Aletes, son of Hippotes
Encyclopedia
Aletes was a son of Hippotes
and a fifth-generation descendant of Heracles
. He is said to have taken possession of Corinth
, and to have expelled the Sisyphids thirty years after the first invasion of the Peloponnesus by the Heraclids
. His family, sometimes called the Aletidae, maintained themselves at Corinth down to the time of Bacchis (that is, late 10th century BC). Velleius Paterculus calls him a descendant of Heracles, but of the sixth generation. He received an oracle
, promising him the sovereignty of Athens
if during the war, which was then going on, its king should remain uninjured. This oracle became known at Athens, and the Athenian king Codrus
sacrificed himself to preserve the city.
Hippotes
Hippotes can refer to a number of people from Greek mythology:*Hippotes, father of Aeolus, the keeper of the Winds in the Odyssey. He was a mortal king....
and a fifth-generation descendant of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
. He is said to have taken possession of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, and to have expelled the Sisyphids thirty years after the first invasion of the Peloponnesus by the Heraclids
Heracleidae
In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles , especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira Other Heracleidae included Macaria, Lamos, Manto, Bianor, Tlepolemus, and Telephus...
. His family, sometimes called the Aletidae, maintained themselves at Corinth down to the time of Bacchis (that is, late 10th century BC). Velleius Paterculus calls him a descendant of Heracles, but of the sixth generation. He received an oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
, promising him the sovereignty of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
if during the war, which was then going on, its king should remain uninjured. This oracle became known at Athens, and the Athenian king Codrus
Codrus
Codrus was the last of the semi-mythical Kings of Athens . He was an ancient exemplar of patriotism and self-sacrifice. He was succeeded by his son Medon, who ruled not as king but as the first Archon of Athens....
sacrificed himself to preserve the city.