“ PHAËTHON (Gr. φαέθων, shining, radiant) , in Greek mythology, the son of Helios the sun-god, and the nymph Clymene. He persuaded his father to let him drive the chariot of the sun across the sky, but he lost control of the horses, and driving too near the earth scorched it. To save the world from utter destruction Zeus killed Phaëthon with a thunderbolt. ”