Eric Eric is the son of hephaestus, the god of fire and forging in Greek mythology, and Gaia, the god of the earth. He was half man and half snake, abandoned by Gaia and adopted by Athena. She put Eric in a box, gave it to the three daughters of the king of Athens for safekeeping, and warned them not to open it. Out of curiosity, the three princesses finally opened the box. When they saw the terrible baby, they fell from the wall of the Acropolis in fright. After that, Athena raised Eric herself until he grew up. According to records, Eric has the ability to regenerate, because Athena once gave him a few drops of the blood of Medusa, the gorgon. Although he was ugly, he finally became the king of Athens.