In Greek mythology, Oebalus, also spelled Oibalus or Oibalius, (/ˈɛbələs/; Ancient Greek: Οἴβαλος, Oíbalos) was a king of Sparta.
Oibalus was the son of either Cynortas[1] or Argalus.[2] He was the second husband of Princess Gorgophone and thus son-in-law of the hero Perseus. With her or by the Naiad Bateia,[3] Oibalos fathered Tyndareus,[4][5][6] Icarius and Hippocoon, as well as a daughter, Arene, who married her half-brother Aphareus.[7][8] The nymph Pirene[9] and Hyacinth[10][11] were also called the daughter and son of Oebalius respectively. His grandchildren, the Dioscuri, were usually referred as Oibalids[12] or Oebalidae.[13]
Oebalus was often confused with Gorgophone's first husband, Perieres, son of Aeolus. They were separate people, usually unrelated though Oebalus was sometimes said to be Perieres’ son.[3]
Relation | Names | Sources | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hesiod | Apollodorus | Dictys | Hyginus | Pausanias | Lucian | ||||
Parentage | Perieres | ✓ | |||||||
Argalus | ✓ | ||||||||
Cynortas | ✓ | ||||||||
Consort | Batia | ✓ | |||||||
Gorgophone | ✓ | ||||||||
Children | Tyndareus | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
Hippocoon | ✓ | ||||||||
Icarius | ✓ | ||||||||
Arene | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Hyacinthus | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
Pirene | ✓ |