Menoetius

Menoetius is a figure in Greek mythology, traditionally listed among the Titans as the son of Iapetus and Clymene (Asia in some sources). He is a brother of Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. The meaning of the name Menoetius is uncertain; in later tradition it has been connected with notions of rashness or violent temper, though there is no single agreed interpretation. As a Titan, Menoetius does not play a major role in surviving myths and is mainly attested in genealogical lists and Hesiod’s Theogony.

In most sources, Menoetius’s significance lies in genealogy rather than action. He is mentioned as part of the Titan generation rather than as a central actor in mythic stories. This has left him relatively obscure compared with his brothers, and he is not prominent in the principal Greek epics.

The name Menoetius is also associated with a mortal king of Opus in Thessaly, who is described as the father of Patroclus, a key companion of Achilles in the Trojan War. In these traditions, the mortal Menoetius is a separate figure from the Titan, and the two are usually treated as distinct despite the shared name; some later writers may have conflated them.

Overall, Menoetius is a minor figure in Greek mythology, whose primary significance is as part of the Titan lineage in genealogical accounts. His name appears in both Titan lists and, in a different context, as the name of a mortal founder-king associated with Patroclus.