Polycaste (;

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

: Πολυκάστη) is the name of several different women in

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 ...

: *Polycaste, a princess of

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

and daughter of King Nestor and

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 ...

(or

Anaxibia Anaxibia (; Ancient Greek: ) is the name of six characters in Greek mythology. *Anaxibia, one of the Danaïdes, married to Archelaus, son of Aegyptus. *Anaxibia, a naiad of the Ganges river. She fled from the advances of Helios, but she disappe ...

). She was sister to

Thrasymedes Thrasymedes of Paros ( el, Θρασυμήδης ο Παριανός) was an ancient Greek sculptor. Formerly he was regarded as a pupil of Phidias because he set up in the temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus a seated statue of that deity made of iv ...

Peisistratus Pisistratus or Peisistratus ( grc-gre, Πεισίστρατος ; 600 – 527 BC) was a politician in ancient Athens, ruling as tyrant in the late 560s, the early 550s and from 546 BC until his death. His unification of Attica, the triangular ...

Pisidice In Greek mythology, Pisidice (, grc, Πεισιδίκη, ''Peisidíkē'') or Peisidice, was one of the following individuals: * Pisidice, a Thessalian princess as the daughter of King Aeolus of Aeolia and Enarete, daughter of Deimachus. She was ...

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus ...

Stratichus In Greek mythology, Stratichus (; Ancient Greek: Στράτιχος ''Strátikhos''), also known as Stratius, was a prince of Pylos and the son of King Nestor and either Eurydice or Anaxibia. He was the brother to Thrasymedes, Pisidice, Polycaste, ...

Aretus Aretus (; Ancient Greek: Ἄρητος, ''Árētos'') was one of several characters in Greek mythology: *Aretus, son of Bias and Pero, and brother of Perialces and Alphesiboea, wife of King Pelias of Iolcus. *King Aretus of Pylos, son of Nestor ...

Echephron Echephron (; Ancient Greek: Ἐχέφρων, ''gen''.: Ἐχέφρωνος) is the name of three characters in Greek mythology. *Echephron, a prince of Pylos and son of King Nestor and Eurydice (or Anaxibia). He was the brother of Thrasymedes, P ...

and Antilochus. Polycaste bathed

Telemachus Telemachus ( ; grc, Τηλέμαχος, Tēlemakhos, lit=far-fighter), in Greek mythology, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who is a central character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in s ...

on his way to

and later married him. They had a son, Persepolis. *Polycaste, daughter of

Lygaeus ''Lygaeus'' is a genus of seed bugs in the family Lygaeidae. There are more than 60 described species in ''Lygaeus''. Species These 69 species belong to the genus ''Lygaeus'': * '' Lygaeus alboornatus'' Blanchard, 1852 * '' Lygaeus analis'' D ...

. She was married to

Icarius In Greek mythology, there were two people named Icarius (; grc, Ἰκάριος ''Ikários''). * Icarius, a Spartan prince, son of Perieres. * Icarius, an Athenian who received Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, ...

, by whom she became the mother of

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...

Alyzeus Alyzeus ( grc, Ἀλυζεύς) was in Greek mythology a son of Icarius and Polycaste, and brother of Penelope and Leucadius. After his father's death, he reigned in conjunction with his brother over Acarnania, and is said to have founded the town ...

and

Leucadius In Greek mythology, the name Leucadius may refer to: *Leucadius, a son of Icarius and Polycaste, co-ruler of Acarnania with his brother Alyzeus, and the eponym of Leucas. *Leucadius, a surname of Apollo.Ovid, ''Tristia'' 3.1.42 & 5.2.76; Propert ...

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, 10.2.24 *Polycaste, sister of

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, a ...

and the mother of

Perdix ''Perdix'' is a genus of Galliform gamebirds known collectively as the 'true partridges'. These birds are unrelated to the subtropical species that have been named after the partridge due to similar size and morphology. Taxonomy The genus ''Pe ...

. Because her brother killed her son, she laughed with joy when she saw Icarus (Daedalus' own son) fall into the sea and drown when he had flown too close to the sun.

Notes

References

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: ...

, ''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
*

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 ...

, ''The Odyssey'' with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, PH.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

, ''The Geography of Strabo.'' Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
* Strabo, ''Geographica'' edited by A. Meineke. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.

External links

{{Greek myth index Princesses in Greek mythology Women in Greek mythology Pylian characters in Greek mythology Children of Nestor (mythology)