Nauplius
Master navigator who wrecked the Greek fleet on false beacon fires in revenge for his son Palamedes' unjust execution.
The Legend of Nauplius
Nauplius was a son of Poseidon and the Danaid Amymone, a legendary master navigator and founder of the city of Nauplia. He was the father of Palamedes, the clever Greek hero at Troy who was falsely accused of treason by Odysseus, condemned, and stoned to death by the Greek army. When news of his son's judicial murder reached him, Nauplius resolved on comprehensive revenge. He sailed to Greece and visited the wives of the Greek commanders, telling each that her husband was bringing home a Trojan concubine to replace her. He successfully turned Clytemnestra against Agamemnon, Aegiale against Diomedes, and Meda against Idomeneus — accelerating the domestic disasters that awaited the heroes on their return. As the Greek fleet sailed home through a storm, Nauplius lit false beacon fires on the rocky coast of Cape Caphereus in Euboea, luring ships onto the rocks. Many Greek vessels were wrecked and many heroes drowned, including the Ajax who had been involved in the attack on Cassandra.
Parents
Poseidon (father); Amymone (mother)
Children
Palamedes, Oeax, Nausimedon
Symbols
Fun Fact
Nauplius wrecked more of the victorious Greek fleet with false lighthouse fires than Troy destroyed in ten years of war — making him the most effectively vengeful father in Greek myth.
Explore Further
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