In
Greek mythology,
Tenes or
Tennes was the
eponymous hero of the island of
Tenedos. He was the son either of
Apollo or of King
Cycnus of
Colonae by
Proclia, daughter or granddaughter of
Laomedon. Cycnus's second wife Philonome, daughter of
Tragasus or Cragasus, falsely accused Tenes of rape, bringing in a flutist named Eumolpus as witness. Cycnus believed the accusations and tried to kill Tenes and his sister
Hemithea by placing them both in a chest, which was set into the ocean. However, the chest landed at the island of Leucophrye, which was later renamed Tenedos, and the two survived. The natives of the island pronounced Tenes their king. Cycnus later learned the truth, killed Eumolpus, buried Philonome alive and tried to reconcile with his children, but Tenes rejected his overture: when Cycnus's ship landed at Tenedos, Tenes took an axe and cut the moorings.
