Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, Laomedon (; grc, Λαομέδων means "ruler of the people") was a

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

king, son of

Ilus In Greek mythology, Ilus (; ) is the name of several mythological persons associated directly or indirectly with Troy. * Ilus, the son of Dardanus, and the legendary founder of Dardania. * Ilus, the son of Tros, and the legendary founder of Troy ...

and thus nephew of Ganymede and

Assaracus In Greek mythology, Assaracus (; Ancient Greek: Ἀσσάρακος ''Assarakos'') was a king of Dardania. Family Assaracus was the second son of Tros, King of Dardania by his wife Callirhoe, daughter of Scamander,Conon, ''Narrations'' 12 ...

Family

Laomedon's mother was variously identified as

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

Apollodorus Apollodorus (Ancient Greek, Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: ...

3.12.2
/ref>

Leucippe In Greek mythology, Leucippe ( grc, Λευκίππη means 'white horse') is the name of the following individuals: *Leucippe, one of the 3,000 Oceanids, water-nymph daughters of the Titans Oceanus and his sister-spouse Tethys. Leucippe, along wi ...

or Batia. Thus, his possible siblings are

Themiste In Greek mythology, Themiste () or Themis was a Trojan princess and daughter of King Ilus II of Troad and possibly, Eurydice or Leucippe. She was the (half) sister of Laomedon, Tithonius and Telecleia. Themiste was married off by Ilus to her ...

Telecleia In Greek mythology, Telecleia (Ancient Greek: Τηλέκλεια) was a Trojan princess as the daughter of King Ilus of Troy and possibly, Eurydice or Leucippe. She was the (half) sister of Laomedon, Tithonius and Themiste. Telecleia married K ...

and sometimes, even

Tithonus In Greek mythology, Tithonus ( or ; grc, Τιθωνός, Tithonos) was the lover of Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. He was a prince of Troy, the son of King Laomedon by the Naiad Strymo (Στρυμώ). The mythology reflected by the fifth-century va ...

. He was the father of Priam,

Lampus In Greek mythology, Lampus or Lampos (Ancient Greek: Λάμπος), a Greek verb meaning "glitter" or "shine", may refer to: ''Human'' *Lampus, a son of Aegyptus, who married and was killed by the Danaïdes, Danaid Ocypete (mythology), Ocypete. * ...

, Hicetaon,

Clytius Clytius (Ancient Greek: Κλυτίος), also spelled Klythios, Klytios, Clytios, and Klytius, is the name of multiple people in Greek mythology: * Clytius, one of the Giants, sons of Gaia, killed by Hecate during the Gigantomachy, the battle of ...

Hesione In Greek mythology and later art, the name Hesione ( /hɪˈsaɪ.əniː/; Ancient Greek: Ἡσιόνη) refers to various mythological figures, of whom the Trojan princess Hesione is most known. Mythology According to the '' Bibliotheca'', the ...

, Cilla,

Astyoche The name Astyoche (; Ancient Greek: Ἀστυόχη means 'possessor of the city') or Astyocheia was attributed to the following individuals in Greek mythology: *Astyoche, naiad daughter of the river god Simoeis, mother of Tros by Erichthonius ...

Proclia In Greek mythology, Proclia or Proclea (Ancient Greek: Πρόκλεια ''Prókleia'') is the daughter of Laomedon, king of Troy, or Clytius, son of Laomedon (and in the latter case sister of Caletor).Pausanias10.14.2/ref> She married Cycnus, king ...

Aethilla In Greek mythology, Aethilla or Aethylla (Ancient Greek: Αἴθιλλα or Αἴθυλλα) was Trojan princess as a daughter of King Laomedon and sister of Priam, Lampus, Hicetaon, Clytius, Hesione, Cilla, Astyoche, Proclia, Medesicaste an ...

Medesicaste In Greek mythology, the name Medesicaste ( grc, Μηδεσικάστη) refers to two women of the Trojan royal house: * Medesicaste, a daughter of Laomedon and thus a sister of Priam. Together with her sisters Aethilla and Astyoche, she was taken ...

and

Clytodora Clytodora (Ancient Greek: Κλυτοδώρα) is a name in Greek mythology that may refer to: *Clytodora, a Trojan princess as the daughter of Laomedon, probably either by Placia, Strymo (or Rhoeo), Leucippe or Zeuxippe. Clytodora was the (half) ...

