IDOMENEUS

[Greek heroic] The grandson of Minos, king of Crete, and leader of the Cretan troops during the Trojan War, famous for his heroism during the battle. When Troy fell, he returned home but during the voyage his ship was beset by a violent storm. Fearing for his ship and crew, he promised Poseidon to sacrifice the first living thing that would greet him when he returned home, if the god would calm the storm. While the first one to greet him was his own son, he still kept his promise to Poseidon. His sacrifice angered the gods and they drove him from Crete, and he finally arrived in Calabria (Virgil III, 400). According to another version, a plague broke out when he returned home, and his subjects banished him from Crete. He fled to Calabria in Italy, and then to Colophon in Asia Minor, where he is reputed to be buried.