Polydorus
Frieze-Dennison Vergil
Could not find Polydore in Logeion dictionaries.
Polydore Proper-name noun: masculine vocative singular of Polydorus
- a son of Priam and Hecuba, killed by the Thracian Polymnestor, Cic. poët. de Or. 3, 58, 219; Verg. A. 3, 45 Serv.; Ov. M. 13, 432 sq. —Hence,
- II Pŏlydōrēus, a, um, adj., of Polydorus, Polydorean: sanguis, Ov. M. 13, 629.
(Πολύδωρος).
1. A son of Cadmus and Harmonia, was king of Thebes, and husband of Nycteis, by whom he became the father of Labdacus. (Hes. Th. 978; Apollod. 3.4.2, 5.5; Paus. 2.6.2, 9.5.1, &c.; Hdt. 5.59.)
2. The youngest among the sons of Priam and Laotoe, was slain by Achilles. (Hom. Il. 20.406, &c., 22.46, &c.) The tragic poets (see Eur. Hec. 3) call him a son of Priam and Hecabe. When Ilium was on the point of falling into the hands of the Greeks, Priam entrusted his son Polydorus and a large sum of money to Polymestor or Polymnestor, king of the Thracian Chersonesus ; but after the destruction of Troy, Polymestor killed Polydorus for the purpose of getting possession of his treasures, and cast his body into the sea. His body was afterwards washed upon the coast, where it was found and recognised by his mother Hecabe, who together with other Trojan captives took vengeance upon Polymestor by killing his two children, and putting out his eyes. (Eurip. Hec. l.c., 1050; Virg. Acn. 3.49, &c. ; Ov. Met. 13.432, &c., 536; Plut. Parall. min. 24.) Another tradition states that Polydorus was entrusted to his sister Iliona, who was married to Polymestor, and who was to educate him. She accordingly brought him up as her own son, while she made every one else believe that her own son Deiphilus or Deipylus was Polydorus. The Greeks determined to destroy the race of Priam sent to Polymestor, promising him Electra for his wife, and a large amount of gold, if he would kill Polydorus. Polymestor was prevailed upon, and he accordingly slew his own son instead of Polydorus. The true Polydorus having afterwards learnt the real intention of Polymestor persuaded his sister Iliona to kill Polymestor. (Hyg. Fab. 109, 240; Horat. Sat. 2.3. 61; Cic. Tusc. 1.44, Acad. 2.27.) According to a third tradition, lastly, Polymestor, who was attacked by the Greeks, delivered up Polydorus to them in order to secure their leaving him in peace. The Greeks wanted to get possession of Helen in his stead, but as the Trojans refused to make the exchange, the Greeks stoned Polydorus to death under the very walls of Troy, and his body was delivered up to Helen. (Dict. Cret. 2.18, 22, 27.)
3. One of the Epigoni, a son of Hippomedon. (Paus. 2.20.4; comp. Adhastus.) [L.S]
(Πολύδωρος).
1. The tenth or eleventh king of Sparta in the Eurysthenid line, was the son of Alcamenes and the father of Eurycrates, who succeeded him. This king lived in the time of the first Messenian war, and assisted in bringing it to a conclusion, B. C. 724. He was murdered by Polemarchus, a Spartan of high family; but his name was precious among his people on account of his justice and kindness. They purchased his house of his widow; and the magistrates in future sealed all public documents with his image. Several constitutional changes were introduced by him and his colleague Theopompus; and Plutarch says that Polydorus increased the number of the Spartan lots. It is further stated that Crotona and the Epizephyrian Locri were founded in his reign. (Hdt. 7.204; Paus. 3.3. §§ 1-3, 3.11.10, 3.12.3, 4.7.7, 8.52.1; Plut. Lyc. 6, 8.)
2. The brother of Jason of Pherae, Tagus of Thessaly, obtained the supreme power along with his brother Polyphron, on the death of Jason in B. C. 370. But shortly afterwards as the two brothers were on a journey to Larissa, Polydorus died suddenly in the night, assassinated, as it was supposed, by Polyphron (Xen. Hell. 6.4.33). Diodorus makes a mistake in stating (15.61) that Polydorus was killed by another brother Alexander, who afterwards became tyrant of Pherae; for this Alexander was the nephew, and not the brother of Polydorus and Polyphron. (Plut. Pel. 100.29.) [See Vol. I. p. 124.]
a distinguished sculptor of Rhodes, was one of the associates of Agesander, in the execution of the celebrated group of the Laocoon ; and was not improbably the son of Agesander, since there is a tradition that Agesander made the figure of Laocoon in the group, and his sons those of the sons of Laocoon. The age of Polydorus depends of course on the date assigned to the Laocoon : if Thiersch be right he lived at Rome under Titus (Plin. Nat. 36.4. s. 5.11; Agesander). He is also mentioned by Pliny, unless an curlier artist of the same name be intended, among statuaries in bronze who made athetas et armatos et venatores sacrificantesque. (H. N. 34.8. s. 19.34.) [P.S]
(Πολύδωρος). (1) Son of Cadmus and Harmonia, father of Labdacus, and great-grandfather of Oedipus.
(2) Youngest son of Priam and of Laothoë; his father's favourite son. He was killed while yet a boy by Achilles. The tragedians make him the son of Priam and Hecuba, who, before the fall of Troy, committed him with many treasures to the care of their guest-friend, the Thracian king Polymestor (or Polymnestor). After the capture of Troy, Polymestor put the boy to death, in order to get possession of the gold, and threw the body into the sea. The waves cast it up on the Trojan shore, and here Hecuba found it, just as Polyxena was on the point of being sacrificed. Out of revenge she, with the help of the captive Trojan woman, killed the two children of the murderer and blinded Polymestor himself. According to another version, Ilioné, Priam's daughter and Polymestor's wife, brought up the brother, who had been committed to her charge, as her own son, while she gave up her child Deïphilus (or Deïpilus) instead of Polydorus. The Greeks, who wished to exterminate the race of Priam, won over Polymestor by promising him the hand of Electra and a large present of money in return for the murder of Polydorus. Polymestor then murdered his own son, and was blinded and killed by Ilioné.
(3) A Greek sculptor of the school of Rhodes, author (in conjunction with Agesander and Athenodorus) of the celebrated group of Laocoön (q.v.).
- Hdt. 7.115
- Hdt. 3.91
- Hdt. 7.204
- son of Alcamenes, king of Sparta: Paus. 3.3.1, Paus. 4.7.7, Paus. 8.52.1
- commands Lacedaemonians in first Messenian war: Paus. 4.7.7, 8, Paus. 4.8.10
- assassinated by Polemarchus: Paus. 3.3.2
- his memory honoured: Paus. 3.3.3
- his likeness engraved on public signet: Paus. 3.11.10
- his statue: Paus. 3.11.10
- his house: Paus. 3.12.3
- Hdt. 5.59
- son of Cadmus and Harmonia: Apollod. 3.4.2
- son of Cadmus, king of Thebes: Paus. 2.6.2, Paus. 9.5.3, 4
- becomes king of Thebes, marries Nycteis: Apollod. 3.5.4
- father of Labdacus: Apollod. 3.5.4
- makes log into image of Dionysus Cadmus: Paus. 9.12.4
- one of chiefs who captured Thebes: Paus. 2.20.5
- Apollod. 3.12.5
- Apollod. E.7.29