Acanthis (Ἀκανθίς) was the son of Hippodamia and Autonous and brother to Anthus, Erodius, Schoenous and Acanthus. When their father's horses attacked Anthus out of hunger and ate him, Zeus and Apollo, out of pity for the grieving family, transformed them into birds. Acanthis, specifically, was transformed into a thistle finch.