Hermione was the only child of King Menelaus of Sparta and Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology. Her grandfather Tyndareus gave her hand in marriage to Orestes, before the Trojan War started. However, during the war, her father told the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, that he would give him his daughter as a wife. The various sources conflict as to who she was betrothed to, but it seems that both events happened; it may be that Menelaus did not know of his daughter's marriage to Orestes when he promised her to Neoptolemus.
After the war, Neoptolemus claimed Hermione as his wife. Soon afterwards, Hermione started quarreling with Andromache, widow of the prince of Troy, Hector, and the concubine of Neoptolemus. Hermione believed that Andromache cast spells, so that she would not get pregnant. She asked Menelaus to kill Andromache, but he refused. As a result, Hermione fled with her cousin Orestes. She married him and had a son named Tisamenus. No further details exist as to what happened to her.
See Also: Menelaus, Helen, Tyndareus, Orestes, Trojan War, Achilles, Andromache, Hector
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