Lelex

In Greek mythology, Lelex was a King of Laconia and demigod.
== Life ==
Lelex was married to the Naiad nymph Cleochareia. He had several sons, including Myles, Polycaon, Pterelaus and Cteson.Apollodorus, 3.10.3.
The parentage of Lelex is variously stated. He was a son of Poseidon by Libya; or his father is said to be the sun-god Helios; or he was said to be autochthonous.
Lelex is the ancestor of the Spartans.
His grandson (fathered by Myles) was Eurotas. Eurotas had a daughter named Sparta, who would later marry Lacedaemon. Lacedaemon named the city of Sparta after his wife; however, the city's name would also be his own, as it was called either Lacedaemon or Sparta interchangeably.
Sources indicate that Perseus is a descendant of Lelex. Lelex's great-granddaughter Sparta gave birth to a daughter named Eurydice (no relation to Orpheus' Eurydice), who had married Acrisius, the king of Argos. Eurydice became the mother of Danaë, thus making her Perseus' grandmother.Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996, ISBN 978-0-631-20102-1. "Eurydice" (2), p. 157.
Lelex appears to have been conceived by ancient mythographers as the eponymous founder of the Lelegians, a semi-mythical people that lived on both sides of the Aegean Sea.
== Notes ==
Category:Greek Mythology