TALAUS (son of Bias)
Figure of myth · son of Bias in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Bias, Pero
- Consorts
- Lysianassa, Lysimache, Eurynome
- Children
- Hippomedon, Adrastus, Eriphyle, Parthenopeus, Mecisteus, Aristomachus, Pronax, Astynome
- Haunts and cult places
- Argos
- In the sources
- 27 ancient passages
Talaus, king of the Argives from the city of Argos, stood as a pillar of the house descended from Bias and Pero, daughter of Neleus.1,2,3,4 While one account names Cretheus as his father, others trace his lineage to Bias.5,1,6 He was the brother of Areius and Leodocus.1
Talaus took Lysimache, daughter of Abas, as his wife, and they were the parents of Adrastus, Parthenopaeus, Pronax, Mecisteus, Aristomachus, and Eriphyle.3 He also received Lysianassa as a wife from her father Polybus, and the codex records Eurynome among his consort.2 His offspring included Hippomedon and a son who would later speak of seeking his host, while another son was the speaker who mourned the dead heroes.7,8,9,10 In a storm, Jason called upon Talaus to help fasten the sails to the mast, and during the preparation for a contest, he helped bind the boxing gauntlets onto a combatant, encouraging him to maintain good courage.11,6
During a battle, Talaus was wounded in the side by Oreides, though the bronze weapon only grazed his skin and did not penetrate his flesh.12 Tragedy later struck the house when the sons of Talaos were expelled from Argos by a sedition, leaving them no longer lords of the city.13 Despite this exile, Talaus raised his grandson, the son of Mecisteus, and was remembered as the father of an aged man who rose from his couch.14,15
Talaus was buried opposite the graves of Hypermnestra and Lynceus, and a shrine dedicated to his son Adrastus stood in the marketplace of Sicyon.4,16
The codex facts behind this entry
Talaus is the son of Bias. Argonautica 1 ¶20 +3
