Hesione was a daughter of King Laomedon and a princess of Troy. She was a descendant of Zeus.
History[]
She was the sister of Podarces (later known as Priam), Astyoche, Lampus, Hicetaon, Clytius, Cilla, Proclia, Aethilla, Medesicaste, Thymoetes and Clytodora.
Apollo and Poseidon were angry at King Laomedon because he refused to pay the wage he promised them for building Troy's walls. Apollo sent a plague and Poseidon a sea monster to destroy Troy. Oracles promised deliverance if Laomedon would expose his daughter Hesione to be devoured by the sea monster and he exposed her by fastening her naked to the rocks near the sea.
Heracles, Telamon and Oicles happened to arrive on their return from the expedition against the Amazons. Seeing her exposed, Heracles promised to save her on condition that Laomedon would give him the wonderful horses he had received from Zeus as compensation for Zeus' kidnapping of Ganymede. Laomedon agreed, and Heracles slew the monster. However, Laomedon refused to give him the promised award.
In a later expedition, Heracles attacked Troy, slew Laomedon and all of Laomedon's sons except the youngest, Podarces. Heracles gave Laomedon's daughter Hesione as a prize to Telamon instead of keeping her for himself.
Heracles allowed her to take with her any captives that she wished; she chose her brother Podarces. Heracles allowed her to ransom him in exchange for her veil. Therefore, Podarces henceforth became known as Priam, from the word primai, meaning "to buy". Heracles then bestowed the government of Troy on Priam. However, it is also claimed that Priam simply happened to be absent during Heracles' attack on Troy, being campaigning in Phrygia.
Hesione was taken home by Telamon, married him and bore him two sons, Teucer and Trambelus, half-brother to Telamon's son from his first marriage, Ajax.
She became pregnant again a few years later, and decided to escape. She escaped from the ship by jumping off his ship and swimming until she reached the land of Miletus. She then hid in the forest but was soon found by Arion, king of Miletus, who rescued her and raised her newborn son Trambelus as his own.
Many years later, when Hesione was an old woman, Priam sent Antenor and Anchises to Greece to demand Hesione's return, but they were rejected and driven away.
Priam then sent Paris and Aeneas to retrieve her, but Paris got sidetracked and instead brought back Helen, queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus. Priam was ultimately willing to accept the abduction of Helen, due to the Greeks' refusal to return Hesione.