Naomi Ruth Storyteller: Quick Bios! Sparta

Klee-ahh-meh-knees
King of Sparta
Only slightly deranged
Asked by Aristagoras to send troops to fight against Darius. Almost says yes, but stopped by his daughter.
Father to Gorgo.
Brother to Leonidas.
Spreads rumours against his co-ruler, Demaratos, and gets him kicked out of Sparta.
Desecrates a grove sacred to the gods.
Goes crazy-pants.
Is first exiled because of what he did to Demaratos and then imprisoned.
He kills himself by slowly flaying himself alive, starting at the ankles. Ew.
For more info see Kleomenes

Deh-ma-ra-tus
King of Sparta
Kingship taken away because of rumour his co-ruler, Cleomenes, spread about how his father was not really the king.
Fled to Persia
Became friends with Darius (no surprise there)
Became adviser to Xerxes and told him that no matter what Spartans would always fight.

Gore-go
Became Queen of Sparta
Daughter of Cleomenes
Niece/Wife of Leonidas
Convinced her father not to trust the Ionian, Aristagoras, and saved Sparta from siding with the Persians.
When Demaratus sent a secret message on a wax tablet she was the only one to be able to figure out to melt the wax to see the message underneath.
For more of Gorgo click here

King of Sparta, after Cleomenes died.
He was raised as a regular Spartan instead of as a king and knew how to fight.
He was married to his niece, Gorgo.
He, along with 300 other Spartans, fought against the Persians at Thermopylae.
He was killed in battle, betrayed by a fellow Greek who showed the Persians a goat trail that led around to the back of the Spartan army.

Naomi Ruth Storyteller