- Laomedon
In
Greek mythology , Laomedon was a Trojan king, son ofIlus , brother of Ganymedes and father ofPriam ,Astyoche ,Lampus ,Hicetaon ,Clytius , Cilla,Proclia ,Aethilla ,Clytodora , andHesione .Tithonus is also described by most sources as Laomedon's eldest legitimate son; and most sources omit Ganymedes from the list of Laomedon's children, but indicate him as his uncle instead. Laomedon's two wives areStrymo (or Rhoeo) andLeucippe ; by the former he begotTithonus and by the latter KingPriam (seeJohn Tzetzes ' "Scholia in Lycophronem" 18 («Polytonic|ὁ μὲν γὰρ Πρίαμος ἦν Λευκίππης, ὁ δὲ Τιθωνὸς Ῥοιοῦς ἢ Στρυμοῦς τῆς Σκαμάνδρου θυγατρὸς υἱός»)). He also had a son namedBucolion by the nymphAbarbarea , as recounted byHomer in theIliad (6.22).Laomedon owned several
horse s with divine parentage, with whomAnchises secretly bred his own mares.According to one story, Laomedon's son, Ganymedes, was kidnapped by
Zeus , who had fallen in love with the beautiful boy. Laomedon grieved for his son. Sympathetic, Zeus sentHermes with two horses so swift they could run over water. Hermes also assured Laomedon that Ganymedes was immortal and would be the cupbearer for the gods, a position of much distinction. However, Ganymedes is more usually described as a son ofTros , an earlier King of Troy and grandfather of Laomedon. Laomedon himself was son ofIlus , son of Tros.Poseidon and Apollo, having offendedZeus , were sent to serve King Laomedon. He had them build huge walls around the city and promised to reward them well, a promise he then refused to fulfill. In vengeance, before theTrojan War ,Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy.Laomedon planned on sacrificing his daughter
Hesione to Poseidon in the hope of appeasing him.Heracles (along withOicles andTelamon ) rescued her at the last minute and killed the monster. Laomedon had promised them the magic horses as a reward for their deeds, but when he broke his word, Heracles and his allies took vengeance by putting Troy to siege, killing Laomedon and all his sons save Podarces, who saved his own life by giving Heracles a golden veil Hesione had made (and therefore was afterwards called "Priam ", from "priamai" 'to buy'). Telamon took Hesione as a war prize and married her; they had a son,Teucer .Family Tree
Trivia
Laomedon is also the name of the son of
Heracles andMeline , daughter ofThespius .
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