Aetolus (; ) was, in
Greek mythology, a son of
Endymion, great-great-grandson of
Deucalion, and a
Naiad nymph, or
Iphianassa. According to
Pausanias, his mother was called
Asterodia,
Chromia, or
Hyperippe. He was married to
Pronoe, by whom he had two sons,
Pleuron and
Calydon. His brothers were
Paeon,
Epeius, and others. His father compelled him and his two brothers Paeon and Epeius to decide by a contest at
Olympia as to which of them was to succeed him in his kingdom of
Elis. Epeius gained the victory, and occupied the throne after his father, and on his demise he was succeeded by Aetolus. During the funeral games which were celebrated in honor of
Azan, he ran with his chariot over
Apis, the son of
Jason or
Salmoneus, and killed him, whereupon he was expelled by the sons of Apis. The kingdom then passed to
Eleius, son of his sister
Eurycyda. After leaving
Peloponnesus, he went to the country of the
Curetes, between the
Achelous and the
Corinthian gulf, where he slew
Dorus,
Laodocus, and
Polypoetes, the sons of
Apollo and
Phthia, and gave to the country the name of
Aetolia. This story is only a mythical account of the colonization of Aetolia.
