In
Greek mythology, Cepheus (;
Ancient Greek: Κηφεύς ''Kephéus'') was a king of
Tegea in
Arcadia. He was an
Argonaut, and was, along with most of his twenty sons, killed in
Heracles' war against
Hippocoon, king of
Sparta. He was perhaps the same Cepheus who, according to the mythographer
Apollodorus, participated in the
Calydonian boar hunt.
Family
Cepheus was a member of the Arcadian royal family, the descendants of
Pelasgos
In Greek mythology, Pelasgus ( grc, Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'' means "ancient") was the eponymous ancestor of the Pelasgians, the mythical inhabitants of Greece who established the worship of the Dodonaean Zeus, Hephaestus, the Cabeiri, and ...
, the first king of
Arcadia. He was usually said to be the son of
Aleus, the king of
Tegea in Arcadia. According to Apollodorus, Aleus had, by
Neaera the daughter of
Pereus, a daughter
Auge and two sons Cepheus and
Lycurgus. While according to the mythographer
Hyginus, Cepheus (the Argonaut) was the son of Aleus and
Cleobule. A different tradition perhaps made Cepheus a son of Lycurgus rather than Aleus.
In addition, the Argonaut
Amphidamas was said to be another brother of Chepheus and son of Aleus, while according to the geographer
Pausanias, Aleus had three sons, Lycurgus, Amphidamas and Cepheus, however Apollodorus has Amphidamas as the son of Lycurgus. According to the historian
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
, Aleus also had a daughter named
Alcidice.
Cepheus had twenty sons, one of whom was named
Aeropus. He also had a daughter
Sterope Sterope (; Ancient Greek: Στερόπη, , from , ''steropē'', lightning) was the name of several individuals in Greek mythology:
* Sterope (or Asterope), one of the Pleiades and the wife of Oenomaus (or his mother by Ares).
* Sterope, a Pleu ...
, who figured in the story of Cepheus' participation in the war against
Hippocoon. Pausanias also mentions two other daughters of Cepheus,
Aerope, who died giving birth to a son of the god
Ares
Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...
, and
Antinoe
In Greek mythology, the name Antinoe (; Ancient Greek: Ἀντινόη) may refer to:
* Antinoe, mother of Ancaeus and Epochus by King Lycurgus of Arcadia.Scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes, ''Argonautica'' 1.164 The latter's wife was otherwise kn ...
.
Mythology
In his youth, Cepheus joined
Jason and the
Argonauts
The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...
in their quest for the
Golden Fleece. He was joined by his brother
Amphidamas, and their nephew
Ancaeus, the son of their brother
Lycurgus. He was also perhaps, along with Ancaeus, one of the many heroes who joined
Meleager in hunting the
Calydonian boar, since according to Apollodorus, "Ancaeus and Cepheus, sons of Lycurgus, from Arcadia" were among those who participated in the hunt.
The hero
Heracles sought the help of Cepheus and his twenty sons, in his campaign against
Hippocoon, king of
Sparta. But, according to Apollodorus, Cepheus did not want to leave his kingdom unprotected, fearful that if he did, the Argives would march against Tegea. So Heracles gave Cepheus' daughter Sterope a lock of
Medusa the
Gorgon's hair, which Athena had given him, saying that if it was held up three times from the city walls, any enemy advancing on the city would turn in flight. Thus persuaded, Cepheus and his twenty sons joined Heracles' expedition against Hippocoon. According to Apolodorus, Cepheus and all of his twenty sons were killed in battle, while according to the historian
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
all were killed except three of the sons.
The city of
Caphyae was believed to have received its name from Cepheus. A Cepheus was said to have brought colonists to the town of
Kyrenia in
Cyprus.
[Hill]
p. 87 n. 4
Notes
References
*
Apollodorus, ''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
* Apollonius Rhodius, '' Argonautica'', edited and translated by William H. Race, Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a series of books originally published by Heinemann in London, but is currently published by Harvard University Press. The library contains important works of ancient Greek and L ...
No. 1, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2009.
Online version at Harvard University Press
* Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
, ''Library of History, Volume III: Books 4.59-8'', translated by C. H. Oldfather, Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a series of books originally published by Heinemann in London, but is currently published by Harvard University Press. The library contains important works of ancient Greek and L ...
No. 340. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1939.
Online version at Harvard University Press
* Grimal, Pierre, ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', Wiley-Blackwell, 1996. .
* Hyginus, Gaius Julius, '' Fabulae'' in ''Apollodorus' ''Library'' and Hyginus' ''Fabulae'': Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology, Translated, with Introductions by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma'', Hackett Publishing Company, 2007. .
* Hard, Robin, ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology"'', Psychology Press, 2004,
Google Books
* Hill, George, ''A History of Cyprus, Volume 1'', Cambridge University Press, 2010. .
* Parada, Carlos, ''Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology'', Jonsered, Paul Åströms Förlag, 1993. .
* 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
* Smith, William, '' Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', London (1873)
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Tripp, Edward, ''Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology'', Thomas Y. Crowell Co; First edition (June 1970). .
* Valerius Flaccus, ''Argonautica'', translated by J. H. Mozley, Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a series of books originally published by Heinemann in London, but is currently published by Harvard University Press. The library contains important works of ancient Greek and L ...
No. 286. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928
Online version at Harvard University Press
{{Greek-myth-stub
Argonauts
Mythological city founders
Mythological kings of Arcadia
Characters in the Argonautica
Mythological Arcadians
Tegea
Ancient Tegeans