Hippocoon (king of Sparta)

Hippocoon was the son of the Spartan King Oebalus and Bateia. His brothers (or half-brothers) were Tyndareus and Icarius.^[1][2] Names of Hippocoön's sons include Dorycleus, Scaeus, Enarophorus, Euteiches, Bucolus, Lycaethus, Tebrus, Eurytus, Hippothous, Hippocorystes, Alcinous,^[3] Alcimus, Dorceus, Sebrus, Eumedes,^[4] Enaesimus, Alcon and Leucippus (the last three were among the Calydonian hunters).^[5] Diodorus Siculus states that there were twenty of them, but gives no individual names.^[6]

When their father died, Tyndareus became king. Hippocoön, with the help of his sons, overthrew him, took the throne and expelled his brothers from the kingdom . Later, Hippocoön refused to cleanse Heracles after the death of Iphitus. Because of that, Heracles became hostile to Hippocoön, killed him and reinstated Tyndareus.^[7] All of Hippocoön's sons were also slain by Heracles, as a revenge for the death of the young Oeonus, son of Licymnius, whom they had killed because he had stoned their dog in self-defense.^[8] Heracles's allies in the war against Hippocoön were Cepheus of Arcadia and his twenty sons, who all, as well as Heracles's brother Iphicles, died in the battle (according to Diodorus Siculus,^[6] three of Cepheus' sons did survive).