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Amphion and Zethus

December 15, 2023

For the third century neoplatonist, see Zethos the Arab. For the vespid wasp genus, see Zethus (genus).
For other uses, see Amphion.

Amphion (/æmˈfaɪ.ɒn/ (Ancient Greek: Ἀμφίων, romanized: Amphīōn)) and Zethus (/ˈziːθəs/; Ζῆθος Zēthos) were, in ancient Greek mythology, the twin sons of Zeus (or Theobus)[2] 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. Zethus or Amphion had a daughter who was called Neis (Νηίς), the Neitian gate at Thebes was believed to have derived its name from her.[3]

Amphion and Zethus

Mythology edit

Childhood edit

 
Dirce's punishment - Roman wall painting in House of the Vettii, Pompeii.

Amphion and Zethus were the sons of Antiope, who fled in shame to Sicyon after Zeus raped her, and married King Epopeus 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. Lycus gave her to his wife, Dirce, who treated her very cruelly for many years.[4]

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.[4] They also either killed Lycus or forced him to give up his throne.[5]

Rule of Thebes edit

Amphion became a great singer and musician after his lover Hermes 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.[5] Amphion and Zethus built fortifications of Thebes.[5] They built the walls around the Cadmea, the citadel of Thebes at the command of Apollo.[6] While Zethus struggled to carry his stones, Amphion played his lyre and his stones followed after him and gently glided into place.[7]

Amphion married Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, the Lydian king. Because of this, he learned to play his lyre in the Lydian mode and added three strings to it.[8] Zethus married Thebe, after whom the city of Thebes was named. Otherwise, the kingdom was named in honour of their supposed father Theobus.[9]

 
Woodcut illustration of Niobe, Amphion and their dead sons, printed by Johannes Zainer (ca. 1474)

Later misfortunes edit

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 and Apollo. Leto's children killed Niobe's children in retaliation (see Niobe). It’s Niobe’s overweening pride in her children, offending Apollo and Artemis, brought about her children’s deaths.[5] In Ovid, Amphion commits suicide out of grief; according to Telesilla, 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.[10]

Zethus had only one son, who died through a mistake of his mother Thebe, causing Zethus to kill himself.[7] In the Odyssey, however, Zethus's wife is called Aëdon, a daughter of Pandareus in book 19, who killed her son Itylus in a fit of madness and became a nightingale.[11] Later authors would clarify that Aëdon tried to kill Niobe and Amphion's firstborn Amaleus out of jealousy that Niobe had borne many children, while she and Zethus only had one.[12][13] However in the dark of the night, Aëdon by mistake killed Itylus, and in her mourning she was transformed into a nightingale by Zeus[14][15] when Zethus began to chase her down in rage for murdering their son.[16] Alternatively, Aëdon was afraid that Zethus (here, mistakenly perhaps, spelled Zetes) was having an affair with a nymph, and that Itylus was assisting his father in his infidelity, so she killed him.[17][18]

After the deaths of Amphion and Zethus, Laius returned to Thebes and became king.

Compare with Castor and Polydeuces (the Dioscuri) of Greece, and with Romulus and Remus of Rome.

Family tree edit


Gallery edit

Amphion edit

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    Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, and twin brother of Zethus

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    Amphion by NathanJacquin (November 16, 2015)

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    Amphion

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    Mercury and Amphion by Jean Vignaud (1819)

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    Amphion by Krauss, Johann Ulrich (ca. 1690)

Amphion and Zethus edit

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    The Farnese Bull depicting the punishment of Dirke by Amphion and Zethos

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    Dirce being tied to a bull by Amphion as Zethus looks on; Antiope tries to stop her son's hand. (fresco, 1st century AD)

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    The Famese Bull

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    Amphion and Zethus

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    Julius Troschel, Amphion and Zethus (1840-1850), Neue Pinakothek.

