Lelex was said to be
autochthonous or his father was the sun god
Helios or the sea god
Poseidon. He either consorted with the
nymph Cleocharia and became the father of
Eurotas or was the father of
Polycaon and
Myles (who himself was Eurotas's father). Some called his wife
Peridia and their children were Myles,
Polyclon,
Bomolochus and
Therapne. In one tradition, again, Lelex was described as the son of
Spartus, and father of
Amyclas. The eponymous heroine
Lakonia was credited to be a daughter of Lelex as well. This woman later married
Lacedaemon who named the
city of Sparta after his wife; however, the city's name would also be his own, as it was called either Lacedaemon or Sparta interchangeably. Sources indicate that
Perseus was a descendant of Lelex. The latter's great-granddaughter Sparta gave birth to a daughter named
Eurydice who had married
Acrisius, the king of
Argos. Eurydice became the mother of
Danaë, thus making her Perseus’ grandmother. Lelex appears to have been conceived by ancient mythographers as the eponymous founder of the
Leleges, a semi-mythical people who lived on both sides of the
Aegean Sea. He had a
heroön at Sparta. == Notes ==