Tyndareus

Role: alleged father of Helen · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 33

At Argos, Œbalus and Gorgophone had Tyndareus. In one account, Hippocoon, supported by Icarius, forced him to retire to Pellene; another says he fled Sparta from Hippocoon and his sons. “And some time afterwards he was restored by Hercules and recovered his kingdom.”

At Rhamnus, the account of Helen’s parentage names Nemesis as her mother, Leda as her foster mother, and says the Greeks generally thought Zeus, not Tyndareus, was her father. He gave Clytæmnestra to Agamemnon as her first husband. Tyndareus added fetters to Aphrodite’s statue and began the building of Athene’s temple; he was also named as father of Castor, Pollux and Timandra. By the time Orestes faced his accuser, Tyndareus was no longer alive.

Relationship record

Life events

• The account identifies Nemesis as Helen’s mother, Leda as her foster mother, and Zeus rather than Tyndareus as her father.(Book 1 · Chapter 33 · 📍 Rhamnus)
  • With: Helen Nemesis Leda Zeus
  • “They say Nemesis was the mother of Helen, but Leda suckled her and brought her up: but her father the Greeks generally think was Zeus and not Tyndareus.”
• Agamemnon married Clytæmnestra as her first husband after receiving her from Tyndareus.(Book 2 · Chapter 18)
  • With: Agamemnon Clytæmnestra
  • “they say he married Clytæmnestra as her first husband having received her from Tyndareus.”
• Œbalus married Gorgophone and fathered Tyndareus.(Book 3 · Chapter 1 · 📍 Argos)
  • With: Œbalus Gorgophone
  • “He married Gorgophone the daughter of Perseus from Argos, and had a son Tyndareus”
• Hippocoon, supported by Icarius, forced Tyndareus to retire to Pellene.(Book 3 · Chapter 1 · 📍 Pellene)
  • With: Hippocoon Icarius
  • “And Icarius and his party espousing Hippocoon’s cause, he far exceeded Tyndareus in power, and compelled him to retire from fear to Pellene, according to the Lacedæmonian account.”
• Hercules restored Tyndareus, enabling him to recover his kingdom.(Book 3 · Chapter 1)
  • With: Hercules
  • “And some time afterwards he was restored by Hercules and recovered his kingdom.”
• Tyndareus added fetters to Aphrodite’s statue.(Book 3 · Chapter 15)
  • With: Aphrodite
  • “They say Tyndareus added the fetters, symbolising by those bonds the bonds of love”
• Tyndareus began construction of Athene’s temple.(Book 3 · Chapter 17)
  • “And this temple began to be built they say by Tyndareus:”
• Tyndareus fled Sparta because of Hippocoon and his sons.(Book 3 · Chapter 21 · 📍 Sparta)
  • With: Hippocoon
  • “where they say Tyndareus lived, when he fled from Sparta from Hippocoon and his sons.”
• Tyndareus was no longer alive when Orestes faced his accuser.(Book 8 · Chapter 34)
  • “when his accuser was not Tyndareus, for he was no longer alive”