{{Short description|Mythical father of Ajax the Lesser}} {{For|the taxonomic synonym of a genus of plants|Narcissus (plant)}}
In Greek mythology, '''Oileus''' or '''Oïleus''' ({{IPAc-en|oʊ|ˈ|aɪ|l|iː|ə|s|,_|-|j|uː|s}}; {{langx|grc|Ὀϊλεύς}} ''Oī̈leús'') was the king of Locris, and an Argonaut.<ref>Apollonius Rhodius, [https://topostext.org/work/126#1.71 1.74]; ''Argonautica Orphica'' [https://topostext.org/work/549#192 193]; Valerius Flaccus, [https://www.theoi.com/Text/ValeriusFlaccus1.html 1.372]</ref>
== Family == Oileus's father was given as Hodoedocus (whom Oileus succeeded as King of Locris)<ref>Scholia ad Homer, ''Iliad'' 2.640</ref> and his mother as Agrianome (daughter of Perseon), according to Hyginus's ''Fabulae''.<ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#14 14]</ref> Oileus is best known as the father of Ajax the Lesser.<ref>Homer, ''Iliad'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hom.+Il.+2.527&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=leus 2.527]; Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+3.10.8&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 3.10.8]; Pausanias, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+3.19.12&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 3.19.12]–[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+3.19.13&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 13], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+10.26.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 10.26.3] & [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+10.31.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 10.31.2]–[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+10.31.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Oileus 3]</ref> There is disagreement as to the name of Ajax's mother: Homer names Eriopis as the legal wife of Oileus,<ref>Homer, ''Iliad'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hom.+Il.+13.697&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=leus 13.697]</ref> but scholiasts cite other authors, some of whom agreed with Homer in considering Eriopis (or Eriope) the mother of Ajax, but others stated that the mother of Ajax by Oileus was Alcimache, and yet others asserted that Alcimache was simply another name for Eriopis.<ref>Scholia ad Homer, ''Iliad'' 15.333 & 336</ref> John Tzetzes listed three alternate options: Eriopis,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tzetzes|first=John|title=Allegories of the Iliad|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library|year=2015|isbn=978-0-674-96785-4|location=Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England|pages=41, Prologue 43–44|translator-last=Goldwyn|translator-first=Adam|translator-last2=Kokkini|translator-first2=Dimitra}}</ref> Alcimache, or Astyoche the daughter of Itylus. Oileus was also the father of Medon, who is usually regarded as illegitimate; Medon's mother was said to be a nymph named Rhene,<ref>Homer, ''Iliad'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hom.+Il.+2.727&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=leus 2.727]</ref> though some gave Alcimache as his mother.<ref>Scholia ad Homer, ''Iliad'' 13.694</ref> According to Hyginus, Rhene was the mother of Ajax as well.<ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#97 97]</ref>
== Mythology == In Apollonius Rhodius' ''Argonautica'', Oileus gets wounded in the shoulder during the attack of the Stymphalian Birds on the ''Argo'' and receives aid from Eribotes.<ref>Apollonius Rhodius, [https://topostext.org/work/126#2.1030 2.1030 ff.]</ref>
'''Oileus''' was also the name of a defender of Troy, the charioteer of Bienor, killed by Agamemnon.<ref>Homer, ''Iliad'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hom.+Il.+11.92&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=leus 11.92]</ref>
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
== References ==
* Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica'' translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853-1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. [https://topostext.org/work/126 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] * Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica''. George W. Mooney. London. Longmans, Green. 1912. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0227 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library]. * Gaius Valerius Flaccus, ''Argonautica'' translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volume 286. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928. [http://www.theoi.com/Text/ValeriusFlaccus1.html Online version at theoi.com.] * Gaius Valerius Flaccus, ''Argonauticon.'' Otto Kramer. Leipzig. Teubner. 1913. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0058 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.] * Homer, ''The Iliad'' with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. {{ISBN|978-0674995796|}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] * Homer, ''Homeri Opera'' in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. {{ISBN|978-0198145318|}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0133 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library]. * ''The Orphic Argonautica'', translated by Jason Colavito. © Copyright 2011. [https://topostext.org/work/549 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. {{ISBN|0-674-99328-4}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library] * Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0159 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library]. * Tzetzes, John, ''Allegories of the Iliad'' translated by Goldwyn, Adam J. and Kokkini, Dimitra. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, Harvard University Press, 2015. {{ISBN|978-0-674-96785-4}}
{{Greek myth index}}
Category:Argonauts Category:Kings in Greek mythology Category:Characters in the Argonautica Category:Mythological Locrians