| Hermione | |
|---|---|
Princess of Sparta | |
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| Other names | Ledaea |
| Abode | Sparta |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Menelaus and Helen |
| Siblings | Nicostratus and Pleisthenes |
| Consort | (1) Neoptolemus (2) Orestes |
| Offspring | (2) Tisamenus |
In Greek antiquity, Hermione (/hɜːrˈmaɪ.əni/;[1] ‹See Tfd›Greek: Ἑρμιόνη [hermi.ónɛː]) was the daughter of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and his wife, Helen of Troy.[2] Prior to the Trojan War, Hermione had been betrothed by Tyndareus, her grandfather,[3] to her cousin Orestes, son of her uncle, Agamemnon. She was just nine years old when Paris, son of the Trojan king Priam, arrived to abduct her mother, Helen.
During the war, Menelaus promised her to Achilles' son, Neoptolemus.[4] After the war ended, he sent Hermione away to the city of Phthia (the home of Peleus and Achilles), where Neoptolemus was staying. The two were married, yet, soon afterwards, Neoptolemus traveled to Delphi in order to exact vengeance against Apollo for having caused his father's death, only to be killed there. With Neoptolemus dead, Hermione was free to marry Orestes, with whom she had a son, Tisamenus.
- ^ "Hermione". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ Homer, Odyssey 4.2–14
- ^ "wise Tyndareus, a man of sober life and many long years gave me to you" — Ovid, Heroides 8. Hermione's letter to Orestes.
- ^ Homer, Odyssey 4.5–7