Who first created coleslaw, and for what reason?

Coleslaw was probably consumed in its earliest form in the times of the ancient Romans. However, modern coleslaw could not have arisen until the 18th century as mayonnaise was not yet invented. The term "cole slaw" arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch term "koolsla" meaning "cabbage salad". It was commonly called cold slaw in England until the 1860s when "cole" meaning cabbage was revived. "Cole" originates from the Latin colis meaning "cabbage", and is the origin of the Dutch word as well. In addition to calling it "coleslaw," U.S. Southerners also refer to it as "slaw."

http://youreverydaycookradha.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/pineapple-coleslaw.html

"It's been around so long that legends and myths have sprouted up with it."

"The ancient Greeks, for example, believed that Zeus was responsible for the origin of the vegetable. As the "Oxford Companion" explains, he worked himself into a sweat struggling to reconcile two conflicting prophecies and from that sweat sprang cabbage."

"Another legend, related by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, gives the credit to King Lycurgus of the Edones. Driven mad by Rhea, goddess of the earth, he mistook his son Dryas for a vine stock and cut him to pieces. Cabbages are said to have grown from the sand where his tears fell."

"Regardless of which myth they subscribed to, the ancients regarded cabbage as health food. Pythagoras recommended it. So did Cato. He especially liked it raw, dressed with vinegar, a dish that must have been similar to coleslaw, and he regarded it as the secret to long life. He lived to be over 80. Diogenes ate nothing but cabbage. Granted, his rival Aristippus claimed that cabbage dulled the senses and cut life short, but Aristippus died at 40. Diogenes lived until he was 90."

http://www.semissourian.com/story/82508.html