Acamas (son of Theseus)

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In Greek mythology, Acamas or Akamas (/ɑːˈkɑːmɑːs/;[1]Ancient Greek: Ἀκάμας, folk etymology: 'unwearying'[2]) was a hero in the Trojan War.[3]

Acamas
Exiled Prince of Athens
Member of the Athenian Royal Family
Acamas and Demophon on a neck amphora by Exekias
AbodeAthens, later Euboea
Genealogy
ParentsTheseus and Phaedra
SiblingsDemophon, Hippolytus
ConsortLaodice
OffspringMunitus

Family

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Acamas was the son of King Theseus of Athens[4] and Phaedra, daughter of Minos. He was the brother or half brother to Demophon.

Mythology

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After his father lost the throne of Athens, Acamas grew up as an exile in Euboea with his brother under the care of Elephenor, a relative by marriage. He and Diomedes were sent to negotiate the return of Helen before the start of the Trojan War,[5] though Homer ascribes this embassy to Menelaus and Odysseus.[6] During his stay at Troy he caught the eye of Priam's daughter Laodice, and fathered her son Munitus. The boy was raised by Aethra, Acamas' grandmother, who was living in Troy as one of Helen's slaves.[7] Munitus later died of a snakebite while hunting at Olynthus in Thrace.[5]

In the war, Acamas fought on the side of the Greeks and was counted among the men inside the Trojan Horse.[8] After the war, he rescued Aethra from her long captivity in Troy.[9] Later mythological traditions describe the two brothers embarking on other adventures as well, including the capture of the Palladium.[10] Some sources relate of Acamas the story which is more commonly told of his brother Demophon, namely the one of his relationship with Phyllis of Thrace.[7] This might be a mistake.

Acamas is not mentioned in Homer's Iliad, but later works, including Virgil's Aeneid,[11] and almost certainly the Iliou persis, mention that Acamas was one of the men inside the Trojan horse.[12] The dominant character trait of Acamas is his interest in faraway places.[10]

Eponyms and Acamas in art

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The promontory of Acamas in Cyprus, the town of Acamentium in Phrygia, and the Attic tribe Acamantis all derived their names from him.[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Pronunciation of Acames". Pronounce Names. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  2. ^ Graves, Robert (2017). The Greek Myths - The Complete and Definitive Edition. Penguin Books Limited. pp. Index s.v. Acamas. ISBN 9780241983386.
  3. ^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.62.1
  4. ^ Euripides, Heracleidae 119
  5. ^ a b Parthenius, 16 from the 1st book of the Palleniaca of Hegesippus
  6. ^ Homer, Iliad 11.139
  7. ^ a b Tzetzes ad Lycophron, 495
  8. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 108
  9. ^ Apollodorus, E.5.22
  10. ^ a b Hornblower, Simon (1996). "Acamas". Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2.
  11. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 2.262
  12. ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Acamas (1)", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, Boston, p. 5, archived from the original on 2007-09-07, retrieved 2009-01-30{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Akamantion

References

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  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainSmith, William, ed. (1870). "Acamas (1)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.