In the cycle of ancient legends on the Trojan War, Helen of Troy is a central character. She is ultimately the cause of the war. What do we know about her father, Tyndareus? Ancient sources reveal much about who he was, what he did, and why he was important.
Tyndareus, a prince of Sparta
The most basic information that we possess on Tyndareus is that he was born a prince of Sparta. His father was the king of that city-state. Certain sources refer to his father as “Oebalus,” a king of Sparta descended from Lacedaemon, the eponymous forefather of the Spartans. According to other sources, however, he was the son of a different king, Perieres son of Aeolus son of Hellen. In either case, he came from an illustrious background.
Tyndareus’ wife was a woman named Leda. She was a princess from Aetolia in western central Greece, a daughter of King Thestius. Leda bore several children with Tyndareus, including Timandra, Phoebe, and Philonoe. More famously, she bore Castor, Pollux, Helen, and Clytemnestra. However, these four children were actually the offspring of Zeus, who had relations with Leda when he was disguised as a swan.
Exiled and restored to the throne of Sparta
Eventually, Tyndareus appears to have succeeded his father as the king of Sparta. However, his reign was not unopposed. He had a brother named Hippocoon who plotted against him. Ancient Greek historian Apollodorus tells us that Hippocoon and his ten sons expelled Tyndareus and his other brother, Icarius, from Sparta.
As a result, the two exiled brothers fled to the kingdom of Thestius. It was at this point in Tyndareus’ life that he met Leda and married her. In close conjunction with this, Apollodorus mentions that Tyndareus and Icarius allied themselves with Thestius and assisted him in his war against his neighbors. Perhaps Thestius gave Tyndareus his daughter Leda’s hand in marriage as compensation for his war-time conduct.
In any case, Apollodorus reveals what happened next. Heracles killed Hippocoon and his sons, allowing Tyndareus to return to the throne.
Aphrodite’s curse
During his reign, two princes from Mycenae sought refuge in his kingdom. They were Agamemnon and Menelaus. Tyndareus offered them refuge, for they had been driven out of their own kingdom by a ruler named Thyestes after the death of their father, Atreus.
King Tyndareus of Sparta helped Agamemnon and Menelaus reclaim control of Mycenae. He also eventually gave them two of his daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen, in marriage. Nonetheless, his careless actions would later incur the wrath of Aphrodite.
According to an early Greek poet named Stesichorus, Tyndareus neglected to show honor to Aphrodite during his worship of the gods, and she thus became furious with him, directing her rage against three of his daughters. The third daughter was Timandra. Aphrodite destined them to abandon their respective husbands, and this even came to pass, most famously in the case of Helen leaving Menelaus for Paris of Troy.
The end of Tyndareus’ reign
But how did Tyndareus’ reign come to an end? Despite Aphrodite’s wrath against him, he was able to end his reign peacefully and uneventfully. After Menelaus married Helen, he stepped down from the throne and allowed his son-in-law to become the new king of Sparta. Agamemnon, his other son-in-law, continued ruling over Mycenae.
Sources differ as to what eventually became of Tyndareus. Some sources claim he passed away prior to the Trojan War. However, according to a popular narrative, he survived the conclusion of that war and lived to see his daughter, Clytemnestra, murdered by her son Orestes, the child of Agamemnon. Tyndareus’ grief over his daughter’s death led him to pursue justice against Orestes, but he was unsuccessful.
Ultimately, we see from Apollodorus, Pausanias, and Euripides that Tyndareus had a mournful end to his life, profoundly disappointed with (or even hateful of) his daughters Clytemnestra and Helen, as well as his grandson Orestes.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
