Pausanias Analysis

After the Herms, going westward, you come presently to the part called Laconia. According to the accounts of the Lacedaemonians themselves, Lelex, an earth-born native, was the first king who ruled this land, and from him the Leleges, the people he governed, derived their name. Lelex had two sons, Myles and a younger one, Polycaon. On another occasion I shall explain where Polycaon went and why he left the country. On the death of Myles, his son Eurotas succeeded to the throne. Eurotas channeled off the standing water that filled the plain by cutting a canal to the sea; and when this water had drained away, the stream that remained became a river, which he named Eurotas after himself.

Since he himself had no male children, he left the kingdom of Lakedaimon to Lakedaimon, whose mother was Taygete—from whom the mountain also received its name—and who, according to tradition, traced his descent on his father's side back to Zeus. Lakedaimon married Sparta, daughter of Eurotas. When he took power, he first transferred his own name onto the land and its people; afterward, he founded a city, naming it after his wife. This city is still called Sparta even now.

Amyclas, son of Lacedaemon, desiring himself also to leave something behind in remembrance, founded a small town in Laconia. Among his sons, Hyacinthus, the youngest and the most handsome in appearance, was overtaken by fate before his father. The tomb of Hyacinthus is in Amyclae, beneath the image of Apollo. After the death of Amyclas, the succession of rule passed first to Argalus, the eldest of Amyclas' sons, and afterward, upon the death of Argalus, to Cynortas.

From Cynortas was born Oibalos. He married Gorgophone, the wife of Perseus, from Argos, and had a son Tyndareus. Hippocoön contended with this Tyndareus about the kingship, arguing that he had the stronger claim by birthright. Taking on his side Icarius and his followers, Hippocoön far surpassed Tyndareus in strength and compelled him to flee in fear. According to the Lacedaemonians, he withdrew to Pellana, but the Messenians have a different tradition concerning him; they say that when Tyndareus was driven into exile, he came to Aphareus in Messenia. Aphareus, the son of Perieres, was Tyndareus' maternal half-brother. They claim further that Tyndareus lived in Thalamae in Messenia, and that here, while he was residing there, his children were born.

Later, after some time, Tyndareus was restored by Heracles' aid and regained the throne. The sons of Tyndareus also ruled, as well as Menelaus the son of Atreus, Tyndareus' son-in-law; and Orestes, who was wedded to Hermione, daughter of Menelaus. When the Heracleidae returned during the reign of Orestes' son Tisamenus, Argos and Messenia each received Temenus and Cresphontes respectively as their rulers. In Lacedaemon, due to the twins who were the sons of Aristodemus, two royal houses emerged.

For they say he pleased the Pythia. But Aristodemus himself, it is told, met his death at Delphi before the Dorians descended into the Peloponnesus. Some indeed glorify his story, saying that Aristodemus was shot by Apollo, because he had not approached the oracle but had previously inquired from Heracles, who appeared to him, how the planned descent of the Dorians into the Peloponnesus would turn out. The more truthful account, however, maintains that the sons of Pylades and Electra, cousins of Tisamenus son of Orestes, killed Aristodemus.

His sons were named Procles and Eurysthenes, who were twins but exceedingly different in character. Though they had fallen into great mutual enmity, they nonetheless came together in undertaking a colony under the leadership of Theras, son of Autesion. Theras himself was their guardian, being the brother of their Argive mother. Theras dispatched the colony to the island then called Calliste, anticipating that the descendants of Membliarus would voluntarily yield the royal rule to him—which indeed they did.

Taking into consideration that on Therās himself the family line went back to Cadmus, while they themselves were descendants of Membliarus; and Membliarus was a townsman whom Cadmus had appointed leader of the settlers he left behind on the island. Therās changed the name of the island, naming it after himself, and even now the Therans, every year, offer sacrifices to him as their founder. Procles and Eurysthenes agreed with Therās only insofar as their enthusiasm toward him went, but concerning all other matters their opinions were completely at variance.

Nevertheless, even if their descendants had agreed, they would not have been able to unite them into one common list. For their generations did not all coincide exactly, so that cousin could correspond with cousin, or cousins' children or others further down the line could match one another perfectly in number. Therefore, I shall discuss each of their houses separately, rather than mingling them both together at once.