It is said that Aphareus together with his brother Leucippus inherited their father's kingdom upon his death, but the former kept the greater authority than the latter. Aphareus was credited with founding the city Arene in
Messenia, which was named after his wife. Aphareus received into his house his cousin
Neleus, who had been driven out of
Iolcus by
Pelias, and assigned to him a tract of land in the maritime part of Messenia, where the main city was
Pylos. In the same fashion, Aphareus also welcomed in Arene the exiled
Lycus, son of
Pandion who fled from his brother Aegeus in Athens. Lycus then revealed the rites of
Demeter to Aphareus and his family. After the death of his sons, Idas and Lynceus with their fight against the
Dioscuri, the Messenian kingdom was bereft of male descendants and thus,
Nestor, son of Neleus obtained the whole land including all the part ruled formerly by Idas, but not that subject (
Tricca) to the sons of
Asclepius,
Machaon and
Podalirius. == Notes ==