Tecmessa

The name Tecmessa (Ancient Greek: Τέκμησσα) refers to the following characters in Greek mythology:

• Tecmessa was the daughter of Teuthras, king of Teuthrania in Mysia, or Teleutas, king of Phrygia. During the Trojan War, Telamonian Ajax kills Tecmessa's father and takes her captive; his reason for doing so may have been, as the 1st century BC Roman poet, Horace, wrote, that Ajax was captivated by Tecmessa's beauty. In Sophocles’ Ajax, Tecmessa attempts to stop Ajax from committing suicide, although she is unsuccessful. She is the first to find his corpse, which she promptly covers with her own clothing to prevent further heartache. Their infant son, Eurysaces, however, survives the incident.

• Tecmessa is also the name of one of the Amazons killed by Heracles in his quest for the girdle of Hippolyte.