Lelex
| Lelex | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Cleocharia |
| Children |
Myles Polycaon Pterelaus Cleson |
| Parent(s) |
Poseidon (father) Libya (mother) |
In Greek mythology, Lelex (Greek: Λέλεξ) was a King of Laconia and a demigod.
Life
Lelex was married to the Naiad nymph Cleocharia. He had several sons, including Myles, Polycaon, Pterelaus and Cleson.[1]
The parentage of Lelex is variously stated. He was likely a son of Poseidon by Libya; or his father is said to be the sun-god Helios; or he was said to be autochthonous.
His grandson (fathered by Myles) was Eurotas. Eurotas had a daughter named Sparta,[2] who would later marry Lacedaemon.[3] Lacedaemon named the city of Sparta after his wife; however, the city's name would also be his own, as it was called either Lacedaemon or Sparta interchangeably.
Sources indicate that Perseus is a descendant of Lelex. Lelex’s great-granddaughter Sparta gave birth to a daughter named Eurydice (no relation to Orpheus’ Eurydice), who had married Acrisius, the king of Argos. Eurydice became the mother of Danaë, thus making her Perseus’ grandmother.[4]
Lelex appears to have been conceived by ancient mythographers as the eponymous founder of the Leleges, a semi-mythical people who lived on both sides of the Aegean Sea.
Notes
- ↑ Apollodorus, 3.10.3.
- ↑ Guide to Greece, 3.1.1-3.
- ↑ Pausanias. "Sparta, mythical history". Description of Greece, translated by WHS Jones.
- ↑ Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996, ISBN 978-0-631-20102-1. "Eurydice" (2), p. 157.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None |
King of Sparta C. 1600 BC |
Succeeded by Myles |
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