Peleus

In Greek mythology, Peleus (/ˈpiːliəs, ˈpiːljuːs/; Ancient Greek: Πηλεύς Pēleus) was a hero, king of Phthia, husband of Thetis and the father of their son Achilles. This myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BC.

Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. He married the sea-nymph Thetis with whom he fathered Achilles.

Polymele, a daughter of Peleus, was one of the possible mothers of Patroclus by Menoetius.

Peleus and his brother Telamon were friends of Jason and both were counted as Argonauts. Though there were no further kings in Aegina, the kings of Epirus claimed descent from Peleus in the historic period.

Peleus and his brother Telamon killed their half-brother Phocus, perhaps in a hunting accident and certainly in an unthinking moment, and fled Aegina to escape punishment. In Phthia, Peleus was purified by the city's ruler, Eurytion, and then married the latter's daughter, Antigone, by whom he had a daughter, Polydora. Eurytion received the barest mention among the Argonauts (both Peleus and Telamon joined the Argonauts themselves, "yet not together, nor from one place, for they dwelt far apart and distant from Aigina"). However, Peleus accidentally killed Eurytion during the hunt for the Calydonian boar and fled from Phthia.

Peleus was purified of the murder of Eurytion in Iolcus by Acastus. Acastus's wife, Astydamia, fell in love with Peleus and after he scorned her, she sent a messenger to Antigone to tell her that Peleus was to marry Acastus's daughter. As a result, Antigone hanged herself.

Astydamia then told Acastus that Peleus had tried to rape her. Acastus took Peleus on a hunting trip atop Mount Pelion and once Peleus fell asleep, Acastus hid his sword in cow dung and abandoned him on the mountainside. Peleus woke up and as a group of centaurs was about to attack him, the wise centaur Chiron, or, according to another source, Hermes, returned his sword to him and Peleus managed to escape. He pillaged Iolcus and dismembered Astydamia, then marched his army between the rended limbs. Acastus and^{[clarification needed]} Astydamia were dead and the kingdom fell to Jason's son, Thessalus.

After Antigone's death, Peleus married the sea-nymph Thetis. He was able to win her over with the aid of Proteus, who instructed Peleus to hold onto her tightly through all of her physical transformations she used to try to escape. Their wedding feast was attended by many of the Olympian gods. As wedding presents, Poseidon gave Peleus two immortal horses: Balius and Xanthus, Hephaestus gave him a knife, Aphrodite a bowl with an embossed Eros, Hera a chlamys, Athena a flute, Nereus a basket of the divine salt which has an irresistible virtue for overeating, appetite and digestion and Zeus gave Thetis, as present, the wings of Arke.