Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Icarius (; ''Ikários'') was a

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n king and a champion runner.

Family

Icarius was the son of either Perieres and

Gorgophone In Greek mythology, Gorgophone ( "Gorgon-Slayer") was the name of two different women. * Gorgophone, daughter of Perseus. * Gorgophone, a Libyan princess as one of the 50 Danaïdes. She married and murdered Proteus, son of King Aegyptus of Egypt ...

or of

Oebalus In Greek mythology, Oebalus, also spelled Oibalus or Oibalius, (; Ancient Greek: Οἴβαλος, '' Oíbalos'') was a king of Sparta. Family Oibalus was the son of either Cynortas or Argalus. He was the second husband of Princess Gorgophone ...

and Bateia and thus brother of

Hippocoon In Greek mythology, the name Hippocoön (; , ''Hippokóōn'') refers to several characters: *Hippocoon, in one account, father of Neleus, who is otherwise called son of Cretheus or Poseidon. * Hippocoon, a Spartan king, father of Enarephoros an ...

and

Tyndareus In Greek mythology, Tyndareus (; Ancient Greek: Τυνδάρεος, ''Tundáreos''; Attic Greek, Attic: Τυνδάρεως, ''Tundáreōs''; ) was a Spartan king. Family Tyndareus was the son of Oebalus (or Perieres (king of Messenia), Perieres ...

. By the

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

Periboea __NOTOC__ In Greek mythology, the name Periboea (; Ancient Greek: Περίβοια "surrounded by cattle" derived from ''peri'' "around" and ''boes'' "cattle") refers to multiple figures: *Periboea, one of the 3,000 Oceanids, water-nymph daught ...

, he became the father of

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

Perileos In Greek mythology, Perileos (; Ancient Greek: Περίλεως) or Perilaus (; Περίλᾱος) is a name that may refer to: *Perileos, is the Spartan son of Icarius and the naiad Periboea, he was the brother of Penelope, Thoas, Damasippus, I ...

, Thoas, Damasippus,

Imeusimus In Greek mythology, Imeusimus (Ancient Greek: Ἰμεύσιμος) is the son of Icarius and the naiad Periboea. He was the brother of Penelope, Perileos, Thoas, Damasippus, Aletes and possibly Iphthime. Imeusimus was also called Semus (Σῆ ...

, Aletes and

Iphthime In Greek mythology, the name Iphthime () refers to: *Iphthime, daughter of Icarius, a sister of Penelope and Perileos. She became the wife of Eumelus from Pherae and possibly, the mother of his son, Zeuxippus. In Homer's ''Odyssey'', Athena c ...

.Apollodorus, 3.10.3-6 According to other traditions, the mother of Penelope,

Alyzeus Alyzeus () 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 of Alyzeia (modern Al ...

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; Prope ...

was

Polycaste Polycaste (; Ancient Greek: Πολυκάστη) is the name of several different women in Greek mythology: *Polycaste, a princess of Pylos and daughter of King Nestor and Eurydice (or Anaxibia). She was sister to Thrasymedes, Peisistratus, Pi ...

, daughter of Lygaeus. His other possible wives were

Dorodoche In Greek mythology, Dorodoche (Ancient Greek: Δωροδόχην) was a native of Pharae in Messenia as the daughter of Ortilochus. She was the wife of IcariusScholia ad Homer, ''Odyssey'' 15.16 and the supposed mother of his progeny including ...

(daughter of Ortilochus) and

Asterodia In Greek mythology, the name Asterodia, Asterodeia, or Asterodea (; Ancient Greek: Ἀστεροδεία, Ἀστεροδία) refers to: *Asterodia, a Caucasian nymph and one of the Oceanids as the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, mother of A ...

(daughter of

Eurypylus In Greek mythology, Eurypylus (; ) was the name of several different people: * Eurypylus, was a Thessalian king, son of Euaemon and Ops. He was a former suitor of Helen thus he led the Thessalians during Trojan War. * Eurypylus, was son of T ...

