Palamedes
heroPalamedes was a brilliant inventor who exposed Odysseus's fake madness — Odysseus never forgave him and engineered his execution at Troy.
The Myth
When Odysseus feigned madness to avoid joining the Trojan expedition (ploughing with salt), Palamedes placed the infant Telemachus in front of the plough. Odysseus swerved, proving his sanity. At Troy, Odysseus planted forged evidence of treason and Trojan gold in Palamedes' tent. Palamedes was convicted and stoned to death. He was credited with inventing several letters of the alphabet, the game of draughts, dice, and the system of military watches — all lost when Odysseus destroyed him.
Parents
Nauplius and Clymene
Symbols
Fun Fact
Palamedes' father Nauplius took terrible revenge — he lit false beacon fires that wrecked many Greek ships returning from Troy.
Explore Further
Odysseus
heroThe cleverest of the Greek heroes, whose ten-year journey home from Troy is one of the greatest...
Telemachus
heroTelemachus was the son of Odysseus who grew from a helpless boy into a young man during his...
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...
Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...
Adonis
heroAdonis was a youth of such extraordinary beauty that Aphrodite herself fell in love with him — his...