son of Apollo and Themisto in Greek mythology
Galeus
Galeus is a figure of Greek mythology, son of Apollo and Themisto, linked to the origin of the Galeotae, a family of seers in Sicily. He matters because he explains the mythical lineage of a group of prophets tied to the cult of Apollo on the island.
The myth
According to tradition, Themisto was the daughter of Zabius, king of the Hyperboreans, and from her union with Apollo Galeus was born. Following the advice of the oracle of Zeus at Dodona, Galeus sailed to Sicily, where he founded a sanctuary dedicated to his father.
From this act sprang the Galeotae, a family of soothsayers who traced their descent from him and whose main seat was the town of Hybla, also known as Galeotis or Geleatis.
Worship and religion
The sanctuary Galeus established in Sicily in honour of Apollo is the starting point of the Galeotae's family cult, closely tied to their practice of divination. The sources do not say whether this cult survived beyond antiquity.
Ancient sources: Thucydides writes the name of the town of Hybla as Geleatis, one of the forms associated with this lineage.