Diocles (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Diocles, or Dioklês (Ancient Greek: Διοκλῆς) may refer to:

• Diocles of Pherae, son of Orsilochus, father of the twins Orsilochus and Crethon,^[1] and also of Anticleia, the mother of Nicomachus and Gorgasus by Machaon.^[2] In the Odyssey, Telemachus and Peisistratus spent a night at his house on their way to Sparta,^[3] as well as on their way back.^[4]

• Diocles the king, one of the first priests of Demeter, and one of the first to learn the secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries, along with Triptolemus and Polyxenus.^[5]

• Diocles of Megara, to where he fled from Athens. He was known for his love of boys, and was killed in a battle as he was covering his loved one with his own shield. The people of Megara buried Diocles and honored him as a hero, and held a kissing contest dedicated to him.^[6]

• Diocles, king of Megara, who was overthrown by Theseus, as a result of which Eleusis was annexed from Megara.^[7] He may be identical with #2 or #3.

Attribution

This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.