Sarpedon (died 1183 BC) was the mythological ruler of Lycia at the time of the Trojan War.
Biography[]
Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and Laodamia, the daughter of Bellerophon. His people had been banished from Crete by the Mycenaeans generations before, leaving them with a hatred for the Achaeans. He became the ruler of the Anatolian kingdom of Lycia, ruling from Thelmessos, and he acquired renown on both sides of the Aegean Sea for his valor and prowess in battle. By 1193 BC, Sarpedon was faced with the threat of the Leleges to the east (who warred with the coastal Ionians) and the Rhodian Greek colonies. He allied himself with Troy during the Trojan War, and, when his Trojan allies led the charge against the newly built Achaean wall, Sarpedon and his steadfast Lycians held the battlements and were the first to enter the rival camp. He eventually came up against the Greek hero Patroclus, and, while Sarpedon killed Achilles' horse, he was slain by Patroclos.
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