Tlepolemus
Encyclopedia
For others of this name see Tlepolemus (disambiguation)
In Greek mythology
, Tlepolemus ( Tlēpólemos) is the son of Heracles
by Astyocheia, daughter of the King of Ephyra
. Either that or he was the son of Melite
and the second of the two sons of Hercules who goes by the name of Hyllus
. According to Hesiod
, And he [Tlepolemus] lived in the house of his mother Melite and in Arcadia near the river [Alpheus].
, one of the Heracleidae
. The Heraclids threatened Tlepolemus with the threat of death. Hyllus led his brothers into this decision as well and it was said by Appolonius:
And he [Tlepolemus] must leave before he [Hyllus] would dishonor not only himself, but his great father [Hercules] on all high Olympus.
And so he fled his father's house with his followers to Rhodes
, of which he became the ruler. There he founded cities and married Polyxo
.
and asked for him to lull her father to sleep. Once her father was asleep she committed patricide
. Then she fled further into the island of Rhodes with her lover where they were married. The two created three towns in Rhodes where they soon grew bigger and bigger. Soon after the latest king passed on they announced that Tlepolemus would be made King of Rhodes. Their love bonds remained strong for many years until Helen of Sparta reached a suitable age to marry and word reached him from Philoctetes. He told Polyxo that he would be out on official Rhodian business journey.
The three city-states were very important of the later Rhodian history:
. He was one of the first suitors to agree to set sail for Troy. He led the Rhodian forces, nine ships total, that joined the Achaean force in the Trojan War
. When the Argive army realized they were fighting their own and not the Trojans
when they mistakenly landed on Mysia
, Tlepolemus was one of the envoys sent to smooth the situation out with the Mysian king Telephus
, because they were both sons of Heracles.
He encountered Sarpedon
on the first day of fighting in the Iliad
and taunted him saying that he lacked courage and could not really be the son of Zeus
. Tlepolemus then attacked him, and although he wounded Sarpedon, he was slain by the latter. In revenge Helen was killed by Polyxo
.
Tlepolemus (disambiguation)
Tlepolemus is the name of several ancient Greek mythological and historical characters:* Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, who fought on the Greek side in the Trojan War* Tlepolemus , one of the generals of Alexander the Great in 336-323 BC...
In Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Tlepolemus ( Tlēpólemos) is the son of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
by Astyocheia, daughter of the King of Ephyra
Ephyra
Ephyra may refer to:* The city of Kichyro, later known as Ephyra.* Ephyra, one of the Oceanids* Ephyra, one of the Nereids* Ephyra, a stage of the life cycle of jellyfish* Efyra, a village and an archeological site in Elis, Greece...
. Either that or he was the son of Melite
Melite
Melite was one of the naiads, daughter of the river god Aegaeus, and one of the many loves of Zeus and his son Hercules. Given the choice, she chose Hercules over Zeus who went off in search of other pursuits...
and the second of the two sons of Hercules who goes by the name of Hyllus
Hyllus
In Greek mythology, Hyllus was the son of Heracles and Deianira, husband of Iole, nursed by Abia....
. According to Hesiod
Hesiod
Hesiod was a Greek oral poet generally thought by scholars to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. His is the first European poetry in which the poet regards himself as a topic, an individual with a distinctive role to play. Ancient authors credited him and...
, And he [Tlepolemus] lived in the house of his mother Melite and in Arcadia near the river [Alpheus].
Tlepolemus and the Heraclids
In his youth and it was said that like Heracles' situation with Linus in his youth, Tlepolemus accidentally killed his father's maternal uncle, LicymniusLicymnius
In Greek mythology, Licymnius was a good friend of Heracles' and an illegitimate son of Electryon, King of Tiryns and Mycenae in the Argolid . His mother is given as Mideia, a Phrygian woman...
, one of the Heracleidae
Heracleidae
In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles , especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira Other Heracleidae included Macaria, Lamos, Manto, Bianor, Tlepolemus, and Telephus...
