PTERELAUS (taphian king)
Figure of myth · Taphian king in Greek legend
- Parents
- Taphius
- Children
- Antiochus, Chromius, Comaetho, Eueres, Tyrannus, Chersidamas, Mestor
- In the sources
- 4 ancient passages
Pterelaus, son of Taphius, resided on the island of Taphos.1,2 Poseidon granted him immortality by placing a golden hair in his head.1,2 His sons, including Chromius, Tyrannus, Antiochus, Chersidamas, Mestor, and Eueres, claimed a kingdom and drove away the cattle of Electryon when their claim was ignored.1,2,3 After escaping the conflict, the brothers took the stolen cattle to Polyxenus.3
The conflict ended when Amphitryon defeated Pterelaus, taking his bronze shield which later held the infant Heracles.4 However, the king’s death came not from battle but from his own daughter, who removed the golden hair and ended his immortality.2
The codex facts behind this entry
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Poseidon granted Pterelaus immortality by placing a golden hair in his head. Apollodorus 2.4.5 +1
