InGreek mythology,Teucer (/ˈtjuːsər/;Ancient Greek:Τεῦκρος,romanized: Teûkros, alsoTeucrus,Teucros orTeucris), was the son of KingTelamon ofSalamis Island and his second wifeHesione, daughter of KingLaomedon ofTroy. He fought alongside his half-brother,Ajax, in theTrojan War and is the legendary founder of the city ofSalamis onCyprus. Through his mother, Teucer was the nephew of KingPriam of Troy and the cousin ofHector andParis—all of whom he fought against in the Trojan War.
During the Trojan War, Teucer was mainly a greatarcher, who loosed his shafts from behind the giant shield of his half-brother Ajax the Great. WhenHector was driving theAchaeans back toward their ships, Teucer gave theArgives some success by killing many of the charging Trojans, including Hector's charioteer, Archeptolemus son ofIphitos. However, every time he shot an arrow at Hector,Apollo, the protector of the Trojans, would foil the shot.[1] At one point in his rage at Teucer's success, Hector picked up a huge rock and flung it at him. The rock injured Teucer, so that he retired from the fighting for a time.[2] He took up a spear to fight in the war after his bow was broken by Zeus.[3] He once again challenged Hector, and narrowly avoided the path of Hector's flying javelin in the ensuing battle. He was also one of theDanaans to enter theTrojan Horse. In total, Teucer slew thirty Trojans during the war;[4] of those Homer mentionsAretaon,Orsilochus,Ormenus,Ophelestes,Daetor,Chromius,Lycophontes,Amopaon,Melanippus,Prothoon andPeriphetes,[5] as well as the aforementioned Archeptolemus. He also woundedGlaucus, son ofHippolochus.[6]
After Ajax's suicide, Teucer guarded the body to make sure it was buried, insultingMenelaus andAgamemnon when they tried to stop the burial. Finally,Odysseus persuaded Agamemnon to let the burial happen.[7] Because of his half-brother's suicide, Teucer stood trial before his father, where he was found guilty of negligence for not bringing his dead half-brother's body or his arms back with him. He was disowned by his father, was not allowed back on Salamis Island, and set out to find a new home. His departing words were introduced in the seventh ode of the first book of the Roman poetHorace'sOdes, in which he exhorts his companions "nil desperandum", "do not despair", and announces "cras ingens iterabimus aequor", "tomorrow we shall set out upon the vast ocean".[8] This speech has been given a wider applicability in relation to the theme of voyages of discovery, also found in theUlysses ofTennyson.
Teucer eventually joined KingBelus ofTyre in his campaign against Cyprus, and when the island was seized, Belus handed it over to him in reward for his assistance. Teucer founded the city ofSalamis on Cyprus, which he named after his home state.[9] He further married Eune, daughter ofCinyras, king of Cyprus, and had by her a daughter Asteria.[10]Anaxarete of Cyprus was called "a proud princess in the line of Teucer's descendants".[11]
The name Teucer is believed to be related to the name of the West Hittite God Tarku (East Hittite Teshub)—theIndo-European Storm God—a role which explains his relationship to Belus, who is associated with the Carthaginian godBaal Hammon.[12]
Local legends of the city ofPontevedra (Galicia) relate the foundation of this city to Teucer (Teucro), although this seems to be based more on the suspicions that Greek traders might have reached that area in ancient times,[13] hence introducing a number of Greek stories. The city is sometimes poetically called "The City of Teucer" and its inhabitantsteucrinos. A number of sporting clubs in the municipality use names related to Teucer. Some versions of the legend say that Teucer reached Galicia by following a sea nymph or mermaid called Leucoina, while others point to her as the cause of his death, when the hero drowned trying to reach her.
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