Nestor

Nestor, in Greek mythology

Nestor (nĕs`tər), in Greek mythology, wise king of Pylos; son of Neleus and father of Antilochus. In the Iliad, Nestor went with the Greeks to the Trojan War, and although he had lived three generations he was still a vigorous warrior and a respected adviser. In the Odyssey, because of his piety and prudence, the gods allowed him to return unharmed to Pylos after the war.

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Nestor, Russian chronicler

Nestor (nĕs`tər), d. 1115?, Russian chronicler. A monk in a Kiev monastery, he wrote a life of saints Boris and Gleb and of the prior of his monastery St. Feodosi. Until recently the authorship of the Russian Primary Chronicle, also known as The Tale of Bygone Years and as the Chronicle of Nestor, was attributed to him. It is now believed that he was the author of one of its versions.

Bibliography

See Russian Primary Chronicle (tr. by S. H. Cross, 1953, repr. 1968).

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Nestor

In Greek legend, the king of Pylos in Elis. All his brothers were killed by Heracles, but Nestor survived. In Homer's Iliad he appeared as an elder statesman who entertained the warriors with tales of his youthful exploits. He brought 90 ships to aid the Greeks in their war against Troy. When, at the war's end, the Greeks sailed for home, Nestor went in a different direction and missed the storm Athena sent to disperse their ships. In the Odyssey Telemachus, son of Odysseus, came to Elis looking for his father, and Nestor entertained him.

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Nestor [′nes·tər]

(astronomy)

One of a group of asteroids whose period of revolution is approximately equal to that of Jupiter, or about 12 years (it is one of the Trojan planets).

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Nestor

a sage old counselor to the Greeks in the Trojan War. [Gk. Myth.: Iliad]

See : Counsel

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Nestor

sage counselor and just king of Pylos. [Gk. Hist.: Wheeler, 257; Gk. Lit.: Iliad]

See : Wisdom

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Nestor

Dates of birth and death unknown. Historian and writer of ancient Rus’.

Nestor was a monk at the Kiev-Pecherskaia Laura (monastery) from the 1070’s. In the 1080’s, he wrote the Reading About Boris and Gleb and the Life of Theodosius of Pechery, in which he condemned feuding among the princes. In the Life of Theodosius of Pechery he also depicted a devout Christian’s conflict with his secular feudal milieu. Many scholars believe that Nestor was one of the compilers of the Primary Chronicle, or Tale of Bygone Years, written around 1113. In the chronicle Nestor dealt with the problem of the common origin of the Slavic peoples and emphasized the historical significance of Rus’ among the major nations of the world. Nestor’s tomb is in the caves of the Kiev-Pecherskaia Laura.

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Nestor

in ancient Greek mythology, the king of Pylos, one of the most important figures of the Trojan War. According to the Iliad and the Odyssey, Nestor was noted for his courage and indefatigability despite his advanced age. He was loved and respected by all and surpassed everyone in experience and wisdom.

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Nestor

a genus of birds of the order Psittaciformes. Its two species are found in New Zealand. The kea (Nestor notabilis) is 50 cm long; it has olive green plumage, with red coverts and axillaries. The bird dwells in the mountains of South Island, above the treeline. It nests in rock crevices and in burrows. A clutch contains four eggs, which are incubated for 28 days. The kea feeds on insects, nectar, seeds, and shoots; it also feeds on rootlets, which it obtains with its bill from the earth or from under the snow. Some keas, while foraging on carrion in sheep pastures; attack sheep and peck out pieces of their flesh. The majority of keas have therefore been exterminated. The kea is now a protected species. The kaka (N. meridionalis), which is somewhat smaller and darker than the kea, lives in the forests of both islands of New Zealand; it nests in tree hollows.