Mantineus is named among the fifty sons of the Arcadian king Lycaon in classical mythic genealogies and antiquarian accounts. In that tradition Zeus visits Lycaon in the guise of a peasant to test the household; the sons collectively commit a grave act of impiety (the mixing of a child's entrails into the god's meal). For this sacrilege Zeus overturns the meal and destroys Lycaon and his sons with a lightning bolt. Separately, Mantineus functions as an eponymous founder: classical sources and local accounts connect him with the foundation or naming of the city Mantineia (with variant local traditions, e.g. a link to a place called Ptolis), and genealogical notes record him as father of Ocalea, who figures in wider mythic lineages.
Classical sources do not provide any physical description of Mantineus. He is presented as a named human prince and genealogical figure (son of Lycaon, father of Ocalea) rather than a described supernatural appearance.
Mantineus is not attributed supernatural powers in the cited traditions. His notable roles are genealogical and civic: participation in the notorious impious action of Lycaon's sons (which results in his death by Zeus' lightning) and serving as the eponymous ancestor for the city of Mantineia. Sources do not ascribe magical abilities or ongoing supernatural agency to him.
Weaknesses
- conditionmortal vulnerability (killed by Zeus' lightning)
Wards
None recorded.
Community Record
- [1]Mantineus — Wikipedia. Wikipedia entry for Mantineus (summary of classical traditions naming Mantineus as son of Lycaon and eponymous founder of Mantineia).wiki
- [2]Ocalea (mythology) — Wikipedia. Wikipedia entry noting Ocalea as daughter of Mantineus and mother of Acrisius and Proetus.wiki
- [3]Delos accounts — Inscription 63. Inscription reference mentioning 'the bank of Hellen and Mantineus' in Delos accounts (epigraphic attestation linking the name Mantineus to civic/inscriptional contexts).other
- [4]Pausanias (summary) / Pausanias references. Summaries and references to Pausanias noting local variants that link Mantineus with foundation traditions (instance of Mantineus founding a city, and mention of Ptolis as variant).literary
- [5]Lycaon — Theoi.com. Theoi compilation on Lycaon and his sons, situating Mantineus within the Lycaon mythic family and the sacrilegious episode punished by Zeus.literary
- [6]Mantineus | Facts, Information, and Mythology — Pantheon. Reference entry summarizing Mantineus as an Arcadian son of Lycaon and eponymous founder of Mantineia.other
- [7]MANT2 — University of Victoria Myth Index. Scholarly/mythographic entry listing Mantineus in genealogical and local-tradition contexts.academic