Melaneus of Oechalia
In Greek mythology, Melaneus was the founder of Oechalia, variously located in Thessaly, Messenia or Euboea and also king of the Dryopes.Biography
Melaneus was a noted archer, inheriting Apollo's archery skills. Apollo, his father, carried away his bride to be Stratonice from her father's home to marry his son, Melaneus. This Stratonice was a Calydonian princess as the daughter of King Porthaon by his wife Laothoe. By her, Melaneus became the father of Eurytus, the famous archer whose reputation overshadowed his father, and of Ambracia, eponym of Ambracia in Epirus.. Alternatively, Melaneus was the husband of Oechalia.Mythology
In Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses recounts the dispute between Apollo, Artemis and Heracles about the patronage of the city of Ambracia. Here Apollo raise his claim by stating that his descendants established the city of Ambracia:Pausanias' account
In Pausanias, Description of Greece also told a story about Melaneus and his arrival to Messenia:
