Actor (
Ancient Greek: Ἄκτωρ; gen.: ἌκτoροςAktoros) is a very common name in
Greek mythology. Here is a selection of characters that share this name (which means 'leader', from the verb άγω: to lead or carry):
Actor, a king of
Phthia, was said to be the son of King
Myrmidon and
Peisidice, daughter of
Aeolus.[2] Some say that Actor died childless, but others say that he is the father of
Eurytion, his successor or of
Irus, who was also called the father of Eurytion.[3][4] According to
Diodorus, Actor without an heir, was succeeded by
Peleus who fled to his country from
Aegina for killing his half-brother,
Phocus. The hero was then purified by the king for his sins.[5] This story was usually attributed to Actor's possible son Eurytion who was slain accidentally by his son-in-law Peleus.[6] This Actor married
Aegina, daughter of the river god
Asopus, and had several children, among them
Menoetius. Menoetius was counted among the
Argonauts, and was the father of
Patroclus (
Achilles' very close companion).[7][8]
Actor, father of
Sthenelus. Sthenelus followed
Heracles in his campaign against the
Amazons and was killed by them.[20]
Actor, son of
Acastus, was accidentally killed by Peleus while hunting. As a retribution, Peleus sent to Acastus some cows and sheep that had been killed by a wolf sent by
Thetis.[21]
Actor, an old
Theban servant of
Antigone, the daughter of
Oedipus. During the war of the
Seven against Thebes, he accompanied her to the walls when that army appeared in front of the barriers outside the city. Because of his age, Actor cannot follow the princess and he just stayed halfway up the climb to listen to her lament when she saw her brother in the enemy army.[24]
Actor, a shepherd in
Lemnos who befriended
Philoctetes in
Euripides' play Philoctetes.[26] According to some accounts, he was instead the king of Lemnos whose shepherd named
Iphimachus, son of
Dolops, took care the abandoned hero after he was bitten by a snake.[27]
Actor, one of the companions of the exiled
Aeneas.[28] He is probably the same who in another passage is called an
Auruncan, and of whose conquered lance
Turnus made a boast.[29] This story seems to have given rise to the proverbial saying "Actoris spolium" ("the spoil of Actor"), for any poor spoil in general.[8][30]
Actor, father of Actoris (though unnamed in the Odyssey) who was given by
Icarius to his daughter
Penelope after her wedding with
Odysseus to serve as her personal handmaiden.[31]
^Collard, C.; Cropp, M. J., eds. (2008). Euripides Fragments: Oedipus–Chrysippus; Other Fragments. Harvard University Press. pp. 370–371.
ISBN9780674996311.
Gaius Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volume 286. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928.
Online version at theio.com.
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
Pindar, The Odes of Pindar including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.
Actor (
Ancient Greek: Ἄκτωρ; gen.: ἌκτoροςAktoros) is a very common name in
Greek mythology. Here is a selection of characters that share this name (which means 'leader', from the verb άγω: to lead or carry):
Actor, a king of
Phthia, was said to be the son of King
Myrmidon and
Peisidice, daughter of
Aeolus.[2] Some say that Actor died childless, but others say that he is the father of
Eurytion, his successor or of
Irus, who was also called the father of Eurytion.[3][4] According to
Diodorus, Actor without an heir, was succeeded by
Peleus who fled to his country from
Aegina for killing his half-brother,
Phocus. The hero was then purified by the king for his sins.[5] This story was usually attributed to Actor's possible son Eurytion who was slain accidentally by his son-in-law Peleus.[6] This Actor married
Aegina, daughter of the river god
Asopus, and had several children, among them
Menoetius. Menoetius was counted among the
Argonauts, and was the father of
Patroclus (
Achilles' very close companion).[7][8]
Actor, father of
Sthenelus. Sthenelus followed
Heracles in his campaign against the
Amazons and was killed by them.[20]
Actor, son of
Acastus, was accidentally killed by Peleus while hunting. As a retribution, Peleus sent to Acastus some cows and sheep that had been killed by a wolf sent by
Thetis.[21]
Actor, an old
Theban servant of
Antigone, the daughter of
Oedipus. During the war of the
Seven against Thebes, he accompanied her to the walls when that army appeared in front of the barriers outside the city. Because of his age, Actor cannot follow the princess and he just stayed halfway up the climb to listen to her lament when she saw her brother in the enemy army.[24]
Actor, a shepherd in
Lemnos who befriended
Philoctetes in
Euripides' play Philoctetes.[26] According to some accounts, he was instead the king of Lemnos whose shepherd named
Iphimachus, son of
Dolops, took care the abandoned hero after he was bitten by a snake.[27]
Actor, one of the companions of the exiled
Aeneas.[28] He is probably the same who in another passage is called an
Auruncan, and of whose conquered lance
Turnus made a boast.[29] This story seems to have given rise to the proverbial saying "Actoris spolium" ("the spoil of Actor"), for any poor spoil in general.[8][30]
Actor, father of Actoris (though unnamed in the Odyssey) who was given by
Icarius to his daughter
Penelope after her wedding with
Odysseus to serve as her personal handmaiden.[31]
^Collard, C.; Cropp, M. J., eds. (2008). Euripides Fragments: Oedipus–Chrysippus; Other Fragments. Harvard University Press. pp. 370–371.
ISBN9780674996311.
Gaius Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volume 286. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928.
Online version at theio.com.
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
Pindar, The Odes of Pindar including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an
internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.