Melanippus or Menalippus, brother ofTydeus and thus possible son ofOeneus, king ofCalydon andPeriboea.[3] He was accidentally slain by Tydeus during a hunt. In some accounts, the murdered brother of Tydeus was called Olenias.[4]
Melanippus, son ofPerigune andTheseus, the father of Ioxus who, together withOrnytus, led a colony toCaria and became the ancestor of the family Ioxides.[5]
Melanippus, sometimes misspelled "Menalippus", son ofAstacus (hence referred to by the patronymicAstacides inOvid[6]), defender ofThebes inAeschylus' playSeven Against Thebes. In the play, he defended the Proitid gate against Tydeus.[7] He killed two of the seven attacking champions,Mecisteus andTydeus,[8] but was killed by eitherAmphiaraus,[9][AI-generated source?] or by Tydeus himself as he died.[10] (In versions where Melanippus is killed by someone other than Tydeus, the slayer decapitates him and delivers his head to Tydeus[11][AI-generated source?]). Tydeus broke Melanippus' skull open and consumed his brain, which disgustedAthena so that she gave up her intent of making Tydeus immortal.Herodotus relates how in historical times,Cleisthenes abolished thehero cult ofAdrastus inSicyon in favour of that of Melanippus.[12]
Melanippus, one of the 50 sons ofPriam. His mother was a woman other thanHecuba. He fought in theTrojan War and was shot dead byTeucer.[18] In some accounts, Melanippus was described to have a plume of horsehair like his brother Idaeus.[19]
Melanippus, yet another Trojan, who was killed byPatroclus.[20]
Melanippus, one of theAchaeans who fought at Troy. He was one of those who helpedOdysseus carry the gifts at the point of reconciliation betweenAchilles andAgamemnon.[21]
Melanippus, son ofAres andTriteia, daughter of the sea-godTriton, founder of the city ofTritaia, which he named after his own mother.[22]
Melanippus, a young man ofPatrae who was in love withComaetho, but the parents on both sides were against their marriage. Melanippus and Comaetho met secretly in the temple ofArtemis, where the girl served as priestess, and had sex there. The outraged goddess cursed the country with plague and famine; in order to put an end to the calamity, the inhabitants of Patrae were instructed by the oracle ofDelphi to sacrifice both lovers to the goddess and, from then on, to sacrifice the handsomest young man and the most beautiful girl of the city each year, until a new strange deity is introduced in Patrae. The practice lasted untilEurypylus, son ofEuaemon, on his way back from Troy, brought an image ofDionysus to Patrae.[23]
Melanippus, son of Helorus, leader of theMysian contingent in the Trojan War, killed byNeoptolemus.[24]
Menalippus (misspelling of "Melanippus"? cf. #3 above), a son ofAcastus. He, alongside his brotherPleisthenes and their servantCinyras, was killed by Neoptolemus as they were hunting near the latter's grandfatherPeleus' hideout, since Acastus and his family had been hostile towards Peleus.[25]
In ancientSicily,Melanippus was a hero ofAgrigento alongside his lover Chariton. They plotted against the cruel tyrantPhalaris, but were denounced and tortured. However, their mutual love and their refusal to betray their friends as accomplices moved the tyrant, who dismissed them with great praise.[26]
Tzetzes, John,Book of Histories, Book VII-VIII translated by Vasiliki Dogani from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826.Online version at theio.com
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If aninternal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.
