Althaemenes

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In Greek mythology, Althaemenes was a son of Catreus, brother of Apemosyne, Aerope and Clymene.

An oracle told Catreus that he would be murdered by one of his children. Althaemenes took Apemosyne and left Crete for Rhodes. There she was raped by Hermes, who had captured her by skinning animals and leaving their slippery hides in her path. When she told Althaemenes, he kicked her with such force that she died.

Years later, Catreus sailed the seas searching for his son, the heir to the throne. In the middle of the night, his ship stopped at Rhodes and was mistaken for a pirate ship. Althaemenes and others attacked the 'invaders', and the prophecy came to pass; Catreus died at the hands of his son, from a javelin blow. When the boy discovered the truth, he prayed that the earth would open up and swallow him, which duly happened.

[edit] References

Apollodorus, [[Bibliotheke]] III, iii, 1-2