Porphyrion

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For the Roman era writer, see Pomponius Porphyrion.

Zeus contra Poryphion (right), Pergamonmuseum Berlin.

In Greek mythology, Porphyrion was a giant, one of the sons of Uranus and Gaia. He attempted to rape Hera. Hera set him against Dionysus, promising the giant Hebe's hand in marriage if he would defeat the god. He was killed when Zeus smote him with lightning and Heracles finally shot him with an arrow.

[edit] In fiction

In the British novel Howard's End (1910), by E.M. Forster, Porphyrion is the name of a large insurance company based in London where one of the minor characters, Mr. Leonard Bast, works as a clerk. In this case, the classical allusion to the Greek giant serves as an ironic comment on the un-heroic, impersonal work with which the modern (i.e. early twentieth century) business ethic dehumanizes individuals.

The fortunes of the Porphyrion company become a point of minor conflict in the novel as the main characters, Margaret and Helen Schlegel, influence Mr. Bast to quit his job, based on casual information that the company is about to collapse. This narrative thread plays into the larger themes of class consciousness, and cultural identity, which Forster examines with subtlety and wit.