Polyxenus
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Polyxenus is a name that may refer to:
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Polyxenus is a name that may refer to:
- One of the first priests of DemeterDemeterIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
and one of the first to learn the secrets of the Eleusinian MysteriesEleusinian MysteriesThe Eleusinian Mysteries were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance...
.
- Son of AgasthenesAgasthenesAgasthenes was the son of Augeas, and his successor in the kingdom of Elis. The government was shared between Amphimachus, Thalpius and Agasthenes. With Peloris, he was the father of Polyxenus, one of the "suitors of Helen", who reunified the kingdom when he returned from Troy....
and Peloris, king of ElisElisElis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
. He was counted among the suitors of Helen, and accordingly participated in the Trojan WarTrojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
, having brought 40 ships with him. He returned home safely after the war, and had a son AmphimachusAmphimachusIn Greek mythology, Amphimachus is a name attributed to multiple individuals.-Son of Cteatus:Amphimachus was the son of Cteatus and Theronice, daughter of Dexamenus. He was one of the leaders of the Elean contingent at the Trojan War and was slain by Hector.-Son of Nomion:Amphimachus was the son...
, whom he possibly named after his friend Amphimachus (son of Cteatus), who had died at Troy. Polyxenus, king of Elis, was also said to have been entrusted with the stolen cattle by the TaphiansTaphiansIn Homeric Greece, the islands of Taphos lay in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Acarnania in northwestern Greece, home of sea-going and piratical inhabitants, the Taphians...
under PterelausPterelaus-Son of Lelex:Pterelaus was a son of Lelex, a pre-Hellenic king whose descendants spread across Greece and beyond . Pterelaus ruled the land by the River Achelous, in the region later called Acarnania. Pterelaus had numerous sons who settled the territory in the vicinity of the Achelous, including...
; the cattle was ransomed from him by AmphitryonAmphitryonAmphitryon , in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis.Amphitryon was a Theban general, who was originally from Tiryns in the eastern part of the Peloponnese. He was friends with Panopeus....
. This Polyxenus, however, appears to be a figure distinct from Polyxenus, son of Agasthenes, since he lived two generations before the Trojan War.
- A son of JasonJasonJason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
and MedeaMedeaMedea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children, Mermeros and Pheres. In Euripides's play Medea, Jason leaves Medea when Creon, king of...
.