In Greek mythology, Peleus was described as the son of Aeacus, king of Aegina and Endeis. Peleus and his brother Telamon killed their step-brother Phocus(son of Aeacus and nereid Psamathe). It was described that Endeis was jealous of her stepson Phocus and induced her sons Peleus and Telamon to murder the boy. In some versions, it was described that Telamon and Peleus were jealous of Phocus because he excelled at athletic sports. In any case they drew lots and Telamon was chosen to murder Phocus, his half brother. This was done in a ruse at the pentathlon which they convinced Phocus to participate in. In the sport, Telamon threw a discus under the pretense of participating in the competition. The projectile hit its target, accidentally killing Phocus. Both Telamon and Peleus hid the body of Phocus, but it was soon discovered. For this Aeacus exiled them both from Aegina.
Peleus went to Phthia to be purified by his uncle King Eurytion, whose daughter Antigone he married, receiving a third of Eurytion’s kingdom. Later during the Calydonian boar hunt Peleus accidentally killed his father-in-law, Eurytion.
Peleus then went to Iolcos to be purified by King Acastus. In the funeral games that Acastus celebrated in honor of his father(Pelias:-the king who sent Jason after the golden fleece), Atalanta wrestled with Peleus and won over him. Acastus's wife Astydamia or Hippolyte fell in love with Peleus, and as he refused her, she sent a message to Peleus' wife Antigone telling her that Peleus was about to marry Acastus' daughter Sterope. On learning this, Antigone hung herself up. In addition, Astydamia told her husband that Peleus had attempted to seduce her. Acastus was reluctant to kill the man he had purified, but took him instead to hunt on Mount Pelion, and when Peleus had fallen asleep, he deserted him, hiding his sword. Having woke up unarmed, Peleus was caught by the Centaurs, who would have killed him. But the centaur Chiron or Hermes returned Peleus' sword with magical powers and Peleus managed to escape. According some versions, by his wife Antigone, Peleus became father of Polydora. In rare version (or in error), after the death of Peleus first wife, Antigone, Peleus married Polydora, a granddaughter of Perseus (slayer of Medusa) and Andromeda.
In some versions, later Peleus with Jason and the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), attacked and sacked Iolcus, capturing Queen Astydamia, who had plotted against him. Peleus then, in an attempt to get even, divided her limb from limb, leading his army through her into the city.
According to Greek Legend, Zeus and Poseidon had been once rivals for the hand of Thetis (the goddess of water) , but because Themis (the goddess justice), or Prometheus prophesied that the son born of Thetis would be stronger than his father, they both withdrew. In order to ensure a mortal father for her eventual offspring, Zeus and Poseidon made arrangements for her to marry a human, Peleus. In other version, Thetis refused to have sex with Zeus because she had been brought up by Hera. So Zeus wishing to punish her, married her to a mortal, his own grandson Peleus.
Thetis unwilling to wed a mortal, resisted Peleus' advance by changing herself into various shapes. Peleus was able to win Thetis with the aid of Proteus or the centaur Chiron , told Peleus how to overcome Thetis' ability to change her form.
The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was celebrated on Mt Pelion outside the cave of Chiron and attended by the deities. At the marriage celebration, Apollo played the lyre and Muses sang. At the wedding Chiron gave Peleus a spear that had been polished by goddess Athene and had a blade forged by Hephaestus. Poseidon gave him the immortal horses Balius and Xanthus. Eris, goddess of discord, had not been invited. Eris threw a golden apple into the midst of the goddesses that was to be awarded only "to the fairest".
Three goddesses claimed the apple Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. They asked Zeus to judge which of them was fairest , but knowing that choosing any of them would bring him the hatred of the other two, Zeus did not want to take part in the decision. He thus appointed Paris, the prince of Troy, to select the most beautiful. Rejecting bribes of kingly power from Hera and military might from Athena, he chose Aphrodite and accepted her bribe to help him win the most beautiful woman alive. His seduction of Helen (the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta) and refusal to return her was the cause of the Trojan War.
The marriage of Peleus and Thetis produced seven sons, six of whom died in infancy. The only surviving son was Achilles. According to some versions, Peleus stymied Thetis's attempt to make Achilles immortal by appearing at the wrong moment and she deserted him.
Thetis wished to make her son Achilles immortal, and for that purpose she dipped him in the waters of the river Styx, by which he became invulnerable, except for the part of his heel by which she held him. In other version, Thetis without the knowledge of Peleus, used to put the baby in the fire by night in order to destroy the mortal element which Achilles had inherited from Peleus, while anointing him with ambrosia during the day. But when Peleus saw the child writhing on the fire, he cried out, thus preventing Thetis from accomplishing her purpose. Then she threw the screaming child to the ground, and leaving both husband and son and never returned again to Phthia, though she always kept an eye on her offspring. Peleus gave Achilles to the centaur Chiron, to raise on Mt. Pelion.
