(), a son of Dionysus and husband of the nymph
Helice, by whom he became the father of Thalus, Euanthes, Melas, Salagus, Athamas, and Merope,
Aerope or Haero (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. 3.996; Paus. 7.4.6; Parthen. Erot. 20). Some writers call Oenopion a
son of Rhadamanthys by Ariadne, and a brother of Staphylus (Plut.
Thes. 20); and Servius (Serv. ad Aen. 1.539;
comp. 10.763) also calls him the father of Orion. From Crete he emigrated with his sons to
Chios, which Rhadamanthys had assigned to him as his habitation (Paus.
7.4.6 ; Diod. 5.79). While he was king of Chios, he
received a visit front the giant Orion, who for a long time sued for the hand of Merope. Once
Orion being intoxicated violated Merope, in consequence of which Oenopion blinded him and
expelled him from his island. Orion, however, went to Lemnos, where Hephaestus gave to him
Cedalion as a guide, or according to others stole a boy whom he carried on his shoulders, and
who told him the roads. Orion was afterwards cured of his blindness, and returned to Chios to
take vengeance on Oenopion. But the latter was not to be found in Chios, for his friends had
concealed him in the earth, so that Orion, unable to discover him, went to Crete (Apollod. 1.4.3; Hygin. Poet. Astr. 2.34;
Eratosth. Catast. 32; Eustath. ad Hom.
p. 1623). The tomb of Oenopion continued to be shown at Chios even in the days of
Pausanias (7.5.6; comp. ORION;
Völcker, Mythol. des Japet. Geschl. p. 112, &c.).