TISAMENUS (mythical son of Orestes)
Figure of myth · mythical son of Orestes
- Parents
- Orestes, Hermione
- Children
- Tellis, Cometes, Daimenes, Leontomenes, Sparton
- In the sources
- 23 ancient passages
Tisamenus, son of Orestes and Hermione, was a man of noble lineage and manly bearing, descended from Pelops and belonging to the Iamid clan within the Clytiad group.1,2,3,4,5,6 He was born in the region of Elis, where he was known as Elean by birth.6,7 The Ionian kings feared he would be chosen as their king due to his manliness and noble lineage.4
Tisamenus was reigning over the Peloponnesians when the Heraclids returned, and he succeeded his father Orestes to the throne of the Lacedaemonians.8,5,3 He was expelled from Argos and Lacedaemon by the Dorians, and he fought against Temenus and the Dorians in a war.4,9,10 He was killed in a battle fought by the army of Temenus, and other accounts state he died during a battle between the Ionians and the Achaeans.1,11
Tisamenus traveled to Achaia with his army and his sons, where he established settlements.9,12 He was one of the leaders who founded colonies after the Heracleidae returned, under whom they recovered their power.13,12 He was the king of the Achaeans, and his sons held the greatest power among them.4,13,14 He sent heralds to the Ionians to offer peaceful settlement before he led the Achaeans in attacking and defeating them, driving them out of the country.4,13
The Lacedaemonians persuaded Tisamenus to leave Elis and become their state-diviner, granting him the status of a free citizen.6,15 He consulted the oracle at Delphi regarding having children, and the priestess prophesied that he would achieve five major victories.16 Tisamenus trained for athletic competitions after misinterpreting the oracle's prediction, but he lost the Olympic wrestling match to Hieronymus of Andros.16 Tisamenus received an oracle that the Lacedaemonians interpreted as referring to war rather than sports, and they tried to bribe him to lead their armies alongside the kings of Heracles' line.17
Tisamenus performed divination for the Greek army, helping them achieve five significant victories.7,18,15 He performed the sacrificial rites for the Greek forces, and his sacrifices indicated good omens if the Greeks only defended themselves, while bad omens appeared if they crossed the Asopus to attack first.6,18 He contributed to Lacedaemonian victories at Plataea against the Persians and at Dipaea against most Arcadians.15 His final occasion for divining for the Lacedaemonians occurred at the battle of Tanagra.19 The Achaeans buried his body in the city of Helice, and his grave was located near where Lacedaemonians ate the Pheiditia dinner.11 The Lacedaemonians later moved his bones to Sparta following a command from the Delphic oracle.11 Tisamenus was the father of Cometes, his eldest son, who crossed to Asia with a fleet, as well as Daimenes, Sparton, Tellis, and Leontomenes.14
The codex facts behind this entry
Tisamenus was the son of Orestes and Hermione, who was Menelaus's daughter. Pausanias 2.18.6 +2
In the myths
Tisamenus traveled to Achaia with his army and his sons and established settlements there. Pausanias 2.18.8 +1 Tisamenus was one of the leaders who founded colonies after the Heracleidae returned, under whom they recovered their power. Strabo 8.7.1 +1 The Spartans brought him to the Greek army, where he performed divination and helped them achieve five significant victories. Herodotus 9.35.1 +1 He performed the sacrificial rites for the Greek forces, and his sacrifices indicated good omens if the Greeks only defended themselves. Herodotus 9.33.1 +1 The Lacedaemonians persuaded Tisamenus to leave Elis and become their state-diviner, granting him the status of a free citizen. Herodotus 9.33.1 +1
