Menelaus

=**Menelaus ( ** Μενέλαος **) **  Master of the War-cry = 

Unlike most Greek heroes, Menelaus was fully mortal, but his achievements in the Trojan War were so great that he earned a spot in the ancient Greek cult veneration of ancestral heroes. Menelaus was a legendary king of Mycenaean Sparta, husband of Helen, father of Hermione, and a central figure in the Trojan War. Menelaus is the son of Atreus and Aerope, and the brother of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and commander of the Greek army during the war.

Ascension to King
Arteus was killed by his nephew Aegisthus because of a fued with Thyestes who became king of Mycenae. As a result, Menelaus and Agamemnon were exiled. They stayed with King Polyphides of Sicyon, and later with King Oeneus of Calydon. Afterwards, when they thought the time was right to overthrow Mycenae's belligerent king, they returned with the assistance of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Menelaus became King of Sparta.

Marriage
 During his stay with King Tyndareus, he was promised to his daughter Helen. Helen had many suitors, but she chose Menelaus -- the others swore to protect the marriage. Several years later, Paris of Troy came to Sparta to claim Helen because Aphrodite promised her to him. She fell in love with Paris and left for Troy, abandoning Menelaus and her daughter Hermione.

 **Trojan War**  As promised, the other suitors of Helen travelled with Menelaus and Agamemnon to Troy to retrieve Helen. Menelaus only played a minor role in the war since Agamemnon was the Commander-in-chief of the Greek army. Although, Menelaus came close to killing Paris in a one on one duel for the hand of Helen, but Aphrodite intervened and stopped the fight.

After they won the war, they travelled back to Sparta, however, the trip was very long and difficult because Menelaus did not want to do a sacrificial ceremony to the Trojan gods, particularly, Athena, the goddess of war. So the gods sent unfavorable winds that drove his ships of course and was stranded in Egypt.

In Egypt, he was told by a nymph to consult Proteus, the old man of the sea, to discover what he should do to obtain fair winds for his return trip. Proteus changed into many forms, but Menelaus persevered at the end. When Proteus surrendered, Menelaus told him that he was stranded in Egypt because he did not offer a sacrifice to the gods to thank them for his victory. To please the gods, Menelaus, finally, offered a sacrifice.

Menelaus returned home and lived a happy married life with Helen.

According to Homer, Menelaus gained immortality at his death, and lived in the Blessed Isle, as Proteus had foretold, due to his marriage to Helen, daughter of Zeus, but according to Apollodorus, it was the goddess Hera who bestow this privilege to Menelaus.

In the Movie Troy (2004)

 * Played by: Brendan Gleeson ( Mad-Eye Moody in Harry Potter)
 * He was killed by Hector.

media type="youtube" key="hoHuHMnS_jc" height="385" width="480"

Sources: http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Menelaus.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelaus http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/religion/blgrk_heroes03.htm http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Menelaus.html http://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/sparta.html#Menelaus http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/f/menelausdeath.htm http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Le-Me/Menelaus.html http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/menelaus.html

= =