Eurytus (King of Oichalia)

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The Eurytios crater , around 600 BC With Eurytus and his children; from left to right :: Klytios (ΚΛΥΤΙΟΣ), Didaiwon (ΔΙΔΑΙϜΟΝ), Eurytios (ΕΥΡΥΤΙΟΣ), Wiphitos (ϜΙΦΙΤΟΣ) and Wiola (ϜΙΟΛΑ)

Eurytos ( Greek  Εὔρυτος , abundantly fluent ) is a king of Greek mythology . He is the king of Oichalia and the father of Iphitos , Clytios , Toxeus , Deion as well as the Dryope and the Iole .

He wanted to marry Iole with the one who would win an archery competition against his sons and himself. Thereupon he was defeated by Heracles , but refused to accept his daughter on the grounds that he had cheated with magic arrows. Secretly, however, he feared that Heracles might kill their children, like the children of Megara , in a fit of rage. In addition, Eurytus accused Heracles of stealing cattle.

Iphitus, in search of the missing cattle, also came to Heracles. This lured him to the city wall of Tiryns on the pretext of a better view over the country and threw him down in revenge or in a fit of madness. To atone for this crime, Heracles had to be sold into slavery by Hermes , the purchase price of which should go to the children of Iphitus, who however refused to do so.

Heracles later stormed Oichalia, killed Eurytus and his remaining sons, and robbed Iole in order to marry her to his son Hyllos .

According to Pausanias, his bones were kept in the Carnasian grove near Andania in Messenia.

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