Idomeneus (son of Deucalion)
Cretan king who led eighty ships to Troy and sacrificed his son.
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Idomeneus, a Cretan king and commander from Greek mythology, led his island’s forces to the Trojan War aboard eighty black ships. He had been one of the suitors for Helen’s hand, fought alongside the Telamonian Ajax, and served as a trusted advisor to Agamemnon.
In Homer’s Iliad, he ranks among the foremost Greek generals, often leading his troops in close combat and escaping serious harm. When many other Achaean heroes were wounded, he became a key defender, briefly facing Hector and driving him back. He survived the war, entered the Trojan Horse, and was credited with killing twenty men and at least three Amazons, including Bremusa.
Description
His father was Deucalion, his mother Cleopatra, making him a grandson of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë, and thus a descendant of the sun god Helios. He married Meda, and they had four children: Orsilochus, Cleisithyra, Iphiclus, and Lycus. The chronicler Malalas described him as above average height, dark-skinned, with good eyes, a strong build, a good nose, a thick beard, a well-shaped head, curly hair, and a berserker in battle.
Mythology
After the war, later traditions diverge. One version, from Servius, says Idomeneus’s ship was caught in a storm, and he vowed to sacrifice the first living thing he saw on his return if Poseidon saved him. That first thing was his own son, whom he killed.
The gods, angered by the murder, sent a plague to Crete. The Cretans exiled him to Calabria in Italy, then to Colophon in Asia Minor, where he died. Marcus Terrentius Varro claimed the Salentini people descended from Idomeneus, who sailed from Crete to Illyria and then, with Illyrians and Locrians, to Salento.
Another tradition, from Apollodorus, says Idomeneus was driven from Crete by his foster son Leucus, who seduced and killed Meda and seized the throne. Porphyry adds that upon returning from Troy, Idomeneus sacked Lyctus and other cities Leucus had taken. The story later inspired Mozart’s 1781 opera Idomeneo, in which Poseidon spares Idomeneo’s son on condition that he abdicate.
Lore & Background
In Homer's Iliad, Idomeneus is found among the first rank of the Greek generals, leading his troops and engaging the enemy head-on, escaping serious injury. He was one of the primary defenders when most other Achaean heroes were injured, fought Hector briefly, and repulsed his attack. He was one of the Achaeans to enter the Trojan Horse and killed twenty men and at least three Amazon women, including Bremusa, at Troy.
A later tradition preserved by Servius the Grammarian says that after the war, Idomeneus's ship hit a terrible storm. He promised Poseidon he would sacrifice the first living thing he saw when he returned home if Poseidon saved his ship and crew.
The first living thing was his son, whom Idomeneus duly sacrificed. The gods sent a plague to Crete, and the Cretans exiled him to Calabria, Italy, and then Colophon in Asia Minor, where he died. Alternatively, Apollodorus records that Idomeneus was driven out of Crete by his foster son Leucus, who seduced and killed Idomeneus's wife Meda and usurped the throne.
Reader's Guide
Idomeneus appears in Greek mythology as a significant but secondary figure in the Trojan War, distinguished by his leadership of the Cretan contingent and his presence among the foremost Greek warriors. His story is most notable for the post-Homeric tradition of his return home, where a rash vow to Poseidon led him to sacrifice his own son, bringing divine punishment and exile. This narrative has resonated through later culture, most famously in Mozart's 1781 opera Idomeneo, which alters the ending to spare the son.
The conflicting accounts of his exile—whether to Italy or Asia Minor, and whether driven out by his foster son or by the Cretans—reflect the fluidity of mythological tradition. His lineage, tracing back to King Minos and the sun god Helios, anchors him in Crete's mythical royal house. The chronicler Malalas described him as dark-skinned, curly-haired, and a berserker in battle, adding a vivid physical portrait to the literary record.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Idomeneus (son of Deucalion) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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