Telephus

This article is about Telephus the son of Heracles. The name also refers to the father of Cyparissus.

A Greek mythological figure, Telephus (Greek: Τήλεφος) was one of the Heraclidae and by far the most famous of all of Heracles' sons because of his traveling aroun the Greek Peninsula, Italy, Asia-Minor and beyond. He was the son of Heracles and Auge, the spouse of Astyoche and the father of Eurypylus. He was supposed to be king of Tegea, but became the king of Mysia in Asia minor. He was wounded by the Achaeans when they were coming to Sack Troy and bring back Helen to Sparta, Greece.

Heracles with baby Telephus.

Myth

Birth

File:Herakles and Telephos.jpg

Heracles with baby Telephus in his arms as he's being suckled by the doe.

He was a son of Heracles and Princess Auge of Tegea. Her father Aleus was told by an oracle that he would be overthrown by his grandson. So he:

• Forced Auge to become a priestess of Athena and leave the child, Telephus, on Mt. Parthenion. Heracles had by that time become a god transformed himself into a deer and suckled Telephus.
• Auge and Telephus were put in a crate and set adrift on the sea. They washed up in Asia Minor.
• Abandoned Telephus and sold Auge into slavery who was adopted by King Teuthras.

In any case Telephus was either adopted by King Corycus or by King Creon.

The Youth's Travels

When the youth was around the age of 12-16 he left home on a journey to Tegea. Where his adopted father had found him. King Aleus and the men in his Palace excepted the handsome youth but still they inquired about his lineage and when he solemly told them that he didn't know who his real father or mother was. One of the menof the palace started to taunt the young prince. In anger the youth grabbed the man by his hair and tossed him out of the window of the palace. The man was Lycurgus the son of Aleus and so the Prophecy had come true.

Telephos and Auge

Parthenopaeus was destined to die at Thebes gates but Telephos was destined to rule foreign land and fight his fellow Greeks before they reached Troy. The two companions went of to Asia Minor (It is either Europe or Asia, never Africa that is colonized in Greek Mythology) to look for land to make there kingdom. They eventually came to the Kingdom of Mysia where they aided King Tuthras in a war and defeated the enemy. for this the King gave Telephus the hand of his beautiful adopted daughter Auge. Auge wasn't happy about her fathers decision and so she planned Telephos' death. When the two were going to bed together Auge grabbed a knife and tried to kill the man who was going to force her into a marriage she did not want for she was still in love with Hercules. Telephus grabbed the knife to kill her but Hercules seperated the two with a flash of lightning and they both recognized each other as mother and son.

King of Mysia and the Aecheans

Telephus later became King of the Mysians. When the Greeks left for the Trojan War, they accidentally, lacking maps, found themselves in Mysia. Being that there King, Telephus was married to Laodice the daughter of King Priam and that Paris and Helen had stopped in Mysia on their way to Troy and had asked him to fight of the Achaeans if they came they attacked the Achaeans and vice versa. In the battle, Achilles wounded Telephus, who killed Thersander the Kind of Thebes. This explains why in the Illiad there is no Theban King.

Telephus' Wound

The wound would not heal and Telephus asked the oracle of Delphi wich reponded in a mysterious way that "he that wounded shall heal".

Telephus' convinced Achilles to heal his wound in return for showing them the way to Troy.

According to others' reports about Euripides' lost play about Telephus, he went to Aulis pretending to be a beggar and asked Clytemnaestra the wife of Agamemnon the leader of the expedition to Troy what he should do to be healed. There were three reasons for why she helped him. Theese were:

• She was related to Heracles
• Heracles fought a war that made her father King of Sparta and her a Princess of Sparta again.
• She was angry at her husband and some say that he promised to marry her in return for her aid. Although he did not marry Clytaemnaestra.

In any case she helped him by telling her to kidnap her only son, Orestes and threaten to kill him if Achilles would nit heal his wound. He grabbed the young child and said that he would kill him if Achilles would not heal his wound. Achilles refused, claiming to have no medical knowledge. Telephus was about to kill Orestes, but Odysseus reasoned that the spear had inflicted the wound and the spear must be able to heal it. Pieces of the spear were scraped off onto the wound, and Telephus healed. This is an example of sympathetic magic. Afterwards Telephus guided the Achaeans to Troy and they asked him if he would like to join them but he declined there offer claming that he was the step-son of King Priam through his wife (a)Laodice, b) Astoche) and in that way was related to Paris the man that started the Trojan war along with Helen being their step brother.

He was one of the men that competed in the sports games when Paris one and was also one of them that threatened to kill him.

Eurypylus

Eurypylus was Telephus' son and he was supposed to become his successor to the throne but he died at Troy after his mother bribed him with the very same Golden Vine that Dyonysus tripped Telephus with that caused his wound. Telephus led his Mysian Forces towards Troy to help his grand father King Priam. Achilles' son Neoptolemus killed Telephus' son Eurypylus.

Heracles in the Arts

Telephus features in Sophocles's The Assembly of the Achaeans and Euripides' Telephus.

See also

• Heracles

External Links

• Greek Mythology Links.com/