Eurypylus



In Greek mythology, Eurypylus (Greek: Εὐρύπυλος) was the name of several different people.

Son of Thestius
One Eurypylus was a son of Thestius. He participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, during which he insulted Atalanta and was killed by Meleager.

Son of Euaemon
Another Eurypylus was a Thessalian king, son of Euaemon. He led the Thessalians during the Trojan war being a former suitor of Helen. He led one of the larger contingents of ships, 40. He fought valiantly and is often listed amongst the first rank of Greek heroes such as Idomeneus, Diomedes, Ajax, etc. In the Iliad he was one of several to accept Hector's challenge to single combat, but was eliminated in the drawing of lots. He went to the aid of Telemonian Aias when the latter was wounded and tired from hard fighting and was compelled to withdraw from combat. In defending Aias he killed Aspisaon but was wounded and put out of action from one of Paris' arrows. This happened in the same book that all the other major Greeks were wounded and put out of action. When he withdrew from battle, his wounds were tended by Patroclus. While Patroclus was tending his wound Eurypylus convinced the former to enter into combat even if Achilles refused to join. He was also one of the Greeks to enter the Trojan Horse.

After the war, Eurypylus got a chest as part of his victory spoils. The chest was abandoned by Aeneas when he fled from Troy and then Cassandra placed a curse on it to whichever Greek would open the chest. Inside the chest was an image of Dionysus, made by Hephaestus and given to the Trojans by Zeus. When Eurypylus opened the chest he went mad. During a period of sanity he went to Delphi to seek a cure for his malady. The priestess told him to find a people making an unusual sacrifice and settle there. Eventually he came to Aroe (later Patrae), where he found people sacrificing a youth and a maiden to Artemis, to propitiate the goddess for the crime of Comaetho and Melanippus, who had polluted her shrine. The people of the town recognised him as a leader an oracle had said would come to them and made them their king. After this Eurypylus regained his sanity and the people of Patrae no longer needed to make human sacrifices. His tomb is in the city, and after the events the people of the area sacrificed to him as a hero at the festival of Dionysus.

Son of Telephus
A third Eurypylus was son of Telephus and Astyoche. His mother bribed him with a golden vine to fight on the side of the Trojans during the end of the Trojan War in command of a group of Mysians. He fought valiantly and killed the Greek warriors Machaon and Nireus and was finally killed by Neoptolemus.

Son of Poseidon
Another Eurypylus was king of the island of Cos. He was son of Poseidon and Astypalaea, and father of Chalciope. He was slain by Heracles when the latter, on his return from Troy, attacked the island, taking the city by night. Yet another Eurypylus was a son of Poseidon and Celaeno, and ruled over the Fortunate Islands. He had a brother named Lycus.

Son of Heracles
The last Eurypylus was a son of Heracles and Eubote, daughter of Thespius.