Palamedes

Palamedes

Palamedes was the son of Nauplius and Clymene in Greek mythology. He was one of the participants of the Trojan War on the side of Greece.

After Helen had been kidnapped by Paris, the Oath of Tyndareus was invoked, according to which all previous suitors of Helen should defend the couple in any future setback. Odysseus had also taken the oath, but did not want to take part in the war, because an oracle had told him it would take him decades to return to his family. Agamemnon sent Palamedes in order to get Odysseus; when he arrived in Ithaca, Odysseus pretended to be insane by plowing salt in his fields. Palamedes realised that this was a trick, and put Odysseus' infant son Telemachus in front of the plow. Odysseus, unable to kill his son, revealed his trick and was forced to join the Greek army.

Odysseus always remembered that it was Palamedes who forced him to participate in the Trojan War. During the war, Palamedes told the Greeks to go back home, and Odysseus seized the opportunity to blame him. He set him up by hiding gold in Palamedes' tent, and left a letter that was supposedly written by King Priam of Troy. The Greeks found the letter and condemned him to death as a traitor; he was stoned to death by Odysseus and Diomedes. There are other accounts as to how he died; some say that the two men killed him during a fishing expedition, or by putting him in a well that supposedly had treasure and was then buried by stones.

See Also: Clymene, Trojan War, Helen, Paris, Oath of Tyndareus, Odysseus, Agamemnon, Telemachus, Diomedes, Priam

Palamedes Q&A

Who was Palamedes?

Palamedes was the son of Nauplius and Clymene in Greek mythology. He was one of the participants of the Trojan War on the side of Greece.

Who were the parents of Palamedes?

The parent of Palamedes was Clymene.

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