Lycomedes

The name Lycomedes /ˌlaɪkəˈmiːdiːz/ (Ancient Greek: Λυκομήδης) may refer to several characters in Greek mythology, of whom the most prominent was the king of Scyros during the Trojan War.

This article is about the mythological figures. For other uses, see Lycomedes (disambiguation).
"Achilles at the Court of Lycomedes" by Pompeo Batoni, 1745, oil on canvas, Uffizi, Florence

Lycomedes of Scyros

Lycomedes (also known as Lycurgus) was a king of the Dolopians in the island of Scyros near Euboea, father of a number of daughters including Deidameia, and grandfather of Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.

Lycomedes and Achilles
Achilles at the court of King Lycomedes, panel of an Attic sarcophagus, ca. 240 AD, Louvre
Main article: Achilles on Skyros

At the request of Thetis, Lycomedes concealed Achilles in female disguise among his own daughters. At Lycomedes' court Achilles had an affair with Deidamia, which resulted in the birth of Neoptolemus (Pyrrhus). As Odysseus drew Achilles out of his disguise and took him to Troy, Neoptolemus stayed with his grandfather until he too was summoned during the later stages of the war.[1]

Lycomedes and Theseus

Plutarch says that Lycomedes killed Theseus who had fled to his island in exile by pushing him off a cliff for he feared that Theseus would dethrone him, as people of the island treated the guest with marked honor. Some related that the cause of this violence was that Lycomedes would not give up the estates which Theseus had in Scyros, or the circumstance that Lycomedes wanted to gain the favour of Menestheus.[2][3][4]

Eponym

The asteroid 9694 Lycomedes is named for him - being a Jupiter Trojan, a group of asteroids which are by convention named for characters associated with the Trojan War.

Other characters
  • Lycomedes, a son of Creon, one of the Greek warriors at Troy;[5] he was represented by Polygnotus in the Lesche at Delphi as wounded (supposedly by Agenor) in the wrist, in the arm and in the head.[6]
  • Lycomedes, son of Apollo and Parthenope.[7]
  • Lycomedes, a Cretan suitor of Helen.[8]

References
  1. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, 3.13.8
  2. Plutarch, Life of Theseus, 35. 3.
  3. Pausanias, Description of Greece, 1. 17. 6
  4. Tzetzes on Lycophron, 1324
  5. Homer, Iliad, 9. 84
  6. Pausanias, Description of Greece, 10. 25. 6
  7. Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7. 4. 1
  8. Hesiod in Scholia on Iliad, 19. 240
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