Aristodemus: The Forgotten Hero

by rycom1989

A project that I am in the process of writing. Based around the Spartan, Aristodemus, who 'inspired' the character of Dilios in the film 300. This is an on-going project and this is the first part of the story, more to come at a later date!

A great warrior of Greek descent was born in 528 BC. He was as intelligent as he was courageous, and his name was Aristodemus. The warrior was a Spartan, the greatest and boldest individuals to walk this earth. Aristodemus was the only Spartan to possess an extraordinary talent. He could encourage his comrades in arms to fight with a mere lecture or tale of the heroes of old. He used this skill with words on many occasions. Men have felt the desire to slaughter their enemies because of Aristodemus' lectures. An audience with the musing warrior could incite even the most pacifist of people. Yet, Aristodemus' words were not merely saved for war speeches and tales of old heroes long gone. Aristodemus won the heart of his young wife by using his skill with words. Helena was a beautiful young woman, whose heart was difficult to acquire. Yet, the intelligent Aristodemus was persistent and in love with the woman twelve years younger than him. He told her of his battles and the love his heart harboured for her. She rejected his love on several occasions, but soon found herself falling in love with this great warrior. This story delves into the history of intelligent Aristodemus & his beautiful young wife. It is a history wrapped in tragedy and romance, war and peace, and one of great mystery.

528 BC, the year of Aristodemus' birth, was peaceful in Sparta. There were no beneficial wars or battles, and the king sat mirthfully upon the nation's throne. Aristodemus was born to parents in the middle of Sparta's class system. They were not royalty, but they were not Spartan slaves. The slaves, or Helots, were often of foreign descent, having come to Sparta in hope of a better life, and finding work with Spartan families. Each family owned at least one slave, and Aristodemus' parents owned three. Two adult Helots and their young son aged only three months old. The boy's name was never known by his parents' employers, but Aristodemus grew to befriend the Helot. Aristodemus' father, Bartholomaios, was a mighty warrior of herculean strength. Though he was strong and courageous, Bartholomaios did not possess the intelligence that was bestowed upon his son. Aristodemus' mother, Zephyra, was a sinful woman of unruly desires. Her passion often wandered from her husband's control and into the hands of another man. It was Zephyra's amour with a man of Athenian descent that caused Bartholomaios' death. He hanged himself after discovering the truth of his wife's conduct. Aristodemus was thirteen years of age when his father perished. The boy lost all love for his mother, who had abandoned him for the concupiscence of her Athenian lover.

In the year before Bartholomaios took his own life with a noose, the girl destined to become the young wife of Aristodemus was born. Helena was the fifth child, and only daughter, of Nikandros & Klytaimnestra. Before the birth of their young daughter, Nikandros & Klytaimnestra had been given four sons by the Gods. The first, Azarias, was born in 526 BC and befriended Aristodemus at an early age. They were at different stages of the Agoge, the Spartan training system for boys. Azarias was a powerfully built young boy, unlike his intellectual father, and often excelled during the Agoge. The second son, Capaneus, was born in 523 BC and was pacifistic much like his father. Capaneus often failed tasks of the Agoge, and was appreciative of written material and knowledge. The third son, Dimitris, was born in 521 BC and was different to his brothers. Dimitris lived for the love of women rather than war. He was desired by many female Spartans from an early age, and the boy often enjoyed the company of these girls. The final son, Euphemios, was born a mere two years before Helena in 518 BC. Euphemios wished to resemble the kind of man that his eldest sibling, Azarias, would develop into. Yet, Euphemios was more a match to Capaneus and often sat with his second-born brother as he studied writings by the old scholars. Nikandros often travelled to the large Greek library in Athens, to fetch written material for his intellectual sons. Helena was born in 516 BC and was often ostracised by her four brothers. This left only her mother, a woman of athletic prowess, to raise Helena. Yet, Klytaimnestra was a woman of the track and often competed in athletics. This left Helena to sit with her father as he studied literature from the Athenian library. However, when Helena was merely three years old, her father perished in a epochal tragedy.

In 513 BC, Athens became the centre of epochal tragedy as the great library was engulfed in flames. Nikandros of Sparta was one of the many victims to perish in the fire. Records and writings were lost in the flames, along with the lives of many. Klytaimnestra struggled with the death of her husband and was faced with the challenge of parenting five children alone. Thirteen-year-old Azarias helped whenever he could with his brothers, but Helena was of no importance to him. Klytaimnestra tried to raise Helena to be a woman of athletic prowess, but at three years of age Helena was uninterested in sports. She was content with roaming the streets of Sparta in her own expeditions. Helena often found herself watching the boys struggle through the Agoge and the ritualized pederasty. From the age of twelve, each Spartan boy was to have a young adult warrior as an 'inspirer'. The alliance between 'inspirer' and 'hearer' was often sexual, but the warrior often encouraged his young 'hearer' and taught him the ways of a Spartan warrior. Azarias frequently detested his 'inspirer', a twenty two year old warrior by the name of Cleomaratus, but his mother found herself falling in love with her son's mentor. Cleomaratus had a young son, Stelios, from a previous marriage. Stelios was a handsome four-year-old when his father began teaching Azarias. Helena was half the age of Stelios, but the pair became friends and often played games in the streets whilst Cleomaratus spent time with Azarias.

