Laomedon
- the father of Priam and Ganymede, king of Troy, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 65; Prop. 2, 14 (3, 6), 2; Hor. C. 3, 3, 22; Ov. M. 6, 96; id. F. 6, 729; Hyg. Fab. 89.—Hence,
- A Lāŏmĕdontēus, a, um, adj., = Λαομεδόντειος, of or belonging to Laomedon, poet., Trojan: gens, Verg. A. 4, 542: arva, Ov. M. 11, 196: flammae, i.e. the Vestal fire brought by Aeneas to Rome, Sil. 1, 543.—
- B Lāŏmĕdontĭus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Laomedon, poet., Trojan: heros, i.e. Aeneas, Verg. A. 8, 18: pubes, i.e. the Trojan youth, id. ib. 7, 105.—
- C Lāŏmĕ-dontĭădes, ae, m., a male descendant of Laomedon: Priamus, Verg. A. 8, 158; Juv. 6, 326.—In plur.: Lāŏmĕdontĭădae, ārum, m., poet., Trojans, Verg. A. 3, 248.
(Λαομέδων), a king of Troy, the son of Hus and Eurydice, and the father of Priam, Tithonus, Lampus, Clytius, Hicetaon, and Bucolion. (Hom. Il. 20.236, &c., 6.23; Apollod. 3.12.3.) His wife is called Strymo, or Rhoeo, Placia, Thoosa, Zeuxippe, or Leucippe. (Apollod. l.c.; Schol. ad Hom. Il. 3.250; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 18.) Apollodorus further mentions three daughters of his, viz., Hesione or Theaneira, Cilla and Astyoche, instead of whom others mention Aethylla, Medesicaste, and Procleia. (Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 232, 467, 921.) When Laomedon built Troy, Poseidon and Apollo, who had revolted against Zeus, were doomed to serve Laomedon for wages, and accordingly Poseidon built the walls of Troy, while Apollo attended to the king's flocks on Mount Ida. (Hom. Il. 21.446, comp. 7.452.) According to some, Poseidon was assisted in the building of the walls by Aeacus; and the part constructed by the latter was the weakest, where the wall might be destroyed. (Pind. O. 8.41, with the Schol., and Schol. ad Eurip. Orest. 1373.) Apollodorus (2.5.9) states that Poseidon and Apollo came to Laomedon of their own accord, in order to try him. When the two gods had done their work, Laomedon refused them the reward he had promised them, and expelled them from his dominions. (Hom. Il. 21.441, &c.; Hor. Carm. 3.3, 21.) According to a tradition not mentioned by Homer, Poseidon punished the breach of promise by sending a marine monster into the territory of Troy, which ravaged the whole country. By the command of an oracle, the Trojans were obliged, from time to time, to sacrifice a maiden to the monster; and on one occasion it was decided by lot that Hesione, the daughter of Laomedon himself, should be the victim. But it happened that Heracles was just returning from his expedition against the Amazons, and he promised to save the maiden, if Laomedon would give him the horses which Tros had once received from Zeus as a compensation for Ganymedes. Laomedon promised to give them to Heracles, but again broke his word when Heracles had killed the monster and saved Hesione. Hereupon Heracles sailed with a squadron of six ships against Troy, and killed Laomedon, with all his sons, except Podarces (Priam), and gave Hesione to Telamon. Hesione ransomed her brother Priam with her veil. (Hom. Il. 5.265, 640, &c., 23.348; Schol. ad Il. 20.145, 21.442; Apollod. 2.5.9, 6.4; Diod. 4.32, 49; Hyg. Fab. 89.) His tomb existed in the neighbourhood of the Scaean gate; and it was believed that Troy would be safe so long as the tomb remained uninjured. (Serv. ad Aen. 2.241; Ov. Met. 11.696.)
