See the Aloadae article for information about the giant Ephialtes of Greek mythology
For Ephialtes, the prominent Athenian politician see Ephialtes of Athens In Greek mythology, the Aloadae were Otus and Ephialtes or Ephialtis, sons of Iphimidea and Aloeus. ... // Greek mythology consists in part in a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. ... For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation). ... For Ephialtes, the son of Eurydemus of Malis, see Ephialtes Ephialtes (Greek: ) was leader of the democratic movement and of the homonymous party in Athens. ...

Ephialtes (Greek: Ἐφιάλτης) was the son of Eurydemus of Malis. Throughout his life, he had been abused by the Spartans but could not avenge himself until he grasped the chance to betray the Spartan king Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, by helping the Persian king Xerxes I find another route around the pass of Thermopylae. The main role that Ephialtes played in this battle was informing Xerxes about a narrow pass that would allow him to outflank the Greeks. Led by Hydarnes, the Persian army advanced through this narrow pass and encountered only 1000 Phocians guarding in this area. The Phocians retreated after a short skirmish and the Persians were successful at flanking the Spartans. The news quickly circulated to the other Greeks. Sparta (Doric: Σπάρτα, Attic (and Koine): Σπάρτη) was a state in ancient Greece, whose territory included, in Classical times, all Laconia and Messenia, and which was the most powerful state of the Peloponnesus. ... Leonidas can refer to: Leonidas I, king of Sparta, ruled c. ... Combatants Greek city-states Persia Commanders Leonidas I of Sparta † Xerxes I of Persia Strength 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 6000 more Greek allies 2 Modern estimates range from 200,000 to 500,0001 Casualties Spartans and Thespians dead to the last man; nearly 1,500 Greeks in total Modern estimates... Events King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau. ... Xerxes I (خشایارشاه), was a Persian king (reigned 485 - 465 BC) of the Achaemenid dynasty. ... Thermopylae - thurMAH-puh-ly, thuhr-MOP-uh-lee (Ancient & Katharevousa Greek Θερμοπύλαι, Demotic Θερμοπύλες) is a mountain pass in Greece. ...

This betrayal allowed the Persians to defeat the small number (around 300) of Spartan defenders, and around 600 Thespian defenders. The Greek force was completely destroyed, and none of the Greeks survived. While a vengeance for Ephialtes against the Spartans, it immortalized them with their valiant stand. Thespian may refer to: A citizen of the ancient Greek city of Thespiae An actor; this usage is derived from Thespis of Icaria, the legendary first actor. ...

Ephialtes expected to be rewarded by the Persians, but this came to nothing when they were defeated at the Battle of Salamis. He then fled to Thessaly, with a bounty on his head. According to Herodotus he was killed for an apparently unrelated reason by Athenades of Trachis, around 479 BC. Combatants Greek city-states Persia Halicarnassus Commanders Eurybiades of Sparta Themistocles of Athens Adeimantus of Corinth Aristides of Athens Xerxes I of Persia Ariamenes † Artemisia Strength 366-380 ships 1 1000 - 1207 ships [1]2 Casualties 40 ships 200-500 ships 1 Herodotus gives 378 of the alliance, but the... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Bust of Herodotus at Naples Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: , Herodotos) was a historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC-ca. ... 479 pr. ...

Ephialtes (lit. "he who jumps upon") is rather appropriately the Greek word for "nightmare," and the mythological giant Ephialtes was sometimes considered the demon of nightmares. In Greek mythology, the Aloadae were Otus and Ephialtes or Ephialtis, sons of Iphimidea and Aloeus. ...