Phaëthon

/fay"euh theuhn, -thon'/, n. Class. Myth.

a son of Helios who borrowed the chariot of the sun and drove it so close to earth that Zeus struck him down to save the world.

[ < Gk Phaéthon, special use of prp. of phaéthein to shine]

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In Greek mythology, the son of Helios, the sun god, and a nymph.

Taunted as illegitimate, Phaethon asked for permission to drive the chariot of the sun through the heavens for a single day in order to prove that Helios was his father. He proved unable to control the horses, and, after making a gash in the heavens that became the Milky Way, he rode too close to earth and began to scorch it. To prevent further damage, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt, killing him.

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▪ Greek mythology

Greek“Shining” or “Radiant”

      in Greek mythology, the son of Helios, the sun god, and a woman or nymph variously identified as Clymene, Prote, or Rhode. The most influential extant version of the story, found in Ovid's Metamorphosis, Books I–II, seems to echo the plot of Euripides' Phaethon, now partially known from papyrus discoveries. Taunted with illegitimacy, Phaethon appealed to his father, who swore to prove his paternity by giving him whatever he wanted. Phaethon asked to be allowed to drive the chariot of the sun through the heavens for a single day. Helios, bound by his oath, had to let him make the attempt. Phaethon set off but was entirely unable to control the horses of the sun chariot, which came too near to the earth and began to scorch it. To prevent further damage, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at Phaethon, who fell to the earth at the mouth of the Eridanus, a river later identified as the Po.

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