A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

10338 MENELAUS. MENELAUS.
5), a distinguished disciple of Aristotle, a native of accompanied by his wife Helen and Nestor (Od,
Rhodes, bore the name Menedemus. iii. 276). When near the coast of Attica, his
4. An Athenian rhetorician, who came to Rome steersman Phrontis died, and Menelaus was deand taught there in the time of L. Crassus the tained some time by his burial. When he reached
orator. (Cic. de Orat. i. 19.) [C. P. M.] Maleia, Zeus sent a storm, in which part of his
MENELA'US (MeY'haaos, Meve'ews, or Me,'- ships were thrown on the coast of Crete, and five
Aas), a son of Atreus, and younger brother of others and Menelaus himself landed in Egypt (iii.
Agamemnon and Anaxibia. He was king of Lace- 278; comp. Paus. x. 25. ~ 2). After this he wan-,daemon, and married to the beautiful Helen, by dered about for eight. years in the eastern parts of
whom he was the father of Hermione and Mega- the Mediterranean, where he visited Cyprus, Phoepenthes (Hom. 1. vii. 470, x. 37, Od. iv. 11, &c. nicia, the Ethiopians, the Erembians, and Libya.
xi. 469; comp. AGAMEMNON). When his wife These Eastern people were not so inhospitable as
Helen had been carried off by Paris, Menelaus and those in the West who were visited by Odysseus,
Odysseus set out to Troy to claim her back.' Mene- and on his return home Menelaus brought with
laus was hospitably treated by Antenor (Hom. Bi. him a large number of presents which he had
iii. 206), but the journey was of no avail, and the received (Od. iii. 301, 312, iv. 90, 128, 131, 228,
Trojan Antimachus even advised his fellow-citizens 617; comp. Herod. ii. 113, 116). His last stay
to kill Menelaus and Odysseus (xi. 139, &c.). In on his wanderings was in the island of Pharos, near
order, therefore, to avenge the rape of Helen, and the coast of Egypt, where he remained twenty days
to punish the offender, Menelaus and his brother (Od. iv. 355), being kept back by the gods. Hunger
resolved to march against Troy with all the forces already began to affect his companions, and his
that Greece could muster (i. 159, ii. 589, iii. 351, steersman Canobus died (Strab. p. 801). Eidothea,
&c.). The two brothers, in their travels through the daughter of Proteus, advised him to seize her
Greece to rouse the chiefs to avenge the insult father, who would reveal to him the means of reoffered to a Greek prince, also visited Odysseus in turning home. Proteus, when caught, told him
Ithaca (Hom. Od. xxiv. 115), along with whom that he must first return to Egypt and propitiate
Menelaus is said to have consulted the Delphic the gods with hecatombs. This Menelaus did, and
oracle about the expedition against Troy; and at having there erected a monument to his brother,
Delphi he dedicated the necklace of Helen to whose death he learned from Proteus, he, next to
Athena Pronoea (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1166). Odysseus, the last of the heroes, returned home,
Hereupon Menelaus in sixty ships led the mha- and arrived at Sparta on the very day on which
bitants of Lacedaemon, Pharis, Sparta, Messe, Orestes was engaged in burying Clytaemnestra and
Bryseiae, Amyclae, Helos, Laas, and Oetylus, Aegisthus (Od. iv. 365; comp. i. 286, iii. 257, 311).
against Troy (Ii. ii. 581, &c.). In Troas he was Henceforward he lived with Helen at Sparta in
under the special protection of Hera and Athena, peace, comfort, and wealth, and his palace shone in
and one of the most gallant heroes (iv. 8, 129, v. its splendour like the sun or the moon (iv. 45, 72,
715), who slew many Trojans, such as Scamandrius 80; comp. Paus. iii. 14. ~ 6). At the time when
(v. 50), Pylaemenus (v. 576), Peisander (xiii. 614, Telemachus came to him to inquire after his father,
&c.), Dolops (xv. 541), Thoas(xvi. 311), Euphorbus Menelaus was just solemnising the marriage of his
(xvii. 45), and Podes (xvii. 575). daughter Hermione with Neoptolemus, and of his
We shall pass over his minor exploits, and men- son Megapenthes with a daughter of Alector (iv.
tion only his engagement with Paris. When 1, &c.). According to the Homeric poems Menelaus
Menelaus saw his chief enemy stepping forth from was a man of an athletic figure; he spoke little,
the Trojan ranks, he rejoiced like a lion at the but what he said was always impressive; he was
sight of a stag, and leaped from his chariot to brave and courageous, but milder than Agamemnon,
attack him (11. iii. 27, &c.); but Paris took to intelligent and hospitable. According to the proflight, until, encouraged by Hector, he challenged phecy of Proteus, Menelaus and Helen were not to
Menelaus to decide the contest for the possession of die, but the gods were to conduct them to Elysium
HIelen and the treasures by single combat (iii. (iv. 561); but according to a later tradition, he
97, &c.). Menelaus accepted the challenge, and and Helen went to the Taurians, where they were
his spear penetrated the shield of Paris, but did sacrificed by Iphigeneia toArtemis (Ptolem.-Heph,
not wound him. Menelaus thereupon drew his 4). Menelaus was worshipped as a hero at Thesword, which, however, broke on the shield of his rapne, where also his tomb and that of Helen were
opponent. He then seized himby the helmet, and shown (Paus. iii. 19. ~ 9). On the chest of
dragged him to the camp of the Achaeans. But Cypselus he was represented at the moment when,
Aphrodite loosened the helmet and wrapped her after the taking of Troy, he was on the point of
favourite in a cloud, in which he escaped from his killing Helen. (Pans. v. 18. ~ 1; comp. Millingen,
enemy (iii. 325, &c., iv. 12, &c.). At the funeral Inedit. Monum. i. 32). [HELENA.] [L. S.]
games of. Patroclus, Menelaus fought with Antilo- MENELA'US (Mevyeaos), historical. 1. Father
clhus in the chariot race, but voluntarily gave up of Amyntas II., king of Macedonia, and grandfather
the second prize, and was satisfied with the third of Philip of Macedon, according to Justin (vii. 4)
(xxiii. 293, 401, 516-609). Menelaus also was and Aelian (V. H. xii. 43).* But there is much
one of'the heroes concealed in the wooden horse discrepancy on this point: Dexippus (ap. Syncell.
(Od. iv. 280; comp. Virg. Aen. ii. 264); and, p. 263, a.) calls the father of Amyntas Arrhidaeus;
along with Odysseus, he hastened to the house of and Diodorus (xv. 60), Tharraleos. Justin repreDeiphobus, as soon as the town was taken (Od. sents him as brother of Alexander the First, king
viii. 518; Virg. Aen. vi. 523). After the de- of Macedonia, which is a gross error. (See Clinton,
structlon of Troy, he advised the assembled F. H, vol. ii. p. 225.)
Achaeans to return home, which involved him in
a dispute with his brother (Od, iii. 141, &c.). He' The latter author states that he was of illegiwas among the first that sailed away from Troy, timate birth.