Peleus was the greatest of the Achaean warriors.[1]


To please Hera, the sea goddess Thetis avoided union with her husband Zeus. Enraged, Zeus swore she would become the wife of Peleus, a mortal and the greatest of Achaean warriors.[1]

Their wedding was celebrated on Mount Pelion by many Gods (including Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Cheiron the Centaur, Hermes, Zeus...) who brought gifts, among them Cheiron's spear, polished by Athena and whose spearhead had been forged by Hephaestus[1]

The wedding was interrupted by the arrival of Eris, Goddess of strife and discord, infuriated to having not been invited. She brought a gift, an apple, for the fairest, and threw it in the assembly, causing Hera, Athena and Aphrodite to claim it. That event would lead to the Trojan War.[1]

Thetis bore at least seven son to Peleus, the seventh being Achilles, who was foretold by the priest Calchas that without him, Troy would never be taken.[1]

Achilles eventually acquired the spear.[1]


Peleus was stated to be the greatest of the Achaean warriors by Zeus.[1]


A sword, and also an ashen spear, polished by Athena and whose spearhead had been forged by Hephaestus[1]

  • In Greek mythology, Peleus is depicted as a son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread (mountain nymph) of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. Telamon was his brother, and Ajax was his nephew.
  • Peleus in legend is primarily known as an adventuring companion for the hero Heracles (Hercules to the Romans). He served in Heracles' expedition against Hippolyta and her Amazons, and Heracles' war against King Laomedon of Troy. Peleus also joined the Argonauts alongside Heracles.
  • In legend, Peleus and Telamon were self-exiled from their native island of Aegina. Depending on the version, they either murdered or accidentally killed their half-brother Phokos, and had to flee the wrath of their father Aeacus. Peleus later became the king of Phthia, and Telamon became the king of Salamis.
  • In one of his few protagonist roles in legend, Peleus is the subject of an assassination attempt, orchestrated by his former friend Acastus, King of Iolcus and by Queen Astydameia (Acastus' wife). In retaliation, Peleus started a war, pillaged Iolcus, killed Acastus and Astydameia, mutilated Astydameia's corpse, and "then marched his army between the rended limbs" of the Queen.
  • Peleus' father Aeacus is primarily known for his fate in the afterlife. He became one of three judges of Hades, deciding on the fate of the souls who enter it. Aeacus was a son of the god Zeus and the nymph Aegina, and was granted authority by his paternal uncle Hades.

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