Deidamia (daughter of Lycomedes)

Schale Deidamia KGM 17-39

In Greek mythology, Deidamia (/ˌdeɪdəˈmaɪə/; Greek: Δηϊδάμεια, Deidameia) was the daughter of King Lycomedes of Scyros.

Mythology

Deidamia was one of King Lycomedes's seven daughters with whom Achilles was concealed. Some versions of this story state that Achilles was hidden in Lycomedes's court as one of the king's daughters, some say as a lady-in-waiting under the name "Pyrrha".[1] Despite the fact that Achilles and Deidamia could have been as young as eight years old, the two soon became romantically involved to the point of intimacy. After Odysseus arrived at Lycomedes's palace and exposed Achilles as a young man, the hero decided to join the Trojan War, leaving behind his pregnant and heartbroken wife Deidamia.[2]

Years later, Deidamia tried to persuade their son, Neoptolemus not to join his father in the in the same war.[3][4] After the war, she was given in marriage by Neoptolemus to his ally Helenus, son of Priam, whom he had brought to Epirus.[5] Later on, Neoptolemus was eventually killed by Orestes when the son of Agamemnon gone mad.[6] Ptolemy Hephaestion mentions that Achilles and Deidamia had another son, Oneiros, who was unwittingly killed by Orestes.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Hyginus, Fabulae, 96
  2. ↑ Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, 3. 13. 8
  3. ↑ Euripides, Andromache
  4. ↑ Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy, 7. 186 ff
  5. ↑ Bibliotheca, Epitome of Book IV, 6. 13
  6. ↑ Bibliotheca, Epitome of Book IV, 5. 11
  7. ↑ Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History, 3 in Photius, Bibliotheca, 190
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.