PE'LEUS (Lat., from Gk. ID/2rec). In Greek legend, a son of _Eacus, King of -Egina, and the nymph Endels, and a brother of Telamon. In jealousy he and Telamon brought about the death of their half-brother Phoeus, and were banished. Be withdrew to I'hthia in Southern Thessaly, where Eurytus purified Irian from blood-gnilti Bess and gave him his (laughter Antigone to wife. While participating in the Calydonian Hunt he had the misfortune to kill his father-in-law acci dentally. Once more an exile, lie withdrew to lolcos, where Aeastus, soil of Pelias, was cele brating magnificent funeral games for his father. In these Peleus took part, but was defeated by Atalanta in wrestling. here lie attracted the notice of Astydameia, wife of Aeastus (or, in another version, llippolyte, daughter of Cre theus), who offered him her love. On hi: refusal she slandered him to his wife and Aeastus. An tigone hanged herself, while Acastus planned the death of Peleus. Rescued by Chiron, the good Centaur, Peleus later returned with .Jason and the Dioseuri, destroyed the city, and killed Acas tus and his wife. Celebrated in legend was his marriage to the Nereid Thetis. who had been sought by Zeus and Poseidon, but was given to a mortal because of the prophecy that her son would be mightier than his father. Peleus,
helped by the gods, lay in wait for her by the shore, and in spite of her transformations into fire, water, and wild beasts, held her fast until she returned to her original form. The mar riage was attended by all the gods, who be stowed valuable gifts. Poseidon gave him two immortal horses, and Chiron the ashen spear which Achilles wielded at Troy. Into this gather ing Ate threw the holden apple inscribed "For the Fairest," which led to the "Judgment of Paris," and the 'frojan War. By Thetis Peleus became the father of Achilles, and in later writers she is said to have returned shortly to her life as a Nereid, while the boy was brought up by Chiron; but this seems unknown to the Homeric poems, though even in the Iliad Thetis is represented as dwelling in the sea. Peleus is also said to have been one of the Argonauts and to have accom panied llercules and Telamon to Troy. The mar riage of Pelens and Thetis was described by later poets, and represented on works of art, of which the best known is the celebrated Francois vase in Florence, made by the Athenians Clitias and Ergotimos, in the sixth century B.C.