There is another mythical person of the name of Laomedon (Apollod. 2.7.8). [L.S]
(Λαομέδων of Mytilene, son of Larichus, was one of Alexander's generals, and appears to have enjoyed a high place in his confidence even before the death of Philip, as he was one of those banished by that monarch (together with his brother Erigyius, Ptolemy, Nearchus, and others) for taking part in the intrigues of the young prince. (Arrian. Anab. 3.6.) After the death of Philip, Laomedon, in common with the others who had suffered on this occasion, was held by Alexander in the highest honour: he accompanied him to Asia, where, on account of his acquaintance with the Persian language, he was appointed to the charge of the captives. (Arrian. l.c.) Though his name is not afterwards mentioned during the wars of Alexander, the high consideration he enjoyed is sufficiently attested by his obtaining in the division of the provinces, after the king's death, the important government of Syria. (Diod. 18.3; Arrian. apud Phot. p. 69a; Dexipp. apud Phot. p. 64a; Just. 13.4; Curt. 10.10; Appian. Syr. 52.) This he was still allowed to retain on the second partition at Triparadeisus, but it was not long before the provinces of Phoenicia and Coele Syria excited the cupidity of his powerful neighbour Ptolemy. The Egyptian king at first offered Laomedon a large sum of money in exchange for his government; but the latter having rejected his overtures, he sent Nicanor with an army to invade Syria. Laomedon was unable to offer any effectual resistance: he was made prisoner by Nicanor, and sent into Egypt, from whence, however, he managed to effect his escape, and join Alcetas in Pisidia. (Arrian. apud Phot. p. 71b; Diod. 18.39, 43; Appian, App. Syr. 52.) There can be no doubt that he took part in the subsequent contest of Alcetas, Attalus, and the other surviving partizans of Perdiccas against Antigonus, and shared in the final overthrow of that party (B. C. 320), but his individual fate is not mentioned. [E.H.B]
(Λαομέδων). (1) King of Troy, son of Ilus, and father of Priam, Hesioné, and other children. Poseidon and Apollo, who had displeased Zeus, were doomed to serve Laomedon for wages. Accordingly, Poseidon built the walls of Troy, while Apollo tended the king's flocks on Mount Ida. When the two gods had done their work, Laomedon refused them the reward he had promised them, and expelled them from his dominions. Thereupon Poseidon sent a marine monster to ravage the country, to which the Trojans were obliged, from time to time, to sacrifice a maiden. On one occasion it was decided by lot that Hesioné, the daughter of Laomedon, should be the victim; but she was saved by Heracles, who slew the monster, upon Laomedon promising to give him the horses which Tros had once received from Zeus as a compensation for Ganymedes. But when the monster was slain, Laomedon again broke his word. Thereupon Heracles sailed with a squadron of six ships against Troy, killed Laomedon, with all his sons except Priam, and gave Hesioné to Telamon. Priam, as the son of Laomedon, is called Laomedontiades; and the Trojans, as the subjects of Laomedon, are called Laomedontiadae.
(2) A general of Alexander the Great who after the king's death received the government of Syria, of which he was subsequently deprived by Nicanor, Ptolemy's general (Diod.xviii. 39).
- father of Priam: Paus. 2.24.3
- his kine herded by Apollo: Paus. 7.20.4
- defrauds Apollo and Poseidon of their wages for fortifying Pergamum: Apollod. 2.5.9, Apollod. 2.5.9
- exposes his daughter Hesione to a sea monster: Apollod. 2.5.9
- defrauds Herakles of his reward for saving Hesione: Apollod. 2.5.9
- expedition of Herakles against: Paus. 8.36.6
- killed by Herakles: Apollod. 2.6.3
- son of Ilus: Apollod. 3.12.3
- his children: Apollod. 3.12.3, Apollod. 3.12.7
- father of Proclia: Apollod. E.3.22
- the daughters of, burn the Greek ships in Italy: Apollod. E.6.15, Apollod. E.6.15
- Apollod. 2.7.7
- Apollod. E.7.29
- Paus. 10.27.3