Gorgophone

For the genus of butterfly, see Gorgophone (skipper).

In Greek mythology, Gorgophone (Ancient Greek: Γοργοφόνη) was a daughter of Perseus and Andromeda. Her name means "Gorgon Slayer", a tribute to her father who killed Medusa, the mortal Gorgon.

Gorgophone is a prominent figure in the mythical history of Sparta, having been married to two kings, Oebalus of Laconia and Perieres of Messenia, and being considered the first woman to have married twice.[1] One of the sons of Oibalos and Gorgophone was Tyndareus, stepfather of Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux, and another was Icarius, father of Odysseus's wife, Penelope. Thus, Perseus's descendants played a central role in the Homeric epics and the legendary pre-history of Greece. With her first husband, Perieres, she became the mother of Leucippus and Aphareus, half-brothers of Hippocoon, Tyndareus and Icarius.

Gorgophone was also the name of one of the Danaids; she married and murdered Proteus, a son of Aegyptus.

References

  1. ↑ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.21.7

Chief sources for Gorgophone are Pausanias (Books II and IV) and Bibliotheca (Books I and III).

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/26/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.