Cepheus (son of Aleus)
Arcadian king, Argonaut, and father of twenty sons.
Cepheus, a king of Tegea in Arcadia, was a figure in Greek mythology who participated in the quest for the Golden Fleece as an Argonaut. He and most of his twenty sons were killed during Heracles's war against Hippocoon, king of Sparta. He may also have taken part in the Calydonian boar hunt.
Quick Facts
- Kingdom
- Tegea in Arcadia
- Father
- Aleus
- Mother
- Neaera or Cleobule
- Siblings
- Auge
- Lycurgus
- Amphidamas
- Alcidice
- Expeditions
- Argonaut
- possibly Calydonian boar hunt
- war against Hippocoon
Facts from the source article.
Family
Cepheus belonged to the Arcadian royal line descended from Pelasgos. He was usually considered the son of Aleus, king of Tegea. According to Apollodorus, Aleus and Neaera had a daughter Auge and sons Cepheus and Lycurgus. Hyginus instead names Cepheus's mother as Cleobule. Another tradition possibly made Cepheus a son of Lycurgus. His brother Amphidamas was also an Argonaut; Pausanias lists Lycurgus, Amphidamas, and Cepheus as Aleus's sons, while Apollodorus makes Amphidamas a son of Lycurgus. Diodorus Siculus adds a daughter Alcidice. Cepheus had twenty sons, including Aeropus, and daughters Sterope, Aerope, and Antinoe.
Mythology
In his youth, Cepheus joined Jason and the Argonauts, accompanied by his brother Amphidamas and nephew Ancaeus. He may also have joined the Calydonian boar hunt, as Apollodorus lists Ancaeus and Cepheus, sons of Lycurgus, among the hunters. Heracles sought Cepheus's help against Hippocoon of Sparta, but Cepheus hesitated, fearing an Argive attack on Tegea. Heracles gave Cepheus's daughter Sterope a lock of Medusa's hair from Athena, which would rout any enemy if raised three times from the walls. Persuaded, Cepheus and his twenty sons joined the expedition. Apollodorus reports that Cepheus and all his sons died in battle; Diodorus Siculus says three sons survived. The city of Caphyae was named after Cepheus, and he was said to have led colonists to Kyrenia in Cyprus.
More in Mythological Founders of Populated Places
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