Nestor

Nestor (Ancient Greek: Νέστωρ) was a legendary king of Pylos and was the son of Neleus and Chloris. He is the grandson of Poseidon. He is a prominent secondary character in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, where he appears as an elderly warrior who frequently offers advice to the other characters.

Mythology[]

Originally from Gerenia. Nestor was one of the oldest and wisest Argonauts who helped fight the centaurs and was in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. He became the King of Pylos after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's brothers.

When the Trojan War began, Nestor was old and was believed to have been 110 years old. He was known for his eloquence and bravery. His two sons, Antilochus and Thrasymedes fought along the side of the Achaeans in the war. In Homer's Iliad, he gave advice to the young warriors and suggested and advised that Agamemnon and Achilles reconcile. Though he is too old for battle, he leads the Pylian soldiers via his chariot. One of his horses are killed with an arrow by Paris. Homer often addressed him as the epithet "the Gerenian horseman." Nestor tells his son, Antilochus, how to win the chariot race during Patroclus' funeral games. Memnon kills Antilochus in combat.

In the Odyssey, Nestor and those who were part of his army had safely returned to Pylos since they didn't take part in the looting of Troy upon the Greek's victory in the Trojan War. Odysseus's son Telemachus travels to Pylos to inquire about the fate of his father. Nestor receives Telemachus kindly and entertains him lavishly but is unable to furnish any information on his father's fate.

Also appearing in the Odyssey are Nestor's wife Eurydice (a mythological figure separate from Orpheus' wife of the same name) and their remaining living sons: Echephron, Stratius, Perseus, Aretus, Thrasymedes and Peisistratus. Nestor additionally had a daughter named Polycaste.

Family[]

Nestor was the son of Neleus and Chloris. His wife was Eurydice or Anaxibia. His children were Peisistratus, Thrasymedes, Pisidice, Polycaste, Perseus, Stratichus, Aretus, Echephron, and Antilochus.