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Greek

Idomeneus

King of Crete · Leader of the Cretans · Famed Spearman

01Identity

Idomeneus in Greek tradition

At the head of the Cretans in the Trojan War, Idomeneus belongs to the Greek myths as a human king and military leader. His names include Cnossius and Lyctius, linking him with Crete. The passage presents no divine form, power, or worship, and gives no account in which he is the main protagonist.

Idomeneus is the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha. He is the brother of Amphictyon, Hellen, and Molus, the husband of Meda, and the father of Idamente. His place in myth comes through his family and his leadership of the Cretans. The supplied account does not state what he guards, what he serves, or what he was born from beyond this parentage. It also gives no separate story of his own.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Idomeneus?

    Idomeneus is a Greek deity associated with Cretan kingship, military leadership, heroic warfare, Cretan seafaring expeditions.
    Source

    Source

    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
    • Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion

  • What is Idomeneus associated with?

    Cretan kingship, military leadership, heroic warfare, Cretan seafaring expeditions
    Source

    Source

    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
    • Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion

  • What family links are recorded for Idomeneus?

    Father: Deucalion of Crete, Mother: Cleopatra, Spouse: Meda, 4 children.
02Family

Idomeneus’s family, at a glance

Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.

Deucalion of CreteCleopatra
Idomeneus

with Meda

ChalciopeCleisithyraIdamanteIphiclus
03The names

The names Idomeneus answers to

Son of Deucalion

Idomeneus's paternal lineage

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

Grandson of Minos

Descendant of the Cretan king Minos

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

King of Crete

Ruler of Crete

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

04Who it is

Idomeneus, and where the myths place it

Appears in

The myths across MythSource where Idomeneus features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Idomeneus embeds here once it publishes.