Aristodemus endured the intimacy of the ritualized pederasty with his 'inspirer', despite feeling no desire to become a warrior. Aristodemus had a love for knowledge and literature, like Nikandros and two of his sons. Aristodemus matured to become a tutor for Capaneus & Euphemios, when he was needed for no war. The young warrior sat with the boys and taught them all he knew about the teachings of the old scholars. It was almost as though he had become a surrogate father to Klytaimnestra's sons. Yet, Aristodemus' bond with the boys was never sexual like Cleomaratus' bond with Azarias. Azarias knew Aristodemus as a friend and welcomed his teachings. They were a relieving change from the actions of Cleomaratus. However, Helena never grew to love the warrior's pedagogy. Nikandros had always taught her the doctrines of old scholars. She had never wanted to learn from another man, despite Klytaimnestra welcoming Aristodemus into her home as a tutor. Capaneus & Euphemios grew to respect the warrior, and Azarias treated him as a brother due to the modest age gap of two years. Helena would eventually grow to love Aristodemus, but more profoundly than her brothers would. It would be many years before the relationship between the intelligent warrior and the beautiful intellectual began.

Aristodemus refused to marry at the the age of twenty-five, for the reason that he did not have the perfect woman to be his bride. Helena was only thirteen years of age in 503 BC, when Aristodemus was the marriageable age, and she was the one he desired. Yet, despite being a teenage girl, Helena was deemed to be too young to marry in 503 BC. Plus, Aristodemus was deemed to be too old to marry Helena. Nevertheless, he prevailed at changing the minds of his superiors. Alas, their decision could not be altered. Helena was ordered to marry another man. Adrastus, a handsome young warrior, was born in 525 BC and had been chosen to marry Helena in 500 BC. However, the young girl fled from Sparta on the eve of her wedding. Her eldest brother, Azarias, was given the task of searching for his insubordinate sister. Azarias had married an Arcadian woman in 501 BC, and was to become a father for the first time. Therefore, he asked a favour of his friend, Aristodemus, to search for Helena. The warrior took to the task without even a moment's hesitation. He left for Athens immediately, knowing that is where her father perished and understanding it is the heart of Greece. Helena had indeed withdrawn to Athens, and was found upon the stairs leading to the remnants of the old library. Aristodemus persuaded her to return to Sparta with him, by offering to give her his hand in marriage.

Without that betrothal from Aristodemus, Helena would have been severely punished for refusing to give Sparta more sons. The warrior had ultimately protected his young bride from death. Aristodemus & Helena wed in the autumn of 500 BC. Helena gave Aristodemus the first of four sons in the spring of 499 BC. Dilios, a strong and healthy infant, was born in a turbulent year for Greece. 499 BC marked the beginning of the Ionian revolt, which lasted for five years, and was a difficult year for Helena. Two of her brothers, Capaneus & Euphemios, perished in a fight with a feral wolf. In the five years of the Ionian revolt, Aristodemus & Helena were to receive three more sons from the Gods. Their second son, Heracles, was born in 498 BC and was given the name of the Greek hero and Spartan ancestor. Heracles, son of Aristodemus, was a healthy infant and yet was not strong like his brother. The third son, Theron, was born in 496 BC and was the scapegrace of the family. His life was said to be cursed, as he was born the same year of the death of King Leotychidas II. The final son, Aristodemus II, was born in 494 BC and was hailed the perfect child by his father. The year of the birth of Aristodemus II marked the end of the Ionian revolt with the Battle of Sepeia. Aristodemus I was absent for his final son's birth, hence the child being named after his father. The child's birth was in fact the most difficult for Helena, but she prevailed to prosperity and delivered her fourth son safely into the world. The infant was then inspected, like all boys born in Sparta. Aristodemus II was given the status of immaculate by the examiner, much to his mother's delight. For, handicapped children or diseased infants were cast down a mountainside.

The Battle of Sepeia was fought by a predominantly Athenian force against a large Persian force. The Ionian revolt was the main explanation for the minor battle, and the Spartan force was of a humble value. Yet, Aristodemus was one of the few Spartan warriors to be sent away to fight. Azarias, Helena's only surviving brother, also left his young family behind in Sparta to fight. He now had three daughters by his wife, whereas Aristodemus had four sons. It was common in Sparta for a warrior to have at least one born son in order to participate in battle. Yet, Azarias was a cherished member of the Spartan force despite having no sons to carry his name through the ages. Aristodemus had three born sons when he left for Sepeia, and he returned to find the Gods had given him a fourth during his absence. The young infant was adored by his father, and the warrior's three older sons found themselves being ostracised by their own father. They were too young to have an 'inspirer' to turn to as a surrogate father, but their mother was to become their new tutor. She had spent much of her childhood watching young boys change into young warriors, so she knew of all the methods and ways of the typical Spartan warrior. The boys welcomed teachings from their mother, as their father became preoccupied with raising Aristodemus II. However, the warrior's youngest son had a short and difficult life ahead of him.

