Cleocharia

Cleocharia
Naiad queen of Lelegia
Member of the Sparta Royal Family
AbodeLelegia (later called Laconia)
Genealogy
Parents?Eurotas
Siblingsunknown
ConsortLelex
Children(1) Eurotas
(2) ?Myles and Polycaon
Greek deities
series
Nymphs

In Greek mythology, Cleocharia (/ˌkliːoʊˈkɛəriə/;[1] Ancient Greek: Κλεοχαρείας Kleokhareia) was a naiad of Laconia who later on became the queen-consort of King Lelex of Lelegia. She was the ancestress of the Spartan royal family and gave birth to Eurotas (presumably named after his grandfather). Eurotas had a daughter named Sparta, who married Lacedaemon.[2] The latter 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.

In some accounts, Lelex's two children were Myles and Polycaon possibly by Cleocharia. In this account, Myles was the father of Eurotas instead.[3]

  1. ^ Bolles, William, ed. (1845). An Explanatory and Phonographic Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language. New London: Bolles & Williams. p. 859.
  2. ^ Apollodorus, 3.10.3
  3. ^ Pausanias, 3.1.1, 3.20.2, 4.1.1 & 4.1.5