Idomeneus
heroIdomeneus was the king of Crete who led eighty ships to Troy and was among the fiercest fighters — his story continued in a vow that cost him his son.
The Myth
Grandson of Minos, Idomeneus was a formidable warrior at Troy, often mentioned alongside Ajax and Diomedes. On his return, a storm threatened his fleet. He vowed to sacrifice to Poseidon the first living thing he met on shore. His own son came to greet him. Idomeneus fulfilled the vow (or refused and was exiled for plague). Mozart's opera Idomeneo (1781) is based on this story.
Children
Idamante
Symbols
Fun Fact
Mozart's Idomeneo — based on this myth — was his first operatic masterpiece, composed at age 25.
Explore Further
Deucalion
heroDeucalion survived Zeus's flood and repopulated the earth by throwing stones.
Diomedes
heroDiomedes was the only mortal in the Iliad to wound two Olympian gods in a single day.
Minos
heroMinos was the legendary king of Crete who ruled the first great maritime empire, commissioned the...
Poseidon
godLord of the seas and brother of Zeus. Poseidon's moods shaped the oceans — calm seas for those who...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...