Salmoneus

Salmoneus was a shrewd businessman who engaged in many ventures (some of which were not entirely legal). He befriended both Hercules and Xena.

When he first met Hercules, Salmoneus was a traveling toga salesman. He proposed a line of togas named for Hercules. The hero turned him down and Salmoneus was chosen to be father to the children of the 50 Daughters of King Thespius (HTLJ "Eye of the Beholder").

Having given up toga sales, Salmoneus next encountered Hercules on the way to Nespa for the wedding of Penelope and Marcus. He intended to try to sell real estate in Macedonia to the wedding guests. During the wedding, Hercules was poisoned and went temporarily blind. When a group of Centaurs kidnapped the bride and her maid of honour, Salmoneus had to act as Hercules' eyes so the hero could save the day (HTLJ "As Darkness Falls").

Salmoneus was in the Parthian Province selling a new line of clay cookware when Xena and her army attacked. He disguised himself as a woman and hid but was found out by Darphus and Cretus who brought him to Xena. When Salmoneus told Xena that he knew Hercules she spared his life telling him that he "amused" her. Salmoneus later offered himself as a manager to the warrior princess, telling her she needed some good public relations. He offered to write her a theme song. Salmoneus was present when Darphus took over Xena's army and forced her to walk the Gauntlet. He found a Shepherdess to care for the Baby that Xena rescued from a village destroyed by her army and later helped Hercules to defend Parthus against the army (HTLJ "The Gauntlet").

Salmoneus continued to travel with Hercules and Xena and came up with the idea of writing celebrity biographies of the duo. When the heroes discovered that Darphus had been resurrected and was once again slaughtering innocent people, Salmoneus went with them as they tracked the warlord. The group was ambushed in a canyon and buried in a rockslide. Salmoneus, terrified of being trapped in the small space, became nearly catatonic but Hercules was able to rescue him. Embarrassed, Salmoneus took his leave of the heroes and hitched a ride with Enos who ended up bringing him directly to Darphus' camp at Elysia. Salmoneus was fed a sumptuous meal to fatten up so that he could be fed to Graegus but Xena and Hercules were able to rescue him. Salmoneus then told Hercules he was headed to Athens (HTLJ "Unchained Heart").

In Athens, Salmoneus commissioned a special "Sport Toga" for himself at the price of 12 dinars. He wore it when on his way to Midasius to see King Midas' new gambling palace, the Golden Touch. Hercules decided to accompany Salmoneus to Midasius to check in on the king and his daughter, Flaxen. At the Golden Touch, Salmoneus caught the eye of Hispides, a bearded lady. She followed him throughout the palace trying to keep his attention but it was not until she shaved her beard that Salmoneus took serious note of her. He and Hispides left Hercules while discussing a new business venture (HTLJ "All That Glitters").

Salmoneus attended a "Self Actualization" seminar which inspired him to become a self-help guru. He asked Hercules to help him run a series of his own workshops but the hero declined. Instead, Salmoneus was roped into babysitting Kefor for Deric when Hercules was trying to help the Centaur escape from the Cretans (HTLJ "Outcast"). Still in the Athens area, Salmoneus agreed to manage his Brother in Law's "Pleasure Palace" for a short time. While there, Salmoneus came up with the idea of "Happy Hour" and befriended two local women: Heliotrope and Mica. They later saved his life when he was about to be hanged for not paying protection money to Pilot. When the Pleasure Palace was to be converted into a senior citizens' centre, Salmoneus told Heliotrope and Mica that he had an idea for a game called "Bongo" to be played there (HTLJ "Under the Broken Sky").

Background

 * Salmoneus was played by Robert Trebor.
 * Cut dialogue in "Centaur Mentor Journey" stated that Salmoneus was an orphan.