Alectryon | Mythic Rooster

Alectrion is a young sentinel under Ares' orders who, for not fulfilling his duties, was transformed into a rooster.

According to the myth, Hephaestus, god of welding, due to his duties, always very busy with his forges and his metallurgical industries, left Aphrodite very lonely.

The god Ares, god of battles, soon took advantage of the neglect of the famous goldsmith-god, constantly sharing the goddess' thalamus. To avoid problems, Ares always left a young man named Alectrion as a sentinel, who was supposed to warn him to break up the amorous collusion before the sun rose, that is, before the god Helios appeared, because it could expose the lovers to a vexing situation.

One morning, however, Alectrion, deep in sleep, victimized by the god Hypnos, failed to warn the lovers. The god Helios warned Hephaestus who, coming in haste, wrapped them both in a net, from which no one could free them, all in front of the other gods summoned by Hephaestus.

After some discussion among those involved, and at the instance of Posidon and Hermes, Hephaestus freed Aphrodite and Ares. As for Alectrion, he was transformed into a rooster (alektryon in Greek), with the obligation of always singing every morning before sunrise.