Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology/Tyndareus

TYNDAREUS (Τυνδάρεως), the son of Perieres and Gorgophone, and a brother of Aphareus, Leucippus, Icarius, and Arete, (Apollod. i. 9. § 5) or according to others (Apollod. iii. 10. § 4), a son of Oebalus, by the nymph Bateia or by Gorgophone. (Paus. iii. 1. § 4.) Tyndareus, with Icarion, being expelled by his step-brother Hippocoon and his sons, he fled to Thestius in Aetolia, and assisted him in his wars against his neighbours. Others (Paus. l. c.) state that Icarion assisted Hippocoon, and, according to a Laconian tradition, Tyndareus went to Pellana in Laconia, and according to a Messenian tradition, he went to Aphareus in Messenia. (Paus. iii. l. § 4, 21. § 2.) In Aetolia he married Leda, the daughter of Thestius (Apollod. iii. 10. § 5; Eurip. Iph. Aul. 49), and afterwards he was restored to his kingdom of Sparta by Heracles. (Apollod. ii. 7. § 3, iii. 10. § 5; Paus. ii. 18. § 6; Diod. iv. 33.) By Leda, Tyndareus became the father of Timandra, Clytaemnestra and Philonoe. (Apollod. iii. 10. § 6; Hom. Od. xxiv. 199.) One night Leda was embraced both by Zeus and Tyndareus, and the result of this was the birth of Polydeuces and Helena, the children of Zeus, and of Castor and Clytaemnestra, the children of Tyndareus. (Hygin. Fab. 77; comp. ; ; .) When Tyndareus saw that his beautiful daughter Helena was beleaguered by suitors, he began to be afraid, lest if one should be successful, the others should create disturbances, and, on the advice of Odysseus, he put them all to their oath, to protect the suitor that should be preferred by Helena, against any wrong that might be done to him. (Paus. iii. 20. § 9.) To reward Odysseus for this good advice, Tyndareus himself begged Icarius to give to Odysseus his daughter Penelope. (Apollod. iii. 10. § 9.) Tyndareus was believed to have built the temple of Athena Chalcioecus at Sparta. (Paus. iii. 17. § 3.) When Castor and Polydeuces had been received among the immortals, Tyndareus invited Menelaus to come to Sparta, and surrendered his kingdom to him. (Apollod. iii. 11. § 2.) His tomb was shown at Sparta as late as the time of Pausanias (iii. 17. § 4).