LEONTEUS (lapith king)
Figure of myth · Lapith king, son of Coronus
- Parents
- Coronus
- Siblings
- Andraemon
- Children
- Ixion
- In the sources
- 12 ancient passages
Leonteus, a proud son of the fighting Lapithae, stood as a goodly figure among the assembled Greek leaders.1,2 Of the race of Ares, he was described as a peer of the god of war, son of Coronus and brother of Andraemon.3,4,1,5,6 He came from the region holding Argissa, Gyrtone, Orthe, Elone, and Oloosson, where he served as a co-leader of the troops alongside Polypoetes.3
Leonteus traveled to Sparta as part of the group of Greek kings to seek Helen's hand in marriage.5 He and Polypoetes waited confidently for the attack by Asius, and Leonteus rushed outside the gates to fight the Trojans in front of them.1 Fighting with great fury and trusting in his own prowess, he helped defend the gates against the Trojan assault.1
In the heat of battle, Leonteus killed Hippomachus by striking him with a spear on the girdle.7 He then killed Antiphates in combat using his sword, and slew Menon, Iamenus, and Orestes one after the other.7 He participated in the battle to protect the Greek ships, acting as a defender alongside Odysseus, Diomede, and Neoptolemus, while helping hurl javelins to push Trojan warriors away from the wall.8
During the funeral games, Leonteus participated in a quoit-throwing contest, throwing his quoit after Epeus and before Ajax son of Telamon.4 Later, he joined the group of warriors who agreed to follow Neoptolemus's counsel and entered the wooden horse along with other Greek warriors.2,9 After the fall of the city, he left his ship in Ilium to travel overland to Colophon, where he participated in burying the diviner Calchas.10
In a different account, Leonteus secretly reached out to grab the hair of a fallen warrior's body.11 Hippomedon cut off Leonteus's right hand with his sword and taunted him for touching the dead hero.11 Accounts differ regarding his later life, as he was also a slave owned by Juba, the king of Mauritania, and performed the role of Hypsipyle in a play but did so poorly.12
The codex facts behind this entry
Leonteus is of the race of Ares. Iliad 2 ¶60 +1
