Though the name
Aegina betokens a goat-nymph, such as was Cretan
Amalthea, she was given a mainland identity as the daughter of the river-god
Asopus and the nymph Metope; of their twelve or twenty daughters, many were ravished by
Apollo or
Zeus. Aegina bore at least two children:
Menoetius by
Actor, and
Aeacus by
Zeus, both of whom became kings. A certain
Damocrateia, who married Menoetius, was also called her daughter by Zeus. The mortal son Menoetius was king of
Opus, and was counted among the
Argonauts. His son was
Patroclus,
Achilles' first cousin once removed through their paternal family connection to Aegina, and his lover. The son made immortal, Aeacus, was the king of
Aegina, and was known to have contributed help to
Poseidon and
Apollo in building the walls of
Troy. Through him, Aegina was the great-grandmother of Achilles, who was son of
Peleus, son of Aeacus. In one account, Aegina was also called the mother of
Sinope by
Ares. Otherwise, she was usually her sister; both were daughters of Asopus. == Mythology ==