In
Greek mythology,
Lekhes or
Leches (
Ancient Greek: Λέχης) was the mortal son of Peirene and
Poseidon. Peirene, a
Nymph, was abducted by Poseidon and taken to the site that is now
Corinth.
He had one brother, Kenkhrias (or Cenchrias), also mortal.
Together they founded the twin ports of
Corinth, also Korinthos, in Southern Greece. Lekhaion and its harbor was named after him.
The town of Lechaion lasted about 1,000 years, from the sixth century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. But the area has suffered several large earthquakes which have damaged the harbor. It is now the site of historical excavations which reveal the importance of this place as a trading post in ancient Greece.
Notes
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Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
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Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
