Melanthos
Melanthos ( ancient Greek Μέλανθος ) is king of Messenia in Greek mythology . He was the son of Neleiden Andropompos with Henioche , a descendant of Admetus .
He was expelled by the Heraclids Temenos and Kresphontes . Therefore he left Pylos (see also " Palace of Nestor ") and finally came to Athens .
While Melanthos was in Athens, the Boeotier challenged Xanthos Thymoites , the king of Attica , to battle. Since this refused, Melanthos fought against Xanthos and defeated him in a duel. He then ousted Thymoites from the throne and became king of Attica himself. This deception is the reason why a festival called Apaturia (ancient Greek ἀπάτη = deception) was celebrated in Attica.
Melanthos is considered to be the founder of the Melanthid dynasty . His son Kodros became king of Attica after him.
swell
- ^ Strabo , Geographica , 393.
- ^ Herodotus , Historien , 5, 65.
- ^ Pausanias , Travels in Greece , 2, 18, 9.
- ^ Pausanias 4, 5, 10.
literature
- Heinrich Wilhelm Stoll : Melanthos 1 . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 2.2, Leipzig 1897, Col. 2583 f. ( Digitized version ).
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Thymoites | King of Attica | Kodros |