According to legend, Ixion committed some kind of terrible crime; apparently he slew his own father-in-law. Zeus, however, took pity on Ixion and invited him to Mount Olympus so that he might dine with the gods. Despite this generous act of hospitality, Ixion lusted after Hera and was planning to rape her. When Zeus learned of this, he created a cloud-mirage in the form of Hera which Ixion seized, thinking it was Hera. Zeus then blasted Ixion with a thunderbolt and ordered him to be bound for all eternity to a spinning wheel of fire, as you can see in the image below.
You can also find more myths and legends for the week of April 8-14 here. For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Widget Reference Page.
