Peleus: The Greek Mythology of the King of the Myrmidons
Peleus was an Argonaut who fled the city of Aegina after he and his half-brother, Telamon, murdered their sibling, Phocus. The two brothers landed in Phthia for the purification ceremony only for Peleus to later kill the King of Phthia albeit in another accident. The Queen of Phthia fell in love with Peleus and made advances toward him but he refused and this pained her. Keep reading to find out the whole story of Peleus and what happened to him later.
Who Was Peleus?
Peleus was the king or the ruler of Myrmidons which were in Thessaly. Aeacus, the King of the island of Aegina, was Peleus father, and his mother was Endeis, a nymph of Mount Pelion. Furthermore, Peleus was the husband of Thetis and the father of Achilles, who was outlived.
The Family of Peleus
He had a younger brother named Telamon who accompanied Jason on his quest for the golden fleet. Peleus married Antigone, with whom he bore Polydora, and later married Thetis and gave birth to the legendary Greek hero Achilles. Peleus had a half-brother named Phocus from his step-mother Psamathe.
The Various Accounts of How Peleus and Telamon Killed Phocus
As already stated, Peleus and Telamon killed their half-brother Phocus but several accounts of the myth differ on how they killed him. Some myths narrate that it was Telamon who threw a spear in Phocus’ direction during a hunting expedition and killed him. Other versions of the myth state that Peleus threw a stone at Phocus’ head and killed him during games held in honor of his mother Endeis. One myth purports that Peleus and Telamon conspired to kill Phocus out of envy.
One version states that Telamon threw an object at Phocus’ head while they were engaged in the ancient Greek game of Quoits. Most versions conclude that both Peleus and Telamon mistakenly killed Phocus.
According to the Byzantine poet John Tzetzes, Phocus’ mother Psamathe decided to avenge the death of her son by sending a ravenous wolf to devour Peleus. However, Peleus’ mother intervened and turned the wolf into a rock.
Peleus and Telamon Flee Aegina
When the two brothers realized the crime they had committed, they fled their home city of Aegina and settled in their uncle’s kingdom, Phthia. To rid themselves of murder, Peleus and Telamon had to undergo a purification process which was performed by their uncle and King of Phthia, Eurytion.
After the purification ceremony, King Eurytion offered a third of his kingdom and the hand of his daughter, Antigone, in marriage to Peleus. Together with Peleus, Eurytion hunted the Calydonian boar, a huge monster sent by Artemis to haunt the people of Calydon. The hunt for the boar was an adventure that preceded the Trojan War which was sparked by the capture of Helen of Troy.
Peleus Kills King Eurytion
During the hunt, Peleus sighted the boar and drew his spear, and threw it at the monster. Unfortunately, the spear missed the boar and it inadvertently struck Eurytion, dealing a mortal blow to the chest of the King of Phthia. Eurytion died in the forest where the hunt was taking place and Peleus escaped to Iolcus, the city of King Acastus.
Peleus At Iolcus
At Iolcus, Acastus, once again, purified Peleus off the death of Eurytion and settled him in the city. However, the wife of Acastus, Astydameia fell in love with Peleus and started making advances toward him. Weary of his past and determined to live a clean slate, Peleus shunned her advances. He rebuked and scored Astydameia reminding her that he was already married to Antigone and wanted to be faithful to her.
Astydameia Causes the Death of Antigone
This hurt Astydameia and she sent a messenger to inform Antigone that Peleus was intending to marry the daughter of Acastus. This broke Antigone’s heart and she committed suicide by hanging herself. Astydameia, unsatisfied with what she had just done, then informed her husband, Acastus, that Peleus had raped her. Acastus grew suspicious of Peleus’ intentions and plotted to kill him.
Acastus Abandons Peleus
Acastus convinced Peleus to accompany him on a hunting trip on the top of Mount Pelion. During the hunting atop the mountain, the tired and unsuspecting Peleus fell asleep. Acastus recognized this as the opportunity he had been waiting for this he hid his sword from Peleus and left him there. Peleus later woke up and discovered he was surrounded by wild centaurs who were about to attack him.