.Apollodorus and Hyginus p. 63;

Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...

, ''Antiquitates Romanae'
1.62.2
/ref> Tithonus is also described by most sources as Laomedon's eldest legitimate son, and most sources omit Ganymede from the list of Laomedon's children, but indicate him as his uncle instead. Laomedon's possible wives are

Placia Placia or Plakia or Placie or Plakie ( grc, Πλακίη), also known as Placa or Plaka or Place or Plake (Πλάκη), was a town of ancient Mysia, on the coast of the Propontis, at the foot of the Mysian Olympus east of Cyzicus. It was a Pelasgia ...

, Strymo (or Rhoeo),

Zeuxippe In Greek mythology, Zeuxippe (; Ancient Greek: Ζευξίππη) was the name of several women. The name means "she who yokes horses," from ''zeugos'', "yoke of beasts" / "pair of horses," and ''hippos'', "horse." *Zeuxippe, a naiad nymph of Athen ...

or Leucippe;Apollodorus and Hyginus p. 63 by the former he begot

and by the latter King Priam (see

John Tzetzes John Tzetzes ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης Τζέτζης, Iōánnēs Tzétzēs; c. 1110, Constantinople – 1180, Constantinople) was a Byzantine poet and grammarian who is known to have lived at Constantinople in the 12th century. He was able to p ...

' ''Scholia in Lycophronem'' 18 : "Priamus was the son of Leucippe, whereas Tithonus was the son of Rhoeo or Strymo, the daughter of

Scamander Scamander (; also Skamandros ( grc, Σκάμανδρος) or Xanthos () was a river god in Greek mythology. Etymology The meaning of this name is uncertain. The second element looks like it is derived from Greek () meaning 'of a man', but t ...

"). He also had a son named

Bucolion In Greek mythology, Bucolion (Ancient Greek: Βουκολίωνα) may refer to the following individuals: * Bucolion, an Arcadian prince as one of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon either by the naiad Cyllene, Nonacris or by unknown wo ...

by the nymph

Calybe Calybe (Ancient Greek: Καλυβη means "rustic hut") may refer to the two distinct characters from Greek mythology: * Calybe, a nymph who was a wife of the Trojan king Laomedon and the mother of Bucolion. * Calybe, one of the follower of Dionys ...

, as recounted by

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

in the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

''.

Dictys Cretensis Dictys Cretensis, i.e. Dictys of Crete (, ; grc, Δίκτυς ὁ Κρής) of Knossos was a legendary companion of Idomeneus during the Trojan War, and the purported author of a diary of its events, that deployed some of the same materials worke ...

added

Thymoetes In Greek mythology, there were at least three people named Thymoetes (; Ancient Greek: Θυμοίτης ''Thumoítēs''). *Thymoetes, one of the elders of Troy (also spelled Thymoetus) and also a Trojan prince as the son of King Laomedon. A sooth ...

to the list of Laomedon's children.

Mythology

Casa di Ottavio Quartione, Pompeya, Italia, 2016 04

Magical horses

Laomedon owned several horses with divine parentage that Zeus had given

Tros Tros or TROS may refer to: * 18281 Tros, an asteroid * Transformer read-only storage, a type of read-only memory * TROS, a Dutch broadcasting union, originally an acronym for Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting * Tros (mythology), a figure in Greek ...

(Laomedon's grandfather) as compensation for the kidnapping of Tros's son Ganymede.

Anchises Anchises (; grc-gre, Ἀγχίσης, Ankhísēs) was a member of the royal family of Troy in Greek and Roman legend. He was said to have been the son of King Capys of Dardania and Themiste, daughter of Ilus, who was son of Tros. He is most fam ...

secretly bred his own mares from these horses. According to one story, Ganymede was kidnapped by

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

, who had seen the exceptional Virtue of the boy, as worthy only of Olympus, and ascended the young man into Heaven. Tros grieved for his son. Sympathetic, Zeus sent

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

with two horses so swift they could run over water. Hermes also assured Tros that Ganymede was immortal and would be the cupbearer for the gods, a position of much distinction. Laomedon himself was the son of Ganymede's brother

, the son of Tros.

