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Achelous
Achelous, the horned king of Euphrates and the oldest of the male
Oceanids (see
Poseidon, Oceanus, and Tethys), once wrestled with Heracles, the greatest of Greek heroes, over
a woman both desired for a bride. "They came together..." wrote the
5th-century B.C. Greek dramatist Sophocles in his play
The Women of Trachis. "Then was there confusion of
sounds—the beating of fists, the twang of bow, the clash of
bull's horns; there were the wrestling holds, the painful collision
of heads, and the groans of both." In the struggle, during which
Achelous transformed himself into a bull, Heracles broke off one of
Achelous's horns (shown here on top of his forehead). But later a
victorious Heracles returned the horn to him. In exchange, Achelous
gave Heracles the miraculous horn of Amalthea, which provided its
owner with all the food and drink he could want. This was the
cornu copiae, or horn of plenty.
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