- Pterelaus
The name Pterelaus is attributed to two individuals in
Greek mythology .*Pterelaus was a son of
Lelex , a pre-Hellenic king whose descendants (theLeleges ) spread across Greece and beyond. Pterelaus ruled the land by the RiverAchelous , in the region later calledAcarnania . Pterelaus had numerous sons who settled the territory in the vicinity of the Achelous, including the nearby islands of the Ionian Sea. His sons Ithacus, Neritus, and Polyctor colonized the island ofIthaca (which took the name of one of his sons) and, in addition to Ithaca itself, founded the places on Ithaca named Neritum and Polyctorium.Taphius andTeleboas were also numbered among Pterelaus's sons, and founded the Taphian and Teleboan tribes.*Pterelaus was the grandson of the first Pterelaus, and son of Taphius. (Another account makes Pterelaus the son of
Poseidon andHippothoë , and a descendant of the Argive heroPerseus ). This Pterelaus, king of the Taphians, was the father of several sons (Chromius, Tyrannus, Antiochus, Chersidamas, Mestor, Everes) and a daughter namedComaetho . Pterelaus and his kin raided the cattle of the King ofMycenae ; but was killed in a retaliatory expedition led byAmphitryon (later the stepfather ofHeracles ) after being betrayed by Comaetho, who had fallen in love with Amphitryon. The vanquished Taphian realm was handed over to Amphitryon's allies, includingCephalus . Cephalus ruled over many islands, and his followers became known as Cephallenians.Odysseus was a descendant of Cephalus by the following lineage: Cephalus -Arcesius -Laërtes - Odysseus.
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