Leonidas I of Sparta

Leonidas I (Λεωνίδης; c. 540 BCE – 480 BCE) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, best known for his involvement in the Battle of Thermopylae against the Achaemenid Empire in 480 BCE.
A direct descendant of the Isu, Leonidas possessed a proportionally-higher level of Isu genes than usual; consequently, so did his descendants. He also wielded an Isu spear, which was later passed down to his daughter Myrrine, and then his granddaughter, the misthios Kassandra. Through his granddaughter, Leonidas was an ancestor of Aya of Alexandria, one of the co-founders of the Hidden Ones.
For his defiance against the Cult of Kosmos, Leonidas' descendants came to be targeted by the Cult, who sought to have his bloodline wiped out such that they would no longer face opposition against their plans.
==Biography==
===Opposition against the Cult===
In 480 BCE, Greece was invaded by the Achaemenid Empire under the reign of Xerxes I, who was secretly backed by both the Order of the AncientsAssassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Protector of Persia and the Cult of Kosmos. Leonidas consulted the Pythia in Delphi about going to war against the Persians. The Cult, who had manipulated the Pythia for generations, were present during his consultation and threatened Leonidas not to go against their plans. However, Leonidas defied the order and commanded his officer Dienekes to gather the army for battle.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Bully the Bullies
===Battle of Thermopylae and death===
Leonidas and his army gathered at a narrow passage way in Malis, where the Persians would have to pass through in order to reach mainland Greece. Prior the battle, Leonidas reminisced to Dienekes about how he would have liked to have gone fishing with his . Upon spotting the arrival of the Persian fleet in Malis, Leonidas briefed his men and braced for the attack. During the first wave, Leonidas clashed and defeated a Persian officer, Kurush.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Battle of 300
In the aftermath, one of the Spartans revealed that they had been betrayed by one of the Greek soldiers, Ephialtes of Trachis, who revealed a path behind the passage which allowed the Persians to maneuver around. Nevertheless, Leonidas refused to retreat and ordered his men to defend the pass. The Spartans were able to defend the passage for seven days, though they were eventually overwhelmed. Soon after Dienekes' death, Leonidas himself perished, but not before killing the Persian officer who delivered his fatal injury.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Memories Awoken
==Legacy==
Following Leonidas' death, Xerxes, who was otherwise recognized for his civility and honor when dealing with his fallen foes, was so deeply infuriated by Leonidas' defiance that he had his head cut off and impaled on a pike. His remains, along with his spear, were later recovered and returned to Sparta, where he was buried in a tomb southwest of the city, while his broken spear was handed down to his daughter, Myrrine, who in turn passed it on to her daughter Kassandra.
In addition, a statue was erected where he had been placed to rest in Malis.. The lion statue served as a monument for both Leonidas and the deceased Spartans who fought in the battle. Leonidas' story remained alive in word of mouth, even to the extent of inspiring a mercenary to imitate Leonidas, to the point of being called False Leonidas during the Peloponnesian War.
When the Isu Aletheia created a simulation of Elysium for Leonidas' granddaughter Kassandra to better learn how to wield the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, she included a simulant Leonidas within. After meeting this simulated version of her grandfather, Kassandra convinced him to join Adonis' human rebellion against Persephone's rule over Elysium.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium – Dead Kings and Pretty Things Later, Persephone discovered Leonidas' ties to the rebellion and offered Kassandra a deal to resurrect one of her deceased loved ones in exchange for killing Leonidas to hinder the rebels.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium – A Life for a Life
In 2018, Leonidas' memories during the Battle of Thermopylae were relived by the Assassin Layla Hassan in the Animus HR-8.5, after she had recovered his spear and extracted a sample of his DNA from it.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Modern day
==Personality and traits==
Leonidas was shown to deeply care for Sparta and those who inhabit it, as he was willing to defy the Cult and defend his home. Following the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas was noted for his great courage, as he bravely fought to the death against the Persians despite their overwhelming numbers.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Leonidas was also mentioned as having a hard to control temper. A good example of his temper would be from the Battle of Thermopylae; when presented with a Persian soldier gloating about Leonidas' imminent defeat, Leonidas immediately thrust his spear through the man's mouth to silence him. This temper, and Leonidas' trouble keeping it in check, was also well-remembered after Leonidas' death, as Archidamos noted when meeting Kassandra around 429 BCE.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Kings of Sparta
He also had a sentimental side, as during the Battle of Thermopylae, he told Dienekes how he would've liked to have gone fishing with his son , and while fishing with Kassandra in the Elysium simulation, he recalled how his mother had told him that his spear carried a certain burden. Leonidas was also very cunning, as while fishing with Kassandra, he was able to immediately deduce that Persephone had sent her to kill him.
==Behind the scenes==
Leonidas I is a historical figure who features as a playable character in "Battle of 300", the prologue sequence of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (2018). He is voiced by Elias Toufexis.
===Name===
Leonidas (Λεωνίδης) is a Greek name meaning "lion-like".
==Gallery==
ACOD Bust of Leonidas.png|Bust depicting Leonidas
ACReb Leonidas Concept Art.jpg|Concept model of Leonidas in Rebellion
ACOD Leonidas head models.jpg|Model renders of Leonidas' head
ACOD Bully the Bullies - Leonidas threatening a Cultist.png|Leonidas threatening a Cultist
ACOD Bully the Bullies - Leonidas Warned By The Cult.png|Leonidas warned by the Cult for his interference
KingLeonidas.PNG|Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae
ACOD Battle of Thermopylae.png|Leonidas and the Spartans bracing for the Persian attack
ACOD Memories Awoken Leonidas Persian Soldier.png|Leonidas confronted by a Persian soldier
Memories Awoken - Assassins Creed Odyssey.png|The Lion of Leonidas
ACReb Leonidas of Sparta.png|Leonidas as he appears in Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
ACRebellion Profile - Leonidas.png|Leonidas' avatar in Rebellions character menu
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
**The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories 
*Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice 
*Echoes of History 
*Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game 
==References==
de:Leonidas
es:Leónidas
fr:Léonidas Ier de Sparte
it:Leonida I
pl:Leonidas
pt-br:Leônidas
ru:Леонид I
zh:列奥尼达斯
Category:540 BCE births
Category:480 BCE deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Greeks
Category:Spartans
Category:Ethnic Greeks
Category:Elysians
Category:Spartan Army
Category:Kings of Sparta
Category:Agiad dynasty
Category:Heraclidae
Category:Hybrids
Category:Ancestors of Khemu
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
Category:Animus hosts