The name Phaeton literally means "the shining one." This seems a little ironic to us, since the kid tried to burn as bright as his Dad, Helios, god of the sun, only to fall in flames to the earth where his light was quenched by the River Po (imagine a birthday cake with a hundred candles. Now imagine dropping that cake in a swimming pool.). Sometimes Phaeton was actually used as another name for the sun god, himself, which makes a lot of sense since it was the Titan's job to light the world with his gleaming chariot.

The tale of Phaeton's fall has been around a super long time, even before dudes started writing it down. Like just about every Greek myth, the story was kept alive via word of mouth until some famous guys started putting it to paper. Phaeton's tale is mentioned by super old school writers like Hesiod, and it's the subject of lost plays by Aeschylus and Euripides. However, the version that most people know these days comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. This is not a big surprise because this bonanza of myth-y poems features like every Greek myth ever.

These days, you'll find a bunch of cars named after Phaeton. We have to say we think that's a little weird. Why would you name a car after a kid who totalled his dad's wheels? As far as branding goes, it's a little short-sighted, doubling the irony since Phaethon's myth is all about the hazards of short-sightedness. (Whatever, car companies. Do what you want.) Phaeton was also the name of a hypothetical planet that some dudes thought once existed between Jupiter and Mars. Sadly for our bright-eyed buddy, that theory has been for the most part debunked. (Sorry, Phaeton. No planet for you. Maybe you should try and drive a little straighter next time.)