Wrath of gods

When

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

entered a conspiracy to put Zeus in bonds, the supreme god being offended, sent them to serve with King Laomedon as punishment for their nefarious design. In other sources, the two gods simply tested the wantonness of the Laomedon. As ordered by Laomedon who promised wages, the two deities assuming the likeness of men undertook to build huge walls around the city. But when they had finished, the king refused to fulfill their agreement of reward. In vengeance, before the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...

, Apollo sent a pestilence to Troy while Poseidon released a sea monster which, carried up by a flood, snatched away the people of the plain. The oracles foretold deliverance from these calamities if Laomedon would expose his daughter Hesione to be devoured by the sea monster. The king then exposed her by fastening her to the rocks near the sea. But by chance, after fighting the Amazons, Heracles, who had landed at Troy, saw the girl to be sacrificed. The hero promised to save the princess on condition of receiving from Laomedon the mares which Zeus had given in compensation for the ascendance of Ganymede into Olympus to serve the Deities. When Laomedon agreed, Heracles (along with

Oicles In Greek mythology, Oicles or Oecles (; grc, Οἰκλῆς), also Oicleus or Oecleus (; Οἰκλεύς), was the father of the seer Amphiaraus. He accompanied Heracles on his campaign against Troy. Family According to Homer's ''Odyssey'', Oicle ...

and

Telamon In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argo ...

) killed the monster and rescued Hesione at the last minute. But when Laomedon would not give up his magical horses for their deeds, the hero put to sea after threatening to make war on Troy. Casa di Ottavio Quartione, Pompeya, Italia, 2016 05

Casa di Ottavio Quartione, Pompeya, Italia, 2016 05

Siege of Heracles

After his servitude, Heracles mustered an army of noble volunteers and sailed for Ilium with eighteen ships of fifty oars each. Having come to port at Ilium, he left the guard of the ships to Oicles and he, with the rest of the champions, set out to attack the city. Meanwhile, Laomedon marched against the ships with a multitude and slew Oicles in battle. But being repulsed by the troops of Heracles, Laomedon was besieged. The siege once laid, Telamon was the first to breach the wall and enter the city, and after him Heracles. When the son of Zeus had taken the city he shot down Laomedon and his sons, except Podarces. Heracles assigned Hesione as a war prize to Telamon (by whom Telamon had a son called

Teucer In Greek mythology, Teucer (), also Teucrus, Teucros or Teucris ( grc, Τεῦκρος, Teûkros), was the son of King Telamon of Salamis Island and his second wife Hesione, daughter of King Laomedon of Troy. He fought alongside his half-bro ...

Apollodorus and Hyginus pp. 38–39) and allowed her to take with her whomsoever of the captives she would. When Hesione chose Podarces, Heracles said that her brother must first be a slave and then be ransomed by her. So, when the prince was being sold, Hesione took the golden veil from her head and gave it as a ransom; hence Podarces was thereafter called Priam (from ''priamai'' 'to buy').

Genealogical tree

Notes

References

*Apollodorus and Hyginus (2007) ''Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology''. Trans. R. Scott Smith and Stephen Trzaskoma. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. . *

, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

Conon Conon ( el, Κόνων) (before 443 BC – c. 389 BC) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he c ...

'', Fifty Narrations, surviving as one-paragraph summaries in the Bibliotheca (Library) of Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople'' translated from the Greek by Brady Kiesling
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
*

'', from The Trojan War.'' ''The Chronicles of Dictys of Crete and Dares the Phrygian'' translated by Richard McIlwaine Frazer, Jr. (1931-). Indiana University Press. 1966
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
* Dionysus of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities.'' English translation by Earnest Cary in the Loeb Classical Library, 7 volumes. Harvard University Press, 1937–1950
Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
*Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Antiquitatum Romanarum quae supersunt'', ''Vol I-IV''. . Karl Jacoby. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1885
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
*

, ''The Iliad'' with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Homer, ''Homeri Opera'' in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
{{s-end Princes in Greek mythology Mythological kings of Troy Kings in Greek mythology Metamorphoses characters Deeds of Poseidon Deeds of Apollo Mythology of Heracles