). The latter was said to have born him the following children: * Polymelos,

Damasiclus In Greek mythology, Damasiclus (Ancient Greek: Δαμάσικλος or Δαμασίκλου) may refer to two different characters: * Damasiclus, father of Erymede, mother of Taenarus by Elatus, son of Icarius. * Damasiclus, also called Amasicl ...

( Amasiclus), Penelope and

Laodice Laodice (meaning "people-justice") may refer to: Greek mythology *''see Laodice (Greek myth)'' * Laodice (daughter of Priam), a princess of Troy * Laodice, daughter of Agamemnon, sometimes conflated with Electra * Laodice, one of the Hyperborean m ...

; or * Amasichus, Phalereus, Thoon, Pheremmelias, Perilaos, Penelope and

Laodamia In Greek mythology, the name Laodamia (Ancient Greek: Λαοδάμεια ''Laodámeia'') referred to: * Laodamia (or Hippodamia), a Lycian princess as the daughter of Bellerophon and Philonoe, daughter of King Iobates. Her mother was also know ...

(also called Mede or

Hypsipyle In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle () was a queen of Lemnos, and the daughter of King Thoas of Lemnos, and the granddaughter of Dionysus and Ariadne. When the women of Lemnos killed all the males on the island, Hypsipyle saved her father Thoas. She r ...

). In some accounts, Icarius was the father of

Elatus There were several figures named Elatus or Élatos (Ancient Greek: Ἔλατος means "ductile") in Greek mythology. * Elatus, a son of Arcas by either Leaneira (or Laodameia), Meganeira, Chrysopeleia or Erato and the brother of Apheidas ...

who fathered

Taenarus Cape Matapan (, Maniot dialect: Ματαπά), also called Cape Tainaron or Taenarum (), or Cape Tenaro, is situated at the end of the Mani Peninsula, Greece. Cape Matapan is the southernmost point of mainland Greece, and the second southernm ...

by Erymede, daughter Damasiclus. Otherwise, Taenarus was called Icarius’ son with no mention of the birth mother.

Mythology

Hippocoon, a natural son of Oebalus, expelled his two brothers, Tyndareus and Icarius, from Lacedaemon: they fled to

Thestius In Greek mythology, Thestius (; Ancient Greek: Θέστιος) was a king of Pleuronians in Aetolia. He is not to be confused with Thespius, who was sometimes referred to as "Thestius". The patronymic "Thestias" may refer to one of his daughters ...

at Pleuron, and dwelt beyond the river

Achelous In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Achelous (also Acheloos or Acheloios) (; Ancient Greek: Ἀχελώϊος, and later , ''Akhelôios'') was the god associated with the Achelous River, the largest river in Greece. Accordi ...

. Subsequently, when

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

had slain Hippocoon and his sons, Tyndareus returned to Sparta, while Icarius remained in

Acarnania Acarnania () is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part ...

. According to

Apollodorus Apollodorus ( 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: :''Note: A ...

, however, Icarius also returned. Another tradition relates that Icarius, who sided with Hippocoon, assisted him in expelling Tyndareus from Sparta. While in Acarnania, Icarius became the father of the above progeny. Icarius was a

n king and a champion runner who would not allow anyone to marry his daughter unless he beat him in a race.

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

succeeded and married Penelope, but according to others, Tyndareus sued for the hand of Penelope for Odysseus, from gratitude for a piece of advice which Odysseus had given him. After they got married, Icarius tried to persuade Odysseus to remain in Sparta. He did leave with Penelope, but Icarius followed them, imploring his daughter to stay. Odysseus told her she must choose whether to be with her father or with her husband. Penelope did not answer, but modestly covered her face with a veil. Icarius correctly understood that this was a sign of her will to leave with Odysseus, let them go and erected a statue of

Aidos Aidos or Aedos (; Greek: , ) was the Greek personification of either shame or modesty. Aidos, as a quality, was that feeling of reverence or shame which restrains men from wrong. It also encompassed the emotion that a rich person might feel in th ...

(Modesty) on the spot.Pausanias, 3.20.10-11 Icarius was apparently still alive at the time of the events of the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''.

Notes

References

, ''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.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
*

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 "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

, ''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.
Princes in Greek mythology Mythological Laconians {{greek-myth-royal-stub