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| Peleus |
Peleus went to Phthia to be purified by his uncle King Eurytion, whose daughter Antigone he married, receiving a third of Eurytion’s kingdom. Later during the Calydonian boar hunt Peleus accidentally killed his father-in-law, Eurytion.
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| Calydonian boar hunt.................... |
Peleus then went to Iolcos to be purified by King Acastus. In the funeral games that Acastus celebrated in honor of his father(Pelias:-the king who sent Jason after the golden fleece), Atalanta wrestled with Peleus and won over him. Acastus's wife Astydamia or Hippolyte fell in love with Peleus, and as he refused her, she sent a message to Peleus' wife Antigone telling her that Peleus was about to marry Acastus' daughter Sterope. On learning this, Antigone hung herself up. In addition, Astydamia told her husband that Peleus had attempted to seduce her. Acastus was reluctant to kill the man he had purified, but took him instead to hunt on Mount Pelion, and when Peleus had fallen asleep, he deserted him, hiding his sword. Having woke up unarmed, Peleus was caught by the Centaurs, who would have killed him. But the centaur Chiron or Hermes returned Peleus' sword with magical powers and Peleus managed to escape. According some versions, by his wife Antigone, Peleus became father of Polydora. In rare version (or in error), after the death of Peleus first wife, Antigone, Peleus married Polydora, a granddaughter of Perseus (slayer of Medusa) and Andromeda.
In some versions, later Peleus with Jason and the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), attacked and sacked Iolcus, capturing Queen Astydamia, who had plotted against him. Peleus then, in an attempt to get even, divided her limb from limb, leading his army through her into the city.
According to Greek Legend, Zeus and Poseidon had been once rivals for the hand of Thetis (the goddess of water) , but because Themis (the goddess justice), or Prometheus prophesied that the son born of Thetis would be stronger than his father, they both withdrew. In order to ensure a mortal father for her eventual offspring, Zeus and Poseidon made arrangements for her to marry a human, Peleus. In other version, Thetis refused to have sex with Zeus because she had been brought up by Hera. So Zeus wishing to punish her, married her to a mortal, his own grandson Peleus.
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| Peleus and Thetis..................... |
Thetis unwilling to wed a mortal, resisted Peleus' advance by changing herself into various shapes. Peleus was able to win Thetis with the aid of Proteus or the centaur Chiron , told Peleus how to overcome Thetis' ability to change her form.
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| Marriage of Peleus and Thetis |
The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was celebrated on Mt Pelion outside the cave of Chiron and attended by the deities. At the marriage celebration, Apollo played the lyre and Muses sang. At the wedding Chiron gave Peleus a spear that had been polished by goddess Athene and had a blade forged by Hephaestus. Poseidon gave him the immortal horses Balius and Xanthus. Eris, goddess of discord, had not been invited. Eris threw a golden apple into the midst of the goddesses that was to be awarded only "to the fairest".
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| Judgement of Paris....................in the wedding of Peleus and Thetis..... |
Three goddesses claimed the apple Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. They asked Zeus to judge which of them was fairest , but knowing that choosing any of them would bring him the hatred of the other two, Zeus did not want to take part in the decision. He thus appointed Paris, the prince of Troy, to select the most beautiful. Rejecting bribes of kingly power from Hera and military might from Athena, he chose Aphrodite and accepted her bribe to help him win the most beautiful woman alive. His seduction of Helen (the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta) and refusal to return her was the cause of the Trojan War.
The marriage of Peleus and Thetis produced seven sons, six of whom died in infancy. The only surviving son was Achilles. According to some versions, Peleus stymied Thetis's attempt to make Achilles immortal by appearing at the wrong moment and she deserted him.
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| Thetis dipped Achilles in the water of the river Styx |
Thetis wished to make her son Achilles immortal, and for that purpose she dipped him in the waters of the river Styx, by which he became invulnerable, except for the part of his heel by which she held him. In other version, Thetis without the knowledge of Peleus, used to put the baby in the fire by night in order to destroy the mortal element which Achilles had inherited from Peleus, while anointing him with ambrosia during the day. But when Peleus saw the child writhing on the fire, he cried out, thus preventing Thetis from accomplishing her purpose. Then she threw the screaming child to the ground, and leaving both husband and son and never returned again to Phthia, though she always kept an eye on her offspring. Peleus gave Achilles to the centaur Chiron, to raise on Mt. Pelion.
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