Oebalus

In Greek mythology, Oebalus, also spelled Oibalus or Oibalius, (/ˈɛbələs/; Ancient Greek: Οἴβαλος, Oἴvalos) was a king of Sparta.

Family

Oibalus was the son of either Cynortas[1] or Argalus.[2] He was the second husband of Princess Gorgophone and thus son-in-law of the hero Perseus. With her or by the Naiad Bateia,[3] Oibalos fathered Tyndareus,[4][5][6] Icarius and Hippocoon, as well as a daughter, Arene, who married her half-brother Aphareus.[7][8] The nymph Pirene[9] and Hyacinth[10][11] were also called the daughter and son of Oebalius respectively. His grandchildren, the Dioscuri, were usually referred as Oibalids[12] or Oebalidae.[13]

Oebalus was often confused with Gorgophone's first husband, Perieres, son of Aeolus. They were separate people, usually unrelated though Oebalus was sometimes said to be Perieres’ son.[3]

Comparative table of Oebalus' family
Relation Names Sources
Hesiod Apollodorus Dictys Hyginus Pausanias Lucian
Parentage Perieres ✓
Argalus ✓
Cynortas ✓
Consort Batia ✓
Gorgophone ✓
Children Tyndareus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Hippocoon ✓
Icarius ✓
Arene ✓ ✓ ✓
Hyacinthus ✓ ✓
Pirene ✓

Notes
  1. Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio 3.1.3
  2. Dictys Cretensis. Trojan War Chronicle, 1.9
  3. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.10.4
  4. Hyginus, Fabulae 14.3
  5. Ovid, Heroides 16.127 ff; not directly named as the son of Oebalus but Helen, the reputed daughter of Tyndareus was called "... a nymph of Oebalus' line ..." which means she was a descendant of the latter through his son Tyndareus.
  6. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 1.420 ff; mentioned that Pollux was called the grandson of Oebalus, the father of their father Tyndareus.
  7. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.10.3
  8. Hyginus, Fabulae 78
  9. Megalai Ehoiai fr. 258, cited in Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.2.2
  10. Lucian, Dialogi Deorum 16
  11. Hyginus, Fabulae 271
  12. Ovid, Fasti 5.705
  13. Statius, Thebaid 5.438

References
    Regnal titles
    Preceded by
    Cynortas    		 King of Sparta Succeeded by
    Tyndareus
    (first reign)
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