Ogyges

Ogyges (Ogygus, Ogygos, Ho Gygos, Ωγύγος in Greek) is a mythological ruler in ancient Greece. Though the original etymology and meaning are uncertain, the Greek word Ogygios (Ωγύγιος), meaning Ogygian, came to be synonymous with "primeval", "primal", or "from earliest ages".

According to competing legends found in Greek mythology, he was either the first king of Thebes in Boeotia (or of Attica. In one version of the story the two traditions are combined: he was king of the Ectenes, who were the first people to occupy the land of Thebes, and settled in the area then known as Acte (Akte). The land was subsequently called Ogygia in his honor but later known as Attica.

Stories of his descent differ widely, some legends claiming him as the son of either Cadmus or Poseidon, others claiming him to be an autochthon of Boeotia or a son of Boiotos.

He was the husband of Thebe, from whom the land of Thebes in Greece is said to derive its name. His children are listed variously as two sons: Eleusinus (for whom the city Elesis was named) and Cadmus (noted above as his father in other traditions); and three daughters: Aulis, Alalcomenia, and Thelvinia.

Efforts to link his legend to the biblical tradition have him living at the time of the Exodus of the House of Israel from Egypt. Other sources say that during his reign Phoroneus was ruling the Argives.

A great flood in Attica, the Ogygian deluge, occurred during his reign and derives its name from him. Because it covered the whole world, a similarity has been noticed with Noah's flood in the Bible. Various dates have been assigned to this event, including 10,000 BCE (Plato), 2136 BCE (Varro), and 1796 BCE (Sextus Julius Africanus). He survived the flood but many people perished. After the death of Ogyges, due to the flood's devastation, Attica was without kings for 189 years, until the time of Cecrops (Cecrops Diphyes)..

Ogyges is possibly the namesake for the phantom island Ogygia, mentioned in Homer's Odyssey