Telamon

A king of Salamis. Telamon was the son of Aeacus (Aiacos), king of Aegina, and Endeïs (Endeis). He and his brother Peleus plotted to kill their half-brother Phocus, because he surpassed them in sport. One of them killed Phocus and hid the body, but his father found out and banished them from his island. Telamon settled on the nearby island of Salamis.

With Peleus, they sailed with the Argonauts and joined the hunters of the Calydonian boar. Telamon was one of the Argonauts who refused to sail without Heracles and Polyphemus, whom Calais and Zetes wanted to abandon in Mysia. It was only with the sea god Glaucus' reassurance that Telamon and the other Argonauts agreed to sail on to Colchis, without Heracles.

Telamon, possibly with Theseus, joined Heracles in his ninth labour, going to Amazon territory to fetch the Girdle of Hippolyte.

Before Telamon followed Heracles in a war against Troy, Telamon's wife Periboea or Eëriboea (Ertiboea) was about to give birth. Heracles prayed to his father Zeus that Telamon would have a brave son; Zeus granted his son's prayer by sending an eagle as a sign of his assent. His son Ajax was named after the eagle (aietos), who was one of the bravest Greek warriors in the later Trojan War.

In Troy, Telamon distinguished himself in being the first warrior to breach the wall, since he knew where the weakness of Troy's defence was. Heracles would have killed him, had not Telamon's quick thinking appeased the hero by piling rocks to erect an altar to Heracles the Victor. After taking Troy and killing Laomedon and all but one son (Priam), Heracles later gave Laomedon's daughter Hesione to Telamon as his concubine. Hesione bore Teleamon a son named Teucer.

When Teucer returned from the Trojan War with his brother's concubine and son Eurysaces, Telamon exiled Teucer for failing to protect his brother. So, in many ways Telamon was like his father Aeacus, who had banished him from Aegina. Teucer migrated to Cyprus and founded the city of Salamis. Telamon's grandson by Ajax, Eurysaces, succeeded Telamon to the throne.