Historiae Romanorum

Telamon

The son of Aeacus, the king of Aegina, and Endeis.  After he and his brother Peleus killed their half-brother Phocus while in a wrestling match, in order to please their mother.  Aeacus exiled the two, and Telamon went to the island of Salamis, where he eventually became king.

Telamon participated in the Calydonian Boar Hunt.  He was also one of the Argonauts, joining Jason on the quest for the Golden Fleece.

He was present with the hero Heracles, when they stormed the walls of Troy.  Telamon, in fact, was the first to breach the city walls.  Seeing that he had been upstaged, Heracles decided to kill Telamon.  Realizing his error, Telamon quickly began to pile up stones and make a monument to Heracles within the walls.  Heracles did not kill him, and in fact gave him his choice of women from the captured town.  Telamon chose Hesione, who bore him a son named Teucer.  With his wife Eeriboea, he had a son Ajax, named thusly at Heracles' instructions.

Both Ajax and Teucer fought well during the Trojan War.

Source(s):

1. Apollodorus.  Bibliotece.

2. Homer.  Iliad.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.