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

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