Hippocoon

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In Greek mythology, the name Hippocoön (/hˈpɒkˌɒn, -kəˌwɒn/; Ancient Greek: Ἱπποκόων) refers to several characters:

  • A son of the Spartan King Oebalus and Bateia. His brothers (or half-brothers) were Tyndareus and Icarius.[1] When their father died, Tyndareus became king. Hippocoön, with the help of his sons, overthrew him, took the throne and expelled his brothers from the kingdom. Later, Hippocoön refused to cleanse Heracles after the death of Iphitus. Because of that, Heracles became hostile to Hippocoön, killed him and reinstated Tyndareus.[2][3] All of Hippocoön's sons were also slain by Heracles, as a revenge for the death of the young Oeonus, son of Licymnius, whom they had killed because he had stoned their dog in self-defense.[4][5] Heracles's allies in the war against Hippocoön were Cepheus of Arcadia and his twenty sons, who all, as well as Heracles's brother Iphicles, died in the battle (according to Diodorus Siculus,[6] three of Cepheus' sons did survive).

Names of Hippocoön's sons include Lycon, Alcinous, Dorycleus, Scaeus, Enarophorus, Eurytus, Bucolus, Euteiches, Lycaethus, Hippothous, Tebrus, Hippocorystes,[2] Alcimus, Dorceus, Sebrus, Eumedes,[7] Enaesimus, Alcon and Leucippus (the last three were among the Calydonian hunters).[8] Diodorus Siculus states that there were twenty of them, but gives no individual names.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ In Bibliotheca 3. 10. 4, all three are called sons of Oebalus and Bateia; in Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3. 1. 4, Tyndareus' s mother is Gorgophone
  2. ^ a b Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 10. 5
  3. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3. 1. 4; 3. 15. 2
  4. ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 7. 3
  5. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3. 15. 4
  6. ^ a b Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, 4. 33. 5
  7. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3. 14. 6; 3. 15. 1
  8. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae, 173
  9. ^ Homer, Iliad, 10. 218
  10. ^ Virgil. Aeneid. Book V, 492-545.
  11. ^ Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, 4. 68. 5
  12. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae, 10
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Tyndareus
(first reign)
King of Sparta
?–?
Succeeded by
Tyndareus
(second reign)