Oicles accompanied
Heracles in his campaign against
Troy. Upon arriving at the
Troad, Oicles was put in charge of guarding the expedition's ships, while Heracles left with the main force to attack the city. Oicles' company was attacked by
Laomedon the king of Troy, who was attempting to burn the invaders ships. Oicles was killed by Laomedon, but his men were able to save the ships by taking them out to sea.[7] The tragedian
Sophocles, possibly wrote a play titled Oicles, which dealt with this story.[8]
By some accounts, Oicles lived for a time in
Arcadia. According to the mythographer
Apollodorus, after the capture of Thebes by the
Epigoni, Oicles was visited there by his grandson
Alcmaeon, the son of Ampiaraus.[9]Pausanias reports seeing what was said to be the tomb of Oicles near
Megalopolis in
Arcadia.[10]
^Hard,
p. 333,
p. 429,
p. 706; Gantz, p. 118; Parada, s.v. Oicles;
Homer, Odyssey15.225–247. According to the geographer
Pausanias,
6.17.6, Oicles was the son of
Mantius the son of Melampus. According to Odyssey 242, Mantius was the younger brother of Antiphates.
^Gantz, p. 318; Hard,
p. 413; Hesiod
fr. 22.34–40 Most [= Hesiod fr. 25.34–40 MW]. Compare with Diodorus Siculus,
4.68.5 and
Hyginus, Fabulae73, which add that Hypermnestra was the daughter of
Thestius (or
Thespius?). For Hypermnestra as the daughter of Thestius see Hard,
p. 413; Apollodorus,
1.7.10
^Hard,
p. 276; Gantz, p. 443; Diodorus Siculus,
4.32.3 (which calls this Oicles the son of Amphiaraus); Apollodorus,
2.6.4
^Gantz, p. 442; Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus,
2.6.4
^Hard,
p. 327; Apollodorus,
3.7.5. This visit of Alcmaeon is chronologically incompatible with Oicles having been killed by Laomedon during Heracles expedition to Troy, see Grimal, s.v. Oecles.
^Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus,
2.6.4; Pausanias,
8.36.6: "Next is the tomb of Oicles, the father of Amphiaraus, if indeed he met his end in Arcadia, and not after he had joined Heracles in his campaign against Laomedon".
Hard, Robin, The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology", Psychology Press, 2004,
ISBN9780415186360.
Google Books.
Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996.
ISBN978-0-631-20102-1.
Hyginus, Gaius Julius, Fabulae in Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology, Translated, with Introductions by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Hackett Publishing Company, 2007.
ISBN978-0-87220-821-6.
Parada, Carlos, Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology, Jonsered, Paul Åströms Förlag, 1993.
ISBN978-91-7081-062-6.
Pausanias, 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, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
Oicles accompanied
Heracles in his campaign against
Troy. Upon arriving at the
Troad, Oicles was put in charge of guarding the expedition's ships, while Heracles left with the main force to attack the city. Oicles' company was attacked by
Laomedon the king of Troy, who was attempting to burn the invaders ships. Oicles was killed by Laomedon, but his men were able to save the ships by taking them out to sea.[7] The tragedian
Sophocles, possibly wrote a play titled Oicles, which dealt with this story.[8]
By some accounts, Oicles lived for a time in
Arcadia. According to the mythographer
Apollodorus, after the capture of Thebes by the
Epigoni, Oicles was visited there by his grandson
Alcmaeon, the son of Ampiaraus.[9]Pausanias reports seeing what was said to be the tomb of Oicles near
Megalopolis in
Arcadia.[10]
^Hard,
p. 333,
p. 429,
p. 706; Gantz, p. 118; Parada, s.v. Oicles;
Homer, Odyssey15.225–247. According to the geographer
Pausanias,
6.17.6, Oicles was the son of
Mantius the son of Melampus. According to Odyssey 242, Mantius was the younger brother of Antiphates.
^Gantz, p. 318; Hard,
p. 413; Hesiod
fr. 22.34–40 Most [= Hesiod fr. 25.34–40 MW]. Compare with Diodorus Siculus,
4.68.5 and
Hyginus, Fabulae73, which add that Hypermnestra was the daughter of
Thestius (or
Thespius?). For Hypermnestra as the daughter of Thestius see Hard,
p. 413; Apollodorus,
1.7.10
^Hard,
p. 276; Gantz, p. 443; Diodorus Siculus,
4.32.3 (which calls this Oicles the son of Amphiaraus); Apollodorus,
2.6.4
^Gantz, p. 442; Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus,
2.6.4
^Hard,
p. 327; Apollodorus,
3.7.5. This visit of Alcmaeon is chronologically incompatible with Oicles having been killed by Laomedon during Heracles expedition to Troy, see Grimal, s.v. Oecles.
^Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus,
2.6.4; Pausanias,
8.36.6: "Next is the tomb of Oicles, the father of Amphiaraus, if indeed he met his end in Arcadia, and not after he had joined Heracles in his campaign against Laomedon".
Hard, Robin, The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology", Psychology Press, 2004,
ISBN9780415186360.
Google Books.
Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996.
ISBN978-0-631-20102-1.
Hyginus, Gaius Julius, Fabulae in Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology, Translated, with Introductions by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Hackett Publishing Company, 2007.
ISBN978-0-87220-821-6.
Parada, Carlos, Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology, Jonsered, Paul Åströms Förlag, 1993.
ISBN978-91-7081-062-6.
Pausanias, 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, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.