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:''For the Roman era writer, see [[Pomponius Porphyrion]].''
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In [[Greek mythology]], '''Porphyrion''' was a [[giant (mythology)|giant]], one of the sons of [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]] and [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]]. He attempted to rape [[Hera]]. Hera set him against [[Dionysus]], promising the giant [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]]'s hand in marriage if he would defeat the god. He was killed when [[Zeus]] smote him with lightning and [[Heracles]] finally shot him with an arrow.
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In the [[British]] [[novel]] ''[[Howard's End]]'' (1910), by [[E.M.Forster]], '''Porphyrion''' is the name of a large insurance company based in [[London]] where one of the minor characters, Mr. Leonard Bast, works as a clerk. In this case, the classical allusion to the [[Greek]] [[giant]] serves as an ironic comment on the un-heroic, impersonal work with which the modern (i.e. early [[twentieth century]]) business ethic dehumanizes individuals and enforces the [[utilitarian]] ideal.
The fortunes of the '''Porphyrion''' company become a point of minor [[conflict]] in the novel as the main characters, Maragaret and Helen Schlegel, influence Mr. Bast to quit his job, based on casual information that the company is about to collapse. This [[narrative]] thread plays into the larger themes of class consciousness, and cultural identity, which Forster examines with subtlety, and [[wit]].
