This article examines the legendary birth-tale of Ptolemy I Soter. Rather than Lagus, several late authorities claim that Ptolemy’s father was in fact Philip II, who had married his pregnant mistress Arsinoe off to Lagus. In addition to...
moreThis article examines the legendary birth-tale of Ptolemy I Soter. Rather than Lagus, several late authorities claim that Ptolemy’s father was in fact Philip II, who had married his pregnant mistress Arsinoe off to Lagus. In addition to examining the details of this birth legend, and analyzing the ancient evidence and modern scholarly opinions on Ptolemy’s paternity, I also discuss similar birth tales about Alexander the Great and his Successors. In the last part, I explore the possible significance of Ptolemy’s birth tale in the context of the so-called “Birth of the Hero” paradigm, in order to illustrate its importance as an aetiological myth.
