Neleus facts for kids

Neleus (pronounced NEE-lee-us) was a famous king in ancient Greek myths. He ruled the city of Pylos. Some stories even say he was one of the brave heroes called the Argonauts, who sailed with Jason on the ship Argo to find the Golden Fleece. However, most stories say his son, Nestor, was the Argonaut instead.

Who Was Neleus's Family?

Neleus had a very interesting family! His father was Poseidon, the powerful god of the sea. His mother was a woman named Tyro. Neleus also had a twin brother named Pelias.

Some ancient writers, like Pausanias, said that Neleus's father was actually Cretheus, who was a king of Iolcus.

Neleus married a woman named Chloris. Together, they had many children. Their most famous son was Nestor. Other children included Pero, Periclymenus, Alastor, Chomius, Asterius, Deimachus, Epilaus, Eurybius, Eurymenes, Evagoras, Phrasius, Pylaon, and Taurus.

Some myths suggest that Chloris was only the mother of three of Neleus's sons (Nestor, Periclymenus, and Chromius). The other children might have had different mothers. However, other stories disagree and say Chloris was the mother of all his children.

Neleus's Mythical Adventures

Neleus's story began with his mother, Tyro. She was married to King Cretheus, but she was in love with a river god named Enipeus. Enipeus didn't love her back.

One day, Poseidon, the sea god, fell in love with Tyro. He pretended to be Enipeus and met with her. From their meeting, Tyro gave birth to twin boys, Pelias and Neleus. Tyro was scared and left her baby sons on a mountain. Luckily, a kind maid found them and raised them.

When Pelias and Neleus grew up, they found their mother, Tyro. They also learned that Tyro had been treated very badly by her stepmother, Sidero. To get revenge, Pelias and Neleus killed Sidero. Sidero tried to hide in a temple dedicated to the goddess Hera, but Pelias killed her anyway. This made Hera very angry, and she hated Pelias forever.

After this, Neleus and Pelias argued over who should be king. They fought, and Neleus was forced to leave his home. He went to a place called Messenia. There, his cousin Aphareus welcomed him. Aphareus gave Neleus a part of the land near the sea. Neleus settled there and built his palace. Eventually, Neleus became the powerful King of Pylos.

Later in his life, the famous hero Heracles came to Neleus. Heracles had done something terrible and needed to be purified. He asked Neleus for help, but Neleus refused to cleanse him. Because Neleus said no, Heracles became very angry. In revenge, Heracles attacked Neleus and killed him and all of his sons, except for one: Nestor. Nestor was the only one who survived and later became a wise and respected king himself.