In Greek mythology, Lelex was one of the original inhabitants of Laconia, which was called Lelegia after him as its first king. He was variously said to be autochthonous (born of the earth) or a son of the sun god Helios or the sea god Poseidon. Ancient mythographers conceived of him as the eponymous founder of the Leleges, a semi-mythical people who lived on both sides of the Aegean Sea, and through his descendants he became regarded as an ancestor of the Spartans.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Lelex (King of Sparta)" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Overview
In Greek mythology, Lelex (Ancient Greek: Λέλεξ) was one of the original inhabitants of Laconia, which was called Lelegia after him, its first king.
II.Parentage and family
Lelex was said to be autochthonous, or else his father was the sun god Helios or the sea god Poseidon. He either consorted with the nymph Cleocharia and became the father of Eurotas, or he was the father of Polycaon and Myles (who himself was Eurotas's father). Some called his wife Peridia, with their children being Myles, Polyclon, Bomolochus and Therapne.
In one tradition, again, Lelex was described as the son of Spartus and the father of Amyclas of Sparta. The eponymous heroine Lakonia was credited as a daughter of Lelex as well.
III.Descendants
Through Myles, Lelex was the grandfather of Eurotas, who had a daughter named Sparta. This woman later married Lacedaemon, who named the city of Sparta after his wife; the city's name would also be his own, as it was called either Lacedaemon or Sparta interchangeably.
Sources indicate that Perseus was a descendant of Lelex. His great-granddaughter Sparta gave birth to a daughter named Eurydice, who married Acrisius, the king of Argos. Eurydice became the mother of Danaë, thus making her Perseus' grandmother.
IV.Legacy
Lelex appears to have been conceived by ancient mythographers as the eponymous founder of the Leleges, a semi-mythical people who lived on both sides of the Aegean Sea. He had a heroön (hero-shrine) at Sparta.