdæ, a dishonest nation living anciently near Athens. Æschines, Against Ctesiphon.
Acrăgas. See: [Agragas].
Acrātus, a freedman of Nero, sent into Asia to plunder the temples of the gods. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 15, ch. 45; bk. 16, ch. 23.
Acrias, one of Hippodamia’s suitors. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 21.——He built Acriæ, a town of Laconia. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 21.
Acridophăgi, an Æthiopian nation, who fed upon locusts, and lived not beyond their 40th year. At the approach of old age swarms of winged lice attacked them, and gnawed their belly and breast, till the patient, by rubbing himself, drew blood, which increased their number, and ended in his death. Diodorus, bk. 3.—Pliny, bk. 11, ch. 29.—Strabo, bk. 16.
Acrīon, a Pythagorean philosopher of Locris. Cicero, De Finibus, bk. 5, ch. 29.
Acrisioneus, a patronymic applied to the Argives, from Acrisius, one of their ancient kings, or from Acrisione, a town of Argolis, called after a daughter of Acrisius of the same name. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 410.
Acrisioniădes, a patronymic of Perseus, from his grandfather Acrisius. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 70.
Acrisius, son of Abas king of Argos, by Ocalea daughter of Mantineus. He was born at the same birth as Prœtus, with whom it is said that he quarrelled even in his mother’s womb. After many dissensions, Prœtus was driven from Argos. Acrisius had Danae by Eurydice daughter of Lacedæmon; and being told by an oracle, that his daughter’s son would put him to death, he confined Danae in a brazen tower, to prevent her becoming a mother. She, however, became pregnant, by Jupiter changed into a golden shower; and though Acrisius ordered her, and her infant called Perseus, to be exposed on the sea, yet they were saved; and Perseus soon after became so famous for his actions, that Acrisius, anxious to see so renowned a grandson, went to Larissa. Here Perseus, wishing to show his skill in throwing a quoit, killed an old man who proved to be his grandfather, whom he knew not, and thus the oracle was unhappily fulfilled. Acrisius reigned about 31 years. Hyginus, fable 63.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, fable 16.—Horace, bk. 3, ode 16.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 2, &c.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 16, &c.—See: [Danae], [Perseus], [Polydectes].