Whence Phaethon?
Phaethon, by Gustav Moreau Where and how did the well-known Phaethon myth originate? This paper ... The Fall of Phaethon in Context: A New Synthesis of Mythological, Archaeological and Geological Evidence in: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions Volume 16 Issue 1 (2016) (brill.com) argues that the myth known by the early classical Greek playwrights and philosophers undoubtedly originated with a cosmic impact. The parallels are very clear. In my book, I also argue this, since the description by Plato in his Timaeus is such an accurate description of the drawn-out process of near-Earth comet disintegration. There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes. There is a story, which even you have preserved, that once upon a time Phaethon, the son of Helios, having yoked the steeds in