Lanike
Λανίκη
NationalityMacedonian
Occupationnurse
EmployerPhilip II of Macedon
Known fornurse of Alexander the Great
SpouseAndronicus of Olynthus
ChildrenProteas and 2 others
RelativesCleitus the Black (brother)

Lanike or Lanice pronounced (Lan iss) (Greek: Λανίκη), also called Hellanike or Alacrinis, daughter of Dropidas, who was son of Critias, was the sister of Cleitus the Black, and the nurse of Alexander the Great.[1][2][3][4] She was born, most likely, shortly after 380 BC; for she is named as the mother of Proteas and two other sons who died in the Siege of Miletus in 334 BC. Her husband may have been Andronicus of Olynthus.[5]

Lanike in fiction

She is referenced in Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut by Oliver Stone. Clitus asks Alexander, "Who planned the Asian invasion while you were still being spanked on your bottom by my sister Lanike?" In a rage Alexander proceeds to kill Clitus, but while mourning his actions, Alexander weeps about what he has done to Lanike, i.e. killing her brother. She also appears in numerous dramatic and fictional accounts of Alexander's life, such as the novel Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault.

References

  1. ^ Rockefeller, J. D. (2016-11-22). The Story of Alexander the Great. J.D. Rockefeller.
  2. ^ Grote, George (1907). A History of Greece: From the Earliest Period to the Close of the Generation Contemporary with Alexander the Great. University of California: John Murray. ISBN 9780598582911.
  3. ^ Chrystal, Paul (2016-05-15). In Bed with the Ancient Greeks. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-5413-3.
  4. ^ Skelton, Debra; Dell, Pamela (2009). Empire of Alexander the Great. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60413-162-8.
  5. ^ Who's Who In The Age Of Alexander The Great: prosopography of Alexander's empire, Waldemar Heckel, Blackwell Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-4051-1210-7


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