ALCATHOUS, SON OF PELOPS (mortal son of Pelops)
Figure of myth · mythical character, son of Pelops
- Parents
- Pelops, Hippodamia
- Consorts
- Pyrgo, Evaechme
- Children
- Periboea, Ischepolis, Automedusa, Iphinoe, Callipolis
- In the sources
- 18 ancient passages
Born of the famous Pelops, he was also claimed as the brother of Oeneus in one account, though other traditions place him solely within the Pelopid line.1,2 His lineage connected him to the great houses of the age, yet his early days were marked by poverty, for he had long lived as a poor fisherman before his rise to prominence.3
Alcathous arrived in Megara from Elis during a time of crisis, where he was promised the kingdom and the king's daughter for slaying the Cithaeronian lion on the mountain Cithaeron.4,1,5,6 He succeeded his father-in-law Megareus as king, having married Euaechme, the daughter of Megareus, after his previous marriage to Pyrgo.1,5,7 Upon ascending to the throne, he built a sanctuary and constructed a temple dedicated to Artemis Agrotera and Apollo Agraeus, while also rebuilding the city wall after the Cretans destroyed the previous structure.1,4 With the assistance of Apollo, he constructed another wall, and a Megarian citadel later bore his name in honor of these deeds.8,9
His family included the sons Callipolis and Ischepolis, as well as daughters Iphinoe and Periboea.10,11,7,12 Tragedy struck when Alcathous killed his son Callipolis by striking his head with a log because he believed the boy had committed impiety.10,13 Polyidus came to Megara to purify him after this killing, and he had previously prepared a fire to sacrifice to Apollo when his son returned, performing this rite while preparing to build a wall.13,10,9 He was said to have been the first to sacrifice to the gods Prodomeis, and his hero-shrine served as a record office for the Megarians in later times.9,7
Alcathous sent his daughter Periboea to Crete with Theseus as part of a tribute, an action that confirmed the Megarians were tributary to the Athenians.8 He also sent his elder son Ischepolis to assist Meleager in Aetolia, while his home, wife, and children were located near the shores of Carystus in another tradition.10,3 He killed Lycoreus with a stone, a deed that stands apart from his other exploits in the surviving accounts.3 Athletic games were named after him.14
Achilles pierced him through the jaw, with the spearhead exiting through his ear, and cut out his tongue, while another account states he was killed by Caedicus.15,16 Warriors fought intense close-quarters combat with long spears over his corpse, and Ajax succeeded to the throne previously held by him in Megara.17,12
The codex facts behind this entry
In the myths
Alcathous killed the Cithaeronian lion on the mountain Cithaeron. Pausanias 1.41.3 +1 Alcathous constructed a temple dedicated to Artemis Agrotera and Apollo Agraeus. Pausanias 1.41.3 +1 Alcathous killed his son Callipolis by striking his head with a log because he believed the boy had committed impiety. Pausanias 1.42.6 +1 Alcathous was promised the kingdom and the king's daughter for slaying the lion, and he succeeded his father-in-law Megareus as king. Pausanias 1.41.3 +1
