Pelias
Frieze-Dennison Vergil
- Of or belonging to Pelias; v. 2. Pelias fin.—
- II Pēlĭas, ădis, f., of or belonging to Pelion; v. Pelion, C.
- a king of Thessaly, son of Neptune and the nymph Tyro, brother of Neleus, half-brother of Aeson, and father of Acastus. Being appointed by Aeson guardian to his son Jason, he sought, when Jason grew up, to rid himself of the charge by inciting him to join the Argonautic expedition. After Jason's return Pelias was slain by his own daughters, at the artful instigation of Medea, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 80 (869); Hyg. Fab. 24; Enn. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34 (Trag. v. 286 Vahl.); id. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 58, 217 (id. v. 313 ib.); Ov. M. 7, 304; Val. Fl. 1, 22 et saep.
- —Hence, Pĕlĭădes, the daughters of Pelias, who, upon Medea's promise to restore their father's youth, cut him to pieces, and boiled him in a caldron, Phaedr. 4, 7, 16; cf. Hyg. Fab. 24.
(Πελίας), 1. A son of Poseidon (or Cretheus, Hyg. Fab. 12; Schol. ad Theocrit. 3.45) and Tyro. The latter, a daughter of Salmoneus, was in love, in her youth, with the river-god Enipeus, and Poseidon assuming the appearance of Enipeus, visited her, and became by her the father of Pelias and Neleus. Afterwards she was married to Cretheus, her father's brother; she became by him the mother of Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon. (Hom. Od. 11.234, &c.; Apollod. 1.9.8; Hyg. Fab. 157.) Pelias and Neleus were exposed by their mother, and one of them was struck by a mare which passed by, so that his face became black, and a shepherd who found the child called him Pelias (from πελιόω, Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1682); and the other child which was suckled by a she-dog, was called Neleus, and both were brought up by the shepherd. When they had grown up to manhood, they discovered who their mother was, and Pelias killed Sidero, the wife of Salmoneus and step-mother of Tyro, at the altar of Hera, because she had ill used her step-daughter Tyro. After the death of Cretheus, Pelias did not allow his step-brother Aesoni to undertake the government of the kingdom, and after expelling even his own brother Neleus he ruled at Iolcus (Schol. ad Eurip. Alcest. 255; comp. Paus. 4.2.3), whereas according to others, he did not reign at lolcus till after Aeson's death, and even then only as the guardian of Jason, the son of Aeson. (Schol. ad Horn. Od. 12.70.) It is probably in allusion to his conduct towards his own brothers that Hesiod (Hes. Th. 996) calls him ὑβριστής. He married, according to some (Hygin. Fad. 14), Anaxibia, the daughter of Bias, and according to ethers, Philomache, the daughter of Amphion, by whom he became the father of Acastus, Peisidice, Pelopeia, Hippothoe and Alcestis. (Apollod. 1.9.8, &c.) Besides these daughters of Pelias (Peliades), several others are mentioned, such as Medusa (Hyg. Fab. 24), Amphinome, Evadne (Diod. 4.53), Asteropaea and Antinoe. (Paus. 8.11.2.) The Peliades were represented on the chest of Cypselus, where however the name of Alcestis alone was written. (Paus. 5.17.4; comp. Hom. Il. 2.715; Ov. Tr. 5.5. 55.) After the murder of their father, they are said to have fled from Iolcus to Mantineia in Arcadia, where their tombs also were shown. (Paus. 8.11.2.) Jason, after his return from Colchis, gave Alcestis in marriage to Admetus, Amphinome to Andraemon, and Evadne to Canes (Diod. 4.53), though according to the common story, Pelias himself gave Alcestis to Admetus. [Alcestis.] After Pelias had taken possession of the kingdom of Iolcus, he sent Jason, the son of his step-brother Aeson, to Colchis to fetch the golden fleece, and as he did not anticipate his return, he despatched Aeson and his son Promachus. After the return of Jason, Pelias was cut to pieces and boiled by his own daughters, who had been told by Medeia that in this manner they might restore their father to vigour and youth. His son, Acastus, held solemn funeral games in his honour at Iolcus, and expelled Jason and Medeia from the country. (Apollod. 1.9.27, &c.; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 175; Ov. Met. 7.297, &c.; comp. Jason, Mederia, Argonautae.) Pelias is further mentioned as one of the first who celebrated the Olympian games. (Paus. 5.8.1.)
2. A son of Aeginetes and a descendant of Lacedaemonius, is mentioned by Pausanias (7.18.4). [L.S]
(Πελίας). A son of Poseidon and Tyro, a daughter of Salmoneus. Poseidon once visited Tyro in the form of the river-god Enipeus, with whom she was in love, and she became by him the mother of Pelias and Neleus. To conceal her shame, their mother exposed the two boys, but they were found and reared by some countrymen. They subsequently learned their parentage; and after the death of Cretheus, king of Iolcus, who had married their mother, they seized the throne of Iolcus, to the exclusion of Aeson, the son of Cretheus and Tyro. Pelias soon afterwards expelled his own brother Neleus, and thus became sole ruler of Iolcus. After Pelias had long reigned over Iolcus, Iason, the son of Aeson, came to Iolcus and claimed the kingdom as his right. In order to get rid of him, Pelias sent him to Colchis to fetch the golden fleece. Hence arose the celebrated expedition of the Argonauts. After the return of Iason, Pelias was cut to pieces and boiled by his own daughters (the Peliades), who had been told by Medea that in this manner they might restore their father to vigour and youth. His son Acastus held funeral games in his honour at Iolcus, and expelled Iason and Medea from the country. (See Argonautae; Iason; Medea.) The names of several of the daughters of Pelias are four, the best known of which is that of Alcestis (q.v.).
- Paus. 7.18.5
- twin brother of Neleus: Apollod. 1.9.8
- kills his stepmother Sidero: Apollod. 1.9.8, Apollod. 1.9.9
- holds Olympic games with Neleus: Paus. 5.8.2
- expels Neleus from Iolcus: Paus. 4.2.5
- quarrels with his brother: Apollod. 1.9.9
- dwells in Thessaly: Apollod. 1.9.9
- father of Acastus, Alcestes, etc: Apollod. 1.9.9, Apollod. 1.9.15, Apollod. 1.9.17
- does not honour Hera: Apollod. 1.9.9, Apollod. 1.9.16
- king of Iolcus after Cretheus: Apollod. 1.9.16
- sends Jason to fetch the Golden Fleece: Apollod. 1.9.16
- makes away with Aeson and his son: Apollod. 1.9.26
- murdered by his daughters at the instigation of Medea: Paus. 8.11.2ff., cf.Paus. 2.3.9, Apollod. 1.9.26
- his funeral games: Paus. 5.17.9
- painted by Polygnotus: Paus. 10.30.8
- his daughters: Paus. 5.17.11
- they migrate to Arcadia: Paus. 8.11.3
- their graves: Paus. 8.11.1
- games held in honour of: Apollod. 3.9.1, Apollod. 1.7.7