Idomeneus of Crete
King of Crete and grandson of Minos who led eighty ships to Troy and made a rash vow to Poseidon on the voyage home.
The Legend of Idomeneus of Crete
He was forced to sacrifice his own son — and his people exiled him for it. Caught in a storm returning from Troy, Idomeneus vowed to Poseidon he would sacrifice the first living thing he saw on shore. It was his son. Unlike Agamemnon's sacrifice of Iphigenia before the war, Idomeneus fulfilled the vow after it. A plague struck Crete, and the Cretans, blaming the unnatural killing, drove their king into exile. He eventually settled in Calabria. Mozart's opera Idomeneo retells this story. At Troy itself, Idomeneus had been among the bravest fighters, but Homer marks him as aging — a warrior past his prime still doing his duty.
Parents
Deucalion, Cleopatra
Children
Idamante
Symbols
Fun Fact
Mozart's first mature opera, Idomeneo (1781), is based entirely on this myth.
Explore Further
Idomeneus
🗡 heroKing of Crete at Troy
Idomeneus 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.
Neoptolemus
🗡 heroSon of Achilles
Neoptolemus was Achilles' fierce son, brought to Troy because a prophecy declared the city could not fall without him.
Hector
🗡 heroChampion of Troy
Hector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Meges
🗡 heroNone recorded
Greek warrior from Dulichium who led the Epeians to Troy and fought bravely at the ships
Sarpédon
🗡 heroSon of Zeus who died at Troy
Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and the greatest Lycian warrior at Troy — his death forced Zeus to confront the limits of even divine power.
Tlepolemus
🗡 herowar
Son of Heracles who killed his great-uncle, fled to Rhodes, and led nine ships to Troy where Sarpedon killed him.
Menoeceus
🗡 herosacrifice
Young Theban prince who killed himself to save Thebes after Tiresias prophesied the city needed royal blood.
Antilochus
🗡 heroThe young warrior who died saving Nestor
The son of Nestor who died at Troy protecting his elderly father from Memnon — a sacrifice that moved Achilles to avenge him.
Eurypylus of Mysia
🗡 herowar
Son of Telephus who led a Mysian army to Troy as the last major reinforcement and was killed by Neoptolemus.
Acamas
🗡 heroCombat, diplomacy
Trojan warrior and son of Antenor who fought bravely in the defence of Troy
Telamon
🗡 herowar
King of Salamis, Argonaut, companion of Heracles, and father of Ajax the Great and Teucer.
Sarpedon
🗡 heroNone recorded
Lycian prince and ally of Troy in the Trojan War, son of Zeus