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Lelex (king of Sparta)
King of Laconia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In Greek mythology, Lelex (/ˈliːlɪks/; Ancient Greek: Λέλεξ, gen. Λέλεγος) was one of the original inhabitants of Laconia which was called after him, its first king, Lelegia.
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Lelex was said to be autochthonous[1] or his father was the sun-god Helios or the sea-god Poseidon.[2] He was married to the Naiad nymph Cleocharia and became the father of several sons, including Eurotas,[3] and possibly Myles and Polycaon.[4] Some called his wife Peridia and their children were Myles, Polyclon, Bomolochus and Therapne.[5]
In one tradition, again, Lelex was described as the son of Spartus, and father of Amyclas.[6] The eponymous heroine Lakonia was credited to be a daughter of Lelex as well.[2]
Through Myles, Lelex was the grandfather of Eurotas, who had a daughter named Sparta.[7] This woman later married Lacedaemon[8] who named the city of Sparta after his wife; however, the city's name would also be his own, as it was called either Lacedaemon or Sparta interchangeably.
Sources indicate that Perseus was a descendant of Lelex. The latter's great-granddaughter Sparta gave birth to a daughter named Eurydice who had married Acrisius, the king of Argos. Eurydice became the mother of Danaë, thus making her Perseus’ grandmother.[9]
Lelex appears to have been conceived by ancient mythographers as the eponymous founder of the Leleges, a semi-mythical people who lived on both sides of the Aegean Sea.[10] He had a heroön at Sparta.[11]
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