Peleus reached for his sword to defend himself but couldn’t find it and panicked but Chiron, a wise centaur, came to his aid. He returned Peleus’ sword and he used it to fight his way through the wild centaurs and escaped. Other versions of the myth indicate that it was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, that came to the rescue of Peleus.
Peleus marshaled his army and headed for Iolcus where he plundered the city and attacked the palace of Acastus in search of Astydamia. He killed Astydamia, dismembered her, and commanded his army to march between the body parts. Peleus then gave the kingdom to Thessalus, the son of Jason the Argonaut.
Peleus Marries Thetis
Peleus married the nymph after the death of his wife Antigone. At first, the nymph was elusive and difficult to catch due to her numerous physical transformation. However, on the advice of his friend, Proteus, Peleus held on to the nymph tightly while she underwent her physical transformations in a bid to escape. This impressed the nymph and she agreed to become the wife of Peleus.
The couple held a huge wedding feast and invited most of the Olympian gods including Poseidon, Hera and Athena. Each wedding guest brought a gift to the couple; Hera brought a cloak known as chlamys while Athena brought a flute.
Poseidon gifted Peleus the two immortal horses: Balius and Xanthus while Nereus brought a basket full of the divine salt that aids appetite and digestion. Zeus gifted gave the wings of the Titan Arke to Peleus wife and Aphrodite gifted the couple a bowl with an embossed image of the primordial deity Eros.
However, the gods who were not invited got angry and planned to upset the wedding. One of such gods was Eris the goddess of discord and strife who brought the golden apple of discord to the wedding. True to its name, the apple brought discord between the wedding guests which eventually led to the Trojan War.
The Judgment of Paris at Peleus’ Wedding
According to the myth, Eris wrote on the apple “To the fairest one” and threw it into the wedding. Immediately, three goddesses: Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, struggled over the apple, both believing that they were “the fairest one.”
Finally, they consulted Paris, the Prince of Troy, to settle the quarrel by choosing the most beautiful among them. Paris settled on Aphrodite as the “fairest one” because she had helped him secure the most beautiful woman, Helen, from Troy.
Peleus’ Son, Achilleus
Peleus and his wife gave birth to seven children but six of them died as infants except for Achilleus. Due to what happened to her children, Thetis decided to make her son Achilleus invulnerable. There are several accounts as to how she went about it, but the most popular is her dipping the infant in the infernal river Styx. While dipping him in the river, she held his heel, which became the weakness of Achilleus since that portion did not enter the river.
The earliest account of the myth stated that Thetis anointed her son with ambrosia, the drink of the gods that granted immortality. Once done, she held the boy over the fire to burn away the mortal parts of his body. As she was getting to the heel of her son, Peleus walked in and interrupted the process which upset Thetis and she walked out without holding her son’s heel to the fire. Thus, his heel became the only vulnerable part of the body of Peleus’s son.
Later, Peleus gave his son to the centaur Chiron for training on Mt Pelion, which derived its name from Peleus. According to Homer, Peleus Iliad gave his spear and two immortal horses, Balius and Xanthus to his son. Peleus also gave his armor to his son, who in turn gave it to Patroclus, his best friend. During the war against Troy, Paris killed Achilleus by shooting an arrow at his heel.
The Legacy of Peleus
Peleus had no piece of land or shrine, also known as a temenos, dedicated to him, unlike his father Aeacus, whose tomb was enshrined in a temenos in the port city. Phocus, the half-brother of Peleus, also had a tumulus (also known as a burial mound) built in his honor.
Though the reason why Peleus had no landmark in his honor is unclear several accounts have tried to explain it. In the play, Troades written by Euripides, Acastus, the son of Pelias, drove Peleus away from the city and he died while in exile.
