Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/219

 PELLUS AND TELAMON. 187 tying Periboea, daughter of Alkathoos, and grand-daughter of Pelops, had for his son the celebrated Ajax. Telamon took part both in the chase of the Kalydonian boar and in the Argo- nautic expedition : he was also the intimate friend and companion of Herakles, whom he accompanied in his enterprise against the Amazons, and in the attack made with only six ships upon Lao- medon, king of Troy. This last enterprise having proved com- pletely successful, Telamon was rewarded by Herakles with the possession of the daughter of Laomedon, Hesione who bore to him Teukros, the most distinguished archer amidst the host of Agamennon, and the founder of Salamis in Cyprus. 1 Peleus went to Phthia, where he married the daughter of Eurytion, son of Aktor, and received from him the third part of his dominions. Taking part in the Kalydonian boar-hunt, he unintentionally killed his father-in-law Eurytion, and was obliged to flee to lolkos, where he received purification from Akastus, son of Pelias : the danger to which he became exposed by the calumnious accusations of the enamoured wife of Akastus has already been touched upon in a previous section. Peleus also was among the Argonauts ; the most memorable event in his life however was his marriage with the sea-goddess Thetis. Zeus and Poseidon had both conceived a violent passion for Thetis. But the former, having been forewarned by Prometheus that Thetis was destined to give birth to a son more powerful than his father, compelled her, much against her own will, to marry Peleus ; who, instructed by the intimations of the wise Cheiron, was enabled to seize her on the coast called Sepias in the south- ern region of Thessaly. She changed her form several tunes, but Peleus held her fast until she resumed her original appear- ance, and she was then no longer able to resist. All the gods were present, and brought splendid gifts to these memorable nup- tials : Apollo sang with his harp, Poseidon gave to Peleus the immortal horses Xanthus and Balius, and Cheiron presented a 1 Appollod. iii. 12, 7. Hesiod. ap. Strab. ix. p. 393. The libation and prayer of Herakles, prior to the birth of Ajax, and his hxing the name of the yet unborn child, from an eagle (aterdf ) which ap- peared in response to his words, was detailed in the Hesiodic Eoia, and la celebrated by Pindar (Isthm v. 30-54). See also the Scholia.