Theseus. PELEUS Thessalian king. Son of Aeacus and Chiron’s daughter. Brother of Telamon. Comrade of Heracles. One of the Argonauts. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar; accidentally slays his then father-in-law Euryton, whose kingdom coincidentally he inherits. Falsely accused by Acastus’s wife of dishonouring her. Reciprocates by persuading Jason to reclaim Iolcos from Acastus. Slayer of Amazons. Sacker of Troy. Father (by the Nereid Thetis) of Achilles. PELIAS Usurper king of Iolcos. Son of Poseidon and Tyro. Brother of Neleus; half-brother of Aeson and Pheres, and of Poseidon’s other progeny (including the golden ram). Father of Acastus and the Peliades. Uncle of Nestor; (half-)uncle of Jason. With Neleus earns Hera’s enmity for slaying their stepmother Sidero. Promises his daughter Alcestis to whomever harnesses a boar and a lion to a chariot. Seizes throne of Iolcos from Aeson. Sets Jason the task of recovering the Golden Fleece. Either murders, or drives to murder-suicide, Aeson, Alcimede and Promachus in Jason’s absence. Slain by the Peliades in unfortunate kitchen mishap instigated by Medea. PELOPS Son of Tantalus, King of Lydia, and Dione. Made a gods’ dinner of by his father; then resurrected by Zeus.fn5 Winner, in a chariot race, of the hand of Hippodamia and her father Oenomaus’s kingdom of Pisa. Father of Atreus, Nicippe, Pittheus and Thyestes (by Hippodamia), and Chrysippus. Fosters Laius; then curses him and his house for the death of Chrysippus, causing Hera to send the Sphinx to Thebes. Southern Greece known as his ‘island’ (Peloponnesos) because ruled by his progeny. Scion and forebear of much-cursed houses. PENTHEUS King of Thebes. Son of Agave and Echion (one of the founding lords of Thebesfn6). Nephew of Autonoë, Ino, Polydorus and Semele. Cousin of Dionysus and Labdacus. Grandfather of Creon and Jocasta. Scion of a much-cursed house. Torn apart by followers of Dionysus (including Agave and Autonoë) for failing to honour the god. PERDIX Ingenious inventor of craftsmen’s essential tools. Murdered out of jealousy by his master and uncle Daedalus. His spirit transformed into a partridge by Athena. PERIPHETES Also known as Corynetes. One-eyed giant. Self-proclaimed son of Hephaestus. As such, possibly half-brother of Cercyon. No relation of the Cyclopes. Robber of travellers on the Isthmus. Slain by Theseus. PERSEUS ‘The destroyer’. Son of Zeus and Danaë. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Saviour and husband of Andromeda. Father of Alcaeus, Electryon and Perses. Great-grandfather of Heracles. Slayer of Acrisius, Cetus, Medusa, Phineus and Polydectes. Founder king of Mycenae. Catasterized. PHERES Former King of Pherae. Son of Cretheus and Tyro. Brother of Aeson; half-brother of Neleus and Pelias. Father of Admetus. Refuses to die so that his son becomes immortal. PHILOCTETES Comrade of Heracles. One of the Argonauts. Immolates Heracles to end his torment from the Lernaean Hydra’s blood. Inherits his bow and Hydra-venom-tipped arrows. PHINEUS Blind seer and King of Salmydessus. Brother-in-law of Calais and Zetes. Tormented by the Harpies as punishment by Zeus for abusing his prophetic powers. Freed from them by Calais and Zetes. Advises the Argonauts how to navigate the Clashing Rocks. PHINEUS Grandson of Libya and Poseidon. Brother of Aegyptus and Cepheus. Slain by Perseus. PHORBAS Theban shepherd. Rescues the infant Oedipus from exposure. Passes him to Straton for safekeeping. PHRIXIDES Argos, Cytoros, Melos and Phrontis. Sons of Phrixus and Chalciope. Kinsmen of Jason. Flee Colchis after their grandfather Aeëtes threatens to kill them. Join forces with the Argonauts. PHRIXUS Son of Athamas and Nephele. Twin brother of Helle. Half-brother of Melicertes and Schoeneus. Cousin of Jason. Rescued from his stepmother Ino’s murderous plot by the golden ram. Takes sanctuary with Aeëtes, to whom he presents the Golden Fleece. Husband of Chalciope. Father of the Phrixides, who implicate Aeëtes in his death. PHYLEUS Son of Augeas. Exiled to Dulichium for admiring Heracles. Installed as King of Elis by Heracles after the latter slew Augeas. PIRITHOUS King of the Lapiths. Son of Zeus and Dia. Stepson of Ixion. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Cousin of the centaurs. One of the Argonauts. Destroyer of Talos. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Wedding to Hippodamia spoiled by centaurs. Bosom friend and bad influence on Theseus. Together, succeed in abducting Antiope and Helen; fail in abducting Persephone. Heracles unable to free from the underworld. Ultimate fate uncertain. PITTHEUS King of Troezen. Son of Pelops and Hippodamia. Brother of Atreus, Nicippe and Thyestes; half-brother of Chrysippus. Scion of a much-cursed house. Father of Aethra. Grandfather of Theseus, and possibly of Sciron or Sinis. POLYBUS King of Corinth. Childless husband of Merope. Together they foster Oedipus and raise him as if their own son. Dies of old age. POLYDECTES King of Seriphos. Brother of Dictys. Enamoured of Danaë. Slain by Perseus. POLYDORUS King of Thebes. Son of Cadmus and Harmonia. Brother of Agave, Autonöe, Ino and Semele. Uncle of Dionysus. Scion of a much-cursed house. Husband of Nycteis (aunt of Amphion and Zethus