Schoeneus was a king of Orchomenus, in Boeotia, the son of Athamas and Themisto. He is chiefly known for being the father of Atalanta, an honour that many writers ascribe instead to Iasus. The base of the name appears to be schoinos, 'rush'. This coul make Schoeneus a 'man of the rushes', so named for the swamps that were the haunts of Atalanta, as well as the mountains.
On the other hand the suggestion has been made that the word refers to the measured race that Atalanta ran: in ancient Greece the schoinos was a land measure equal to 60 stadia, that is, appro mately seven miles. There was another Schoeneus who was the son of Autonoös and Hippodamia. For the 'rushes' in his name.