Another explanation was that Peleus was made immortal by his nymph wife; thus, the city Aegina did not feel the need to establish a temenos to venerate him. However, an ancient literary work from Clement of Alexandria purported that an Achaean was offered as a human sacrifice to Peleus and Cheiron. Clement of Alexandria cited the “collection of marvels” by the anonymous writer Monimos as his source.
A discovered fragment of Aitia (a poem) by the ancient Greek poet Callimachus stated that a tomb of Peleus was sited on the island of Ikos, modern-day Alonissos. In Ikos, Peleus was venerated as King Peleus of the Myrmidons. An annual festival known as the return of the hero was instituted to celebrate his achievements.
Peleus Percy Jackson and the Olympians
In Rick Riordan’s novel series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the character named Peleus is a friendly dragon that loves to play with the campers. Initially, he was a baby dragon but soon grew big enough to encircle the pine tree known as Thalia’s tree at the edge of the camp. According to the series, the Peleus dragon has a snake-like head and his body is covered in copper scales. His yellow eyes had an excellent vision which was necessary to guard the Golden Fleece against thieves.
Though Peleus is affable, he jealously protects the Golden Fleece and he can be seen always around it. His protection of the Golden Fleece is so fierce that Percy Jackson once thought he would attack the current oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. However, the dragon allayed Percy’s fears by refusing to attack Rachel, proving that he could distinguish a friendly visitor from an enemy.
Peleus in the Sea of Monsters
We first come across Peleus the dragon in the book Sea of Monsters where he is introduced as a baby dragon brought to protect the Golden Fleece. Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, and Clarisse La Rue had just stolen the fleece from the island of Polyphemus and placed it in Thalia’s tree. Chiron, the immortal centaur and Argus, the one-hundred-eyed giant, were selected to feed and care for baby Peleus till he was old enough.
Peleus in the Battle of the Labyrinth
Peleus is again mentioned in the series when Annabeth and Percy pay him a visit in Thalia’s tree. Percy pets the now growing dragon and comments on his new stature compared to when he last saw him.
Peleus in the Last Olympian
This book details how Rachel Elizabeth Dare compelled Blackjack (a pegasus) to transport her to the camp where she met Peleus. Percy fears that Rachel will get attacked by Peleus since she is a mortal, but his fears do not materialize as Peleus refrains from attacking Rachel. It is possible that Peleus’s refusal to attack is either an instruction from the gods, or he recognizes Elizabeth as the future Oracle of Delphi.
Peleus in the Lost Hero
In this book, the Greek demigod Piper McLean is taking a tour of Camp Half-Blood with Annabeth when she sees the Golden Fleece in Thalia’s tree. Thinking it is a fake, she moves closer until she sees Peleus and realizes that it is the fleece.
Peleus in the Tower of Nero
Peleus displays his affable nature when he allows Apollo and Meg McAffrey to pet him while he sits by Thalia’s pine tree. He also allows the daughter of Demeter to hug him.
Summary:
So far, we’ve studied the mythology of Peleus from his birth to his legacies and encountered the dragon Peleus in Rick Riordan’s work. Here is a summary of all that we’ve read so far:
- Peleus’ father was King Aaecus of Aegina, and his mother was the mountain nymph Endeis of Mount Pelion; he gave birth to the great Greek hero, Achilleus.
- He and his brother, Telamon, accidentally killed their half-brother, Phocus, and they fled to Phthia, where their uncle, King Eurytion, cleansed them.
- However, during the hunt for the boar in Calydon, Peleus accidentally killed King Eurytion and had to again flee to Iolcus for cleansing by King Acastus.
- At Iolcus, Astydamiea, the wife of Acastus, fell in love with Peleus and made sexual advances toward him, but Peleus resisted and scolded her.
- Later, Peleus ravaged the city of Iolcus and killed both King and Queen after Astydamiea framed him and was abandoned by Acastus on top of a hill to die.
In modern literature, the writer Rick Riordan has implored the character of Peleus in his series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He is a dragon with a snake-liked head, and yellow eyes, and his body is covered in scales with his only one duty; to protect the Golden Fleece in Thalia’s pine tree.
