< Tyndareus, son of Oebalus >
1 Origin
Tyndareus was born in Sparta in 1282 BC.
Tyndareus' father was Oebalus, son of Cynortas.
Tyndareus' mother was Gorgophone, daughter of Perseus.
2 Family
Tyndareus married Leda, daughter of Thestius.
Tyndareus and Leda had two sons, Castor and Polydeuces (or Pollux).
Tyndareus also had the daughters, Timandra, Clytaemnestra, Phylonoe, and Helen.
3 Migration to Aetolia
Tyndareus emigrated from Sparta to Aetolia in 1265 BC.
Tradition has it that Hippocoon expelled Tyndareus and Icarius from Lacedaemon.
But Hippocoon was the rightful heir of Oebalus, and he had many sons of the same age as Tyndareus, so it was impossible for Tyndareus to inherit the throne.
3.1 Companion
Tyndareus left Sparta of his own accord and went to Apahareus, who lived in Arene in Messenia.
Apahareus was Tyndareus' half-brother.
Apahareus was also the husband of Tyndareus' sister Arene, and thus his brother-in-law.
Apahareus had a son, Idas, who was the same age as Tyndareus.
Tyndareus emigrated to Aetolia with his nephew Idas.
3.2 Place of residence
Tyndareus and Idas emigrated to Pleuron in Aetolia.
Thestius, who lived in Pleuron, was the husband of Apahareus' sister Deidamia (or Leucippe).
Deidamia was Tyndareus' half-sister and Idas' aunt.
Thus, Tyndareus and Idas migrated to Aetolia, seeking refuge with Deidamia.
3.3 Marriage of Tyndareus and Idas
After migrating to Pleuron, Tyndareus married Leda, daughter of Thestius.
Idas married Marpessa, daughter of Evenus and Alcippe, and had a daughter, Cleopatra (or Halcyone).
Cleopatra, daughter of Idas, married Meleager, son of Calydon who lived in Calydon.
3.4 Aetolia's conflict
The battle called the Calydonian boar hunt ensued.
The battle was between the inhabitants of Pleuron, descendants of Curetes, the native of Aetolia, and the inhabitants of Calydon, descendants of Aetolus, son of Endymion, who had migrated from Eleia.
Tyndareus fought on the side of Pleuron, and Idas on the side of Calydon.
However, Tyndareus does not appear in the story of the Calydonian boar hunt, and his sons, the Dioscuri, participate in it.
The original author of the story does not seem to have thought of Tyndareus and Idas as being of the same generation, but rather that Tyndareus was one generation older than Idas.
4 Emigration to Sparta
Hippocoon, who succeeded Oebalus as ruler of Sparta, was attacked by Heracles and killed in battle along with many of his sons.
After this battle, Tyndareus' brother Icarius joined Heracles' campaign and emigrated to Acarnania.
In 1237 BC, Tyndareus emigrated from Aetolia to Sparta to inherit the kingdom.
4.1 Nemesis, the second wife
In Sparta, Tyndareus married Nemesis.
Nemesis is the name of a goddess. Nemesis's human name is unknown, but she is presumed to be the daughter or granddaughter of Hippocoon, who was left behind as an orphan.
Nemesis gave birth to Clytaemnestra, who became the wife of Agamemnon, and Helen, who became the wife of Menelaus.
Many sources say that Helen was the daughter of Leda, the daughter of Thestius.
However, the age difference between Leda's sons, Dioscuri, and Helen is more than 40 years. It is unlikely that they were born to the same woman.
In other words, Clytaemnestra and Helen were daughters born to Tyndareus after he returned to Sparta.
4.2 Battle with Andania
Tyndareus first attacked Andania.
Andania was a colony of Lacedaemon and was close to Sparta.
Andania was inherited by Perieres' son Leucippus after his death.
In a battle with Tyndareus, Leucippus died and his two daughters were carried off by Tyndareus' two sons, Castor and Polydeuces, to become their wives.
The sons of Tyndareus and the daughters of Leucippus were cousins.
4.3 Battle with Oechalia
Tyndareus next attacked Eurytus, son of Melaneus, of Oechalia near Andania.
Oechalia was a town founded by a land grant from Andania.
Eurytus moved to Euboea and founded the third Oechalia.
4.4 Idas brothers join the battle
Leucippus of Andania was Idas' uncle, and Eurytus of Oechalia was the son of Melaneus, who was invited from Thessaly by Idas' grandfather Perieres.
Melaneus and Perieres were the sons of Aeolus, son of Lapithus.
In other words, Idas and Eurytus were Lapiths, whose common ancestor was Lapithus, and the Idas brothers also joined Andania and Oechalia in fighting against Tyndareus.
The battle between Tyndareus and Idas in Aetolia was transferred to a battle between the Lacedaemonians and the Messenians.
4.5 The Battle with the Idas Brothers
The battle between Tyndareus and the Idas brothers continued for nearly 30 years, with the two sons of Tyndareus taking over.
The final chapter of their battle began with Idas's kidnapping of Tyndareus' daughter Helen.
In 1210 BC, Idas kidnapped Helen and entrusted her to Theseus, Athenian king. Theseus entrusted her to Aphidnus of Aphidnae.
Theseus' friend Peirithous was Lapiths, and it is believed that Idas and Theseus were also friends through Peirithus.
The two sons of Tyndareus took Helen back.
Then, the battle between the Dioscuri and the Idas brothers ended with the destruction of both.
5 Succession of Tyndareus
Tradition has it that Tyndareus ceded the kingship of Lacedaemon to his son-in-law Menelaus.
[Apo.3.11.2, Apo.E.2.16, Hyginus.78].
However, there is a tradition that Dioscuri succeeded Tyndareus, and Tyndareus may have died before Dioscuri. [Paus.3.1.5].
Tyndareus' sons, Castor and Polydeuces, had sons about the same age as Menelaus. [Apo.3.11.2, Paus.2.22.5, TzeAdLyco.511]
Tyndareus had at least three daughters by women he married after his return from Aetolia to Sparta. Although not mentioned in the tradition, it is likely that he also had sons.
In other words, although Tyndareus had an heir, he was succeeded by his son-in-law Menelaus.
Presumably, with the power of Mycenae behind him, Menelaus gained control of Lacedaemonians over the legitimate heirs of Tyndareus.
As evidence, Menelaus was succeeded by Agamemnon's son Orestes, and Orestes was succeeded by his son Tisamenus, although they did not live in Lacedaemon.