Tisamenus
Tisamenus in
Greek mythology, was a son of
Orestes and
Hermione. He succeeded his father to the thrones of
Argos,
Mycenae and
Sparta and was later killed in the final battle with the
Heracleidae. The latter were led by
Aristodemus,
Cresphontes,
Oxylus,
Temenus and sought to retake the
Peloponnese as their ancestral land. Following his death the victors divided his lands among them. Cresphontes became King of
Messene,
Oxylus of
Elis and Temenus of Argos. Aristodemus was killed during the final battle but his twin sons
Eurysthenes and
Procles jointly received the throne of Sparta. The historical
Kings of Sparta belonged to the co-ruling houses of Agidae and Eyripontae and claimed their respective descent from the brothers.
A second
Tisamenus, the son of
Antiochus, is mentioned in book 9 of
The History by
Herodotus. This Tisamenus was a soothsayer for the Greek army during the
Persian War. A
Delphic oracle had foretold that he would win five great battles, and so the
Spartans wished to hire him. Although he was from
Elea, he and his brother were made citizens of
Sparta as part of the deal. They were the only foreign men this privilege had ever been bestowed upon.
Tisamenus is also the name of a king of Thebes, son of
Thersander and
Demonassa, the daughter of
Amphiaraus. When Thersander died on
Mysia in the
Trojan War,
Peneleus acted as regent for Tisamenus until he came of age. Little is known about his rule. He was succeeded by his son
Autesion.
[Pausanius. Description of Greece. 9.5.15]