. The Heraclids threatened Tlepolemus with the threat of death. Hyllus led his brothers into this decision as well and it was said by Appolonius:
And he [Tlepolemus] must leave before he [Hyllus] would dishonor not only himself, but his great father [Hercules] on all high Olympus.
And so he fled his father's house with his followers to Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, of which he became the ruler. There he founded cities and married Polyxo
Polyxo
Polyxo is the name of several figures in Greek mythology:*One of the Hyades.*A Naiad of the river Nile, presumably one of the daughters of the river-god Nilus. She was one of the wives of Danaus and bore him twelve daughters: Autonoe, Theano, Electra, Cleopatra, Eurydice, Glaucippe, Anthelea,...
.
Polyxo
Polyxo was an islander of Rhodes whose father and friends met with Tlepolemus and his companions on the western shore after he traveled from Athens to Rhodes. The men feasted the youths but soon got drunk on wine and attacked the youths. Polyxo who had an affectionate passion for the young man prayed first to Thanatos, then to Hades then to Persephone and made sacrifice to Hercules to forgive her for the crime against the gods but she hoped that he would understand that she was in love with his son. Then she called on MorpheusMorpheus
Morpheus may refer to:Characters*Morpheus , the principal god of dreams in the Greek mythology*Morpheus , a moniker for Dream, a fictional character in the comic book The Sandman...
and asked for him to lull her father to sleep. Once her father was asleep she committed patricide
Patricide
Patricide is the act of killing one's father, or a person who kills his or her father. The word patricide derives from the Latin word pater and the Latin suffix -cida...
. Then she fled further into the island of Rhodes with her lover where they were married. The two created three towns in Rhodes where they soon grew bigger and bigger. Soon after the latest king passed on they announced that Tlepolemus would be made King of Rhodes. Their love bonds remained strong for many years until Helen of Sparta reached a suitable age to marry and word reached him from Philoctetes. He told Polyxo that he would be out on official Rhodian business journey.
The three city-states were very important of the later Rhodian history:
- CameirusKameirosKameiros is an ancient city and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies on the northwest coast of the island. It was the heart of an agricultural...
- Ialysus
- LindusLindosLindos is an archaeological site, a town and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies on the east coast of the island...
Helen
Tlepolemus was one of the suitors of Helen, thus he fought on the Achaean side during the campaign at TroyTroy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
. He was one of the first suitors to agree to set sail for Troy. He led the Rhodian forces, nine ships total, that joined the Achaean force in the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. When the Argive army realized they were fighting their own and not the Trojans
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
when they mistakenly landed on Mysia
Mysia
Mysia was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia . It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lydia on the south, Aeolis on the southwest, Troad on the west and by the Propontis on the north...
, Tlepolemus was one of the envoys sent to smooth the situation out with the Mysian king Telephus
Telephus
A Greek mythological figure, Telephus or Telephos Telephus was one of the Heraclidae, the sons of Heracles, who were venerated as founders of cities...
, because they were both sons of Heracles.
He encountered Sarpedon
Sarpedon
In Greek mythology, Sarpedon referred to at least three different people.-Son of Zeus and Europa:The first Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and Europa, and brother to Minos and Rhadamanthys. He was raised by the king Asterion and then, banished by Minos, his rival in love for the young Miletus, he...
on the first day of fighting in the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and taunted him saying that he lacked courage and could not really be the son of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
. Tlepolemus then attacked him, and although he wounded Sarpedon, he was slain by the latter. In revenge Helen was killed by Polyxo
Polyxo
Polyxo is the name of several figures in Greek mythology:*One of the Hyades.*A Naiad of the river Nile, presumably one of the daughters of the river-god Nilus. She was one of the wives of Danaus and bore him twelve daughters: Autonoe, Theano, Electra, Cleopatra, Eurydice, Glaucippe, Anthelea,...
.