Arion. A semilegendary figure, the son of Cycleus, Arion (fl. 628—625 bce) was a gifted musician and poet from the island of Lesbos. He is reputed to have been the originator of the dithyramb. He spent most of his life in Corinth but visited Magna Graecia, where he gained great wealth from his singing and playing of the lyre.
When Arion was on his homeward journey to Corinth, the sailors giving him passage robbed him and threw him overboard to drown. But, according to Herodotus, he was rescued and carried to shore by a dolphin. In the Renaissance the theme of Arion on the dolphin was a favorite of artists and poets, often as an allegory of music.

Classical Sources. Herodotus, Histories 1.23—24. Ovid, Fasti 2.79ff. Hyginus, Pabulae 194; Poetica astronomica 2.17. Lucian, Dialogues of the Sea-Gods 8, “Poseidon and the Dolphins.”