Neleus (/ˈniːliəs, ˈniːljuːs/; Ancient Greek: Νηλεύς) was a mythological king of Pylos. In some accounts, he was also counted as an Argonaut instead of his son, Nestor.[1][2]

Family

Neleus was the son of Poseidon and Tyro.[3] According to Pausanias, Neleus was the son of Cretheus, King of Iolcus, who was himself a son of Aeolus.[4] Neleus had a brother called Pelias.

With Chloris,[5] Neleus was the father of Pero, Periclymenus, Alastor, Chomius, Asterius, Deimachus, Epilaus, Eurybius, Eurymenes, Evagoras, Phrasius, Pylaon, Taurus and Nestor. Some say that Chloris was mother only of three of Neleus' sons (Nestor, Periclymenus and Chromius), whereas the rest were his children by different women,[6][7] but other accounts explicitly disagree with the statement.[8] Otherwise, the mother of Nestor was called Polymede.[9]

Mythology

Tyro was married to Cretheus (with whom she had three sons, Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon), though she loved Enipeus, a river god. She pursued Enipeus, who refused her advances. One day, Poseidon, filled with lust for Tyro, disguised himself as Enipeus. From their union were born Pelias and Neleus, twin boys. Tyro exposed her sons on a mountain, but they were found and raised by a maid.

When they reached adulthood, Pelias and Neleus found their mother Tyro and then killed her stepmother, Sidero, for having mistreated her. Sidero tried to hide in a temple to Hera but Pelias killed her anyway, earning himself Hera's undying hatred. Neleus and Pelias then fought for the crown, and Neleus was banished to Messenia. There he was welcomed by his cousin Aphareus who gave him the maritime part of the land where he settled and established his palace. Neleus eventually became King of Pylos.

Heracles later asked Neleus to cleanse him of the blood-debt he gained by killing his own wife and children, but was refused. In retaliation, he killed Neleus and his sons, except for Nestor.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 10 & 14
  2. ^ Tzetzes, John (2015). Allegories of the Iliad. Translated by Goldwyn, Adam; Kokkini, Dimitra. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. pp. 39, Prologue 516. ISBN 978-0-674-96785-4.
  3. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 157
  4. ^ Pausanias, 4.2.5
  5. ^ Pausanias, 9.36.8
  6. ^ Aristarchus in scholia on Homer, Iliad 11.692
  7. ^ Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.152 — apparently following Odyssey 11.285, where only Nestor, Chromius and Periclymenus are enumerated
  8. ^ Apollodorus, 1.9.9; Diodorus Siculus, 4.68.6; Hyginus, Fabulae 10, 97 & 273
  9. ^ Tzetzes, John (2015). Allegories of the Iliad. Translated by Goldwyn, Adam; Kokkini, Dimitra. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. pp. 39, Prologue 517. ISBN 978-0-674-96785-4.
  10. ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.689; Hyginus, Fabulae 31

References

Further reading

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