Philaeus (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Philaeus (Φιλαῖος) is a minor figure, a prince of the Molossians, who was transformed into a bird by the will of Zeus, the god of justice, in order to escape a fiery death.

Family
Philaeus was one of the sons of the Molossian king Munichus by his wife Lelante. He had two brothers, Alcander and Megaletor, and a sister named Hyperippe.

Mythology
The entire family was seen as just and righteous and therefore especially favored by the gods. One day raiders attacked them in the fields; the family ran off to their house and began to throw various objects at them in self-defense, whereupon the offenders set the house ablaze. The god of justice, Zeus would not let his favourites suffer such a cruel and undeserving death that he changed them all six of them into various birds in order to save them from the flames; Philaeus became a 'dog bird', an entirely unidentifiable avian creature.