Alkathoos (son of Pelops)
Alkathoos ( Greek Ἀλκάθοος ) is the son of Pelops and Hippodameia in Greek mythology . His brothers are Atreus and Thyestes . Alkathoos was initially married to Pyrgo, but later married Euaichme . As children he had Ischepolis , Kallipolis , Iphinoe , Periboia and Automedusa .
Since Alkathoos had killed his half-brother Chrysippus , he fled from Elis to Megara . There King Megareus had vowed to give his daughter Euaichme in marriage and his kingdom to anyone who would manage to kill the Citharonic Lions . The lion had previously killed the king's son, Euhippus . Alkathoos rose to this challenge, killed the lion and initially received Euaichme as his wife, and after the death of Megareus also his kingdom. Out of gratitude, he built temples for Artemis Agrotera and Apollon Agraios in Megara , and he also renewed the city's walls. Apollo himself is said to have stood by him in this activity, and the piece of wall on which the god laid his kithara during his work is said to have produced the sound of a struck string in historical times when stones were thrown at it.
When his son Kallipolis brought him the news of the death of his eldest son Ischepolis during a sacrifice to Apollo, Alkathoos felt this to be so grave sacrilege that he slew Kallipolis in anger. A seer had to atone for this act.
As the father of Periboia, who married Telamon , he was the grandfather of the great Ajax . From this relationship later claims Megaras on salamis derived .
Alkathoos was the eponymous hero of the western acropolis of Megara and had a heroon and burial place for his relatives, games and sacrifices in his honor. The city was later referred to as Alacathoi urbs or Alcathoe in his memory .
literature
- Hans von Geisau : Alkathoos 1. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 1, Stuttgart 1964, Col. 260-260.
- Hiller von Gaertringen : Alkathoos 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 1510 f.
- Julius Adolf Bernhard : Alkathoos 1 . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 1,1, Leipzig 1886, Col. 231 f. ( Digitized version ).