Amphion ( ()) and Zethus (; Ζῆθος ''Zēthos'') were, in ancient

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, the twin sons of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

(or Theobus) by Antiope. They are important characters in one of the two founding myths of the city of Thebes, because they constructed the city's walls.

Mythology

Childhood

Amphion and Zethus were the sons of Antiope, who fled in shame to

Sicyon Sicyon (; el, Σικυών; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyon was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. An ancient mona ...

after Zeus raped her, and married King

Epopeus In Greek mythology, Epopeus (; , derived from (, "to look out", "observe"), from (, "over") and (, "eye")) was the name of the following figures: *Epopeus, king of Sicyon. *Epopeus, king of Lesbos and both father and rapist of Nyctimene. * Epop ...

there. However, either Nycteus or Lycus attacked Sicyon in order to carry her back to Thebes and punish her. On the way back, she gave birth to the twins and was forced to expose them on

Mount Cithaeron Cithaeron or Kithairon (Κιθαιρών, -ῶνος) is a mountain and mountain range about sixteen kilometres (ten miles) long in Central Greece. The range is the physical boundary between Boeotia in the north and Attica in the south. It is mai ...

. Lycus gave her to his wife,

Dirce Dirce (; , , modern Greek , meaning "double" or "cleft") was a queen of Thebes as the wife of Lycus in Greek mythology. Family Dirce was a daughter of the river-gods Achelous or Ismenus, or of Helios. Mythology After Zeus impregnated Dir ...

, who treated her very cruelly for many years.

Apollodorus Apollodorus (Ancient Greek, Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: ...

, 3.5.5 Antiope eventually escaped and found her sons living near Mount Cithaeron. After they were convinced that she was their mother, they killed Dirce by tying her to the horns of a bull, gathered an army, and conquered Thebes, becoming its joint rulers. They also either killed Lycus or forced him to give up his throne.Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010).

Rule of Thebes

Amphion became a great singer and musician after his lover

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

taught him to play and gave him a golden lyre. Zethus became a hunter and herdsman, with a great interest in cattle breeding. As Zethus was associated with agriculture and the hunt, his attribute was the hunting dog, while Amphion’s - the lyre. Amphion and Zethus built fortifications of Thebes. They built the walls around the

Cadmea The Cadmea, or Cadmeia (Greek: Καδμεία, ''Kadmía''), was the citadel of ancient Thebes, Greece, which was named after Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes. The area is thought to have been settled since at least the early Bronze Age, ...

, the citadel of Thebes at the command of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. While Zethus struggled to carry his stones, Amphion played his lyre and his stones followed after him and gently glided into place.Tripp, Edward. ''Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology''. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1970, p. 44. Original, less elaborate, account in Pausanias
''Graeciae Descriptio'' 6.20.18
/ref> Amphion married

Niobe In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Her father was the ru ...

, the daughter of

Tantalus Tantalus ( grc, Τάνταλος ) was a Greek mythological figure, most famous for his punishment in Tartarus: he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the wate ...

, the

Lydia Lydia (Lydian language, Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the mod ...

n king. Because of this, he learned to play his lyre in the Lydian mode and added three strings to it. Zethus married

Thebe Thebe may refer to: * Any of several female characters in Greek mythology - see List of mythological figures named Thebe * Thebe (moon), a moon of Jupiter * Thebe (currency), 1/100 of a Botswana pula * Thebe, an Amazons, Amazon * Thebe, alternate ...

, after whom the city of Thebes was named. Otherwise, the kingdom was named in honour of their supposed father Theobus.

Later misfortunes

Amphion's wife Niobe had many children, but had become arrogant and because of this she insulted the goddess Leto, who had only two children,

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

and Apollo. Leto's children killed Niobe's children in retaliation (see

). It’s Niobe’s overweening pride in her children, offending Apollo and Artemis, brought about her children’s deaths. In

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

, Amphion commits

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

out of grief; according to

Telesilla Telesilla was an ancient Greek lyric poet from Argos, active in the fifth century BC. She is known for her supposed role in the defence of Argos in 494 BC, which is doubted by modern scholars. Only a few fragments of her poetry survive, several of ...

, Artemis and Apollo murder him along with his children. Hyginus, however, writes that in his madness he tried to attack the temple of Apollo, and was killed by the god's arrows. Zethus had only one son, who died through a mistake of his mother Thebe, causing Zethus to kill himself. In the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'', however, Zethus's wife is called a daughter of Pandareus in book 19, who killed her son Itylos in a fit of madness and became a nightingale.

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, ''

'' Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: Harper Collins, 1967, p. 295 After the deaths of Amphion and Zethus,

Laius In Greek mythology, King Laius (pronounced ), or Laios ( el, Λάϊος) of Thebes was a key personage in the Theban founding myth. Family Laius was the son of Labdacus. He was the father, by Jocasta, of Oedipus, who killed him. Mytholog ...

returned to Thebes and became king. Compare with Castor and Polydeuces (the Dioscuri) of Greece, and with

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...

of Rome.

Family tree

Gallery

Amphion

File:Amphion.jpg, Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, and twin brother of Zethus File:Amphio.jpeg, Amphion by NathanJacquin (November 16, 2015) File:Tableaux du temple des muses - tirez du cabinet de feu Mr. Fauereau, conseiller du roy en sa Cour des aydes, and grauez en tailles-douces par les meilleurs maistres de son temps, pour representer les (14773119512).jpg, Amphion File:Mercure & Amphion J.Vignaud.jpg, Mercury and Amphion by Jean Vignaud (1819) File:Krauss, Johann Ulrich — Die Verwandlungen des Ovidii — Amphion.jpg, Amphion by Krauss, Johann Ulrich (ca. 1690)

Amphion and Zethus

File:Naples Museum 181 (15395016732).jpg, The Farnese Bull depicting the punishment of Dirke by Amphion and Zethos File:Wall painting - punishment of Dirke - Pompeii (VII 4 56) - Napoli MAN 9042 - 01.jpg, Dirce being tied to a bull by Amphion as Zethus looks on; Antiope tries to stop her son's hand. (fresco, 1st century AD) File:A classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography...revised.. (1894) (14760065506).jpg, The Famese Bull File:Amfion och Zethos, Nordisk familjebok.png, Amphion and Zethus File:Julius Troschel Zethus und Amphion 1840-50 Neue Pinakothek-1.jpg, Julius Troschel, Amphion and Zethus (1840-1850), Neue Pinakothek.

Mention in Ancient Sources

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, ''Gorgias''
485e

Notes

References

, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

, ''The Odyssey'' with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, PH.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
*Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Tzetzes, John, ''Book of Histories,'' Book I translated by Ana Untila from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826
Online version at theio.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amphion And Zethus Theban kings Kings in Greek mythology Children of Zeus Demigods in classical mythology Theban characters in Greek mythology Characters in Greek mythology Deeds of Apollo