Telĕphus
（
Τήλεφος). The son of Heracles and Augé, the
daughter of King Aleus of Tegea, and priestess of Athené. As soon as he was born he
was exposed by his grandfather, who was angry because his daughter had broken the vows of her
office. In some accounts she was set adrift, like Danaë, with her child and cast on
the Mysian coast. In other versions of the story Telephus was reared by a hind (
ἔλαφος), and educated by King Corythus in Arcadia. On reaching
manhood, he consulted the Delphic Oracle to learn his parentage, and was ordered to go to King
Teuthras in Mysia (
Apollod. iii.9.1;
Diod.iv. 33;
Hyg. Fab. 100). He there
found his mother, and succeeded Teuthras on the throne of Mysia. He married Laodicé
or Astyoché, a daughter of Priam; and he attempted to prevent the Greeks from
landing on the coast of Mysia. Dionysus, however, caused him to stumble over a vine, whereupon
he was wounded by Achilles (
Ol. ix. 112;
Isth. v. 52; viii. 109;
Pausan. x. 28; Dict. Cret. ii. 3). Being informed by an oracle that the wound could only be
cured by “the wounder,” Telephus repaired to the Grecian camp; and as the
Greeks had likewise learned from an oracle that without the aid of Telephus they could not
reach Troy, Achilles cured Telephus by means of the rust of the spear by which he had been
wounded (Dict. Cret. ii. 10;
Hor. Epod. xvii.
8;
Ov. Met. xii. 112;
Rem.
Am. 47). Telephus, in return, pointed out to the Greeks the road which they ought to
take. According to one story, Telephus, in order to induce the Greeks to help him, went to
Argos, and suatching Orestes from his cradle threatened to kill him unless Agamemnon would
persuade Achilles to heal the wound.
