ANCAEUS OF ARCADIA IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Ancaeus was the named of two heroes in Greek mythology. One of these two heroes was a prince of Arcadia, who was both an Argonaut and Calydonian Hunter.
Ancaeus Son of Lycurgus
Ancaeus was the son of Lycurgus, a king of Arcadia, born to the royal line of Pelasgus. The mother of Ancaeus is not entirely clear though, for Lycurgus was said to have been married to women by the names of Antinoe, Cleophyle and Eurynome.
Ancaeus was said to have had three siblings, Amphidamas, not to be confused to Lycurgus’ brother of the same name, Epochus and Iasius. |
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Ancaeus the Argonaut
Ancaeus first comes to the fore for he is universally named as one of the Argonauts; the band of heroes who gathered onboard the Argo, in the quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Ancaeus was joined onboard the Argo by his uncles, Amphidamas and Cepheus.
Some tell of Ancaeus being without armour on the voyage, for his armour had been hidden somewhere in Arcadia, and thus Ancaeus wore just a bearskin, and his weapon was a double-headed axe.
Nothing of note though, is said of Arcadian Ancaeus during the adventures of Jason and the other Argonauts.
Some tell of Ancaeus being without armour on the voyage, for his armour had been hidden somewhere in Arcadia, and thus Ancaeus wore just a bearskin, and his weapon was a double-headed axe.
Nothing of note though, is said of Arcadian Ancaeus during the adventures of Jason and the other Argonauts.
Ancaeus the Calydonian Hunter
Ancaeus is famous for events subsequent to the Quest for the Golden Fleece, for upon the return of the Argo, many of the heroes onboard travelled on to Calydon, for there, a monstrous boar, was terrorising the land of Oeneus.
The Calydonian Hunters gathered in the Court of King Oeneus, and there they dined for several days, before plans were made to hunt down the boar. Ancaeus, his uncle Cepheus, and others though were at the fore for their objections to allowing Atalanta to participate in the hunt. Ancaeus’ objections purely being down to the fact that Atalanta was a woman. Eventually though, the hunters set out, with Meleager leading them, and Atalanta very much amongst their number. Ancaeus would act rashly though, perhaps to indicate that he was better than Atalanta, for Ancaeus took up his double-headed axe, and was the first to face the boar. Before he could wield his axe though, the Calydonian Boar charged, and the beast plunged its tusks into Ancaeus groin, disembowelling the Arcadian hero, and killing him. Prior to his death, Ancaeus did father a son called Agapenor, born to Ancaeus’ wife, Iotis. Agapenor is famed for taking sixty ships of Arcadians to Troy. |
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Colin Quartermain - Arcadian Ancaeus - 1st May 2023