491 BC spelt more doom and agony, but for one Spartan family instead of the whole Spartan populace. It was the year that the short life of Aristodemus II came to an abrupt and tragic end. His father and brothers were to go hunting, and the youngest child wished to join them. Helena deemed it dangerous for a three-year-old boy to hunt wild animals. She did not know how correct she was to be. Aristodemus took all four of his sons hunting in a desolate wheat field. The wheat had been harvested and taken to Sparta for usage. This left only a bare field where all creatures were susceptible to danger. Theron wandered away from his father and brothers and, by chance, came upon a mother wolf and her cubs. The feral creature snarled and began to chase the five year old, but the boy had speed in his pace. Theron ran into the open field and hid behind a large boulder. However, his young brother was stood close by that very boulder. The wolf saw three-year-old Aristodemus II and mistook him for Theron, the boy who had disturbed her. Aristodemus was not far from his youngest son, and heard the child's screams as the wolf attacked. She tore at his clothes and flesh with her razor-sharp teeth and claws. The warrior ran for his son and the wolf, but he arrived just a moment too late. Aristodemus pulled the wolf from his youngest child and, in a moment of pure rage, broke the beast's jaw. The bloodied body of his young son laid lifelessly upon the ground. The warrior let out the loudest mournful cry as he cradled the boy in his arms.

Aristodemus carried the child's bloodied corpse into Sparta, as his surviving sons ran ahead to their waiting mother. Upon seeing her youngest child, Helena screamed with grief as her husband cried mournfully. The blame for the death of Aristodemus II was placed upon Theron's head. He was certainly the scapegrace of the family after the tragedy of their loss. Aristodemus had loved his youngest son so dearly that the boy's demise tore at the warrior's heart. He was no longer the fortunate, wise, and grateful man he had once been. He was now a belligerent, asinine, and thankless warrior wanting the spillage of more blood. In 490 BC, Persian forces launched an attack on Eretria before moving on toward Athens. Sparta was called upon to help stop the invasion, and she answered a little too late to help. Her 2000 soldiers, who were sent to aid the ally forces, arrived after the decisive battle at Marathon had happened. Their reason, or excuse, was that they waited until the moon was full. This laughable error only heightened Aristodemus' desire to spill blood. Too long had he wasted time at home. Yet, some of that time had been occupied with raising his beloved son who had passed away. The warrior was thirsty for blood and would not rest until his desire had been fulfilled. Helena, in the meantime, had taken a role not too dissimilar to her mother's. She was expected to sacrifice her career, although it was already non-existent, and raise her three remaining sons. She knew that each time Aristodemus left for battle may be their last word of farewell.

The Gods seemed to once again bless Aristodemus, after he returned from the Spartan blunder in 490 BC. It also seemed that Sparta was to be blessed with a new king that same year. Cleomenes I had become demented and committed many offences against his own people. He bribed Delphi, threatened Sparta with a war from Arcadia, took hostages from Sparta's ally Aegina, and had Demaratus deposed. The king had become such an embarrassment to Sparta that he was placed in the stocks under the guard of a Helot. However, Cleomenes persuaded his guard to hand over his knife, with which the king committed his gruesome suicide. Cleomenes' brother, Leonidas, was then awarded the position of king. Upon taking the throne, Leonidas also claimed his niece as his wife and queen. Gorgo was a beautiful and powerful young woman, as her king was a powerful and brutish man. This pairing was not too dissimilar to that of Aristodemus & Helena. Yet, Aristodemus had not been a man of brutality at the time of his wedding. He had gained that beastly side after the ill-timed death of his youngest son. Helena had not been a powerful young woman at the time of her wedding, but she had gained some power in becoming a mother to four boys. She had some control over the three remaining sons, who were to gain their own power and independence by becoming warriors in the Spartan army.

Aristodemus had been blessed in 490 BC with the accession of Leonidas, son of Anaxandridas. The sharp-tongued warrior was awarded the position of counsellor to the king. He had befriended Leonidas long before the older warrior had become king, so it only seemed appropriate that Aristodemus would become a counsellor to Leonidas when he became king. Yet, Aristodemus had not only been blessed with a position inside King Leonidas' court. The whole of Sparta had been blessed with change. Leonidas was a belligerent king and often wished to wage war. Yet, Aristodemus was a great help to the bloodthirsty king. He often persuaded Leonidas to refrain from battle, until the time was right. That opportunity came in 480 BC, when the Persian king sent his massive army to take Greece and crush it with Persian force. Xerxes had taken the Persian throne from his father, Darius, who had sent his army upon Greece in the battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The second wave of Persian attack began taking shape in 484 BC, but Xerxes was not ready until 480 BC. That year would be one of immense misfortune for Sparta. It would bring about glory that would rise from a tragic loss like a phoenix from the ashes. Yet, the story of Spartan glory would be passed down through the ages because of one man. He was Aristodemus, the forgotten hero of the Battle of Thermopylae.