See also edit

Mention in Ancient Sources edit

Notes edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amphion and Zethus.
  1. ^ This Antiochus has not been identified. Carvalho Abrantes, Miguel (30 April 2017). "2.16 Antiochus". Explicit Sources of Tzetzes' Chiliades (2nd ed.). CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1545584620. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  2. ^ According to other writers and to Antiochus [1] as cited in John Tzetzes. Chiliades, 1.13 line 319
  3. ^ A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Neis
  4. ^ a b Apollodorus, 3.5.5
  5. ^ a b c d Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010). Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology., p. 58, at Google Books
  6. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 9
  7. ^ a b 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
  8. ^ Tripp, Edward. Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1970, p. 43
  9. ^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.13 line 322
  10. ^ Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, p. 539
  11. ^ Homer, Odyssey Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: Harper Collins, 1967, p. 295
  12. ^ Pimentel & Simoes Rodrigues 2019, p. 201.
  13. ^ Fowler 2000, p. 341.
  14. ^ Eustathius of Thessalonica, On Homer's Odyssey 19.710
  15. ^ Hansen 2002, p. 303.
  16. ^ Scholiast on the Odyssey 19.518
  17. ^ Photios I of Constantinople, Myriobiblon Helladius Chrestomathia
  18. ^ Wright, Rosemary M. "A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations". mythandreligion.upatras.gr. University of Patras. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

References edit

  • Apollodorus, 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.
  • Fowler, Robert Louis (2000). Early Greek Mythography: Texts. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-814740-6.
  • Hansen, William F. (2002). Ariadne's Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature. UK, USA: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-3670-2.
  • Homer, 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. ISBN 978-0674995611. 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. ISBN 0-674-99328-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
  • Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
  • Pimentel, Maria Cristina; Simoes Rodrigues, Nuno (March 20, 2019). Violence in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Bristol, USA: Peeters, ISD LLC. ISBN 978-90-429-3602-7.
  • 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

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Amphion and Zethus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Regnal titles
Preceded by Mythical Kings of Thebes
(jointly) 		Succeeded by

Further reading edit

  • Michels, Johanna Astrid (2023). "Theban Myths: Amphion & Zethus and the Labdacids (III.40–47)". Agenorid Myth in the 'Bibliotheca' of Pseudo-Apollodorus: A Philological Commentary of Bibl. III.1-56 and a Study into the Composition and Organization of the Handbook. Beiträge zur Altertumskunde. Vol. 42. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 550–642. doi:10.1515/9783110610529-012. ISBN 9783110610529.


December 15, 2023
amphion, zethus, third, century, neoplatonist, zethos, arab, vespid, wasp, genus, zethus, genus, other, uses, amphion, amphion, ancient, greek, Ἀμφίων, romanized, amphīōn, zethus, Ζῆθος, zēthos, were, ancient, greek, mythology, twin, sons, zeus, theobus, antio. For the third century neoplatonist see Zethos the Arab For the vespid wasp genus see Zethus genus For other uses see Amphion Amphion ae m ˈ f aɪ ɒ n Ancient Greek Ἀmfiwn romanized Amphiōn and Zethus ˈ z iː 8 e s Zῆ8os Zethos were in ancient Greek mythology the twin sons of Zeus or Theobus 2 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 Zethus or Amphion had a daughter who was called Neis Nhis the Neitian gate at Thebes was believed to have derived its name from her 3 Amphion and Zethus Contents 1 Mythology 1 1 Childhood 1 2 Rule of Thebes 1 3 Later misfortunes 2 Family tree 3 Gallery 3 1 Amphion 3 2 Amphion and Zethus 4 See also 5 Mention in Ancient Sources 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further readingMythology editChildhood edit nbsp Dirce s punishment Roman wall painting in House of the Vettii Pompeii Amphion and Zethus were the sons of Antiope who fled in shame to Sicyon after Zeus raped her and married King Epopeus 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 Lycus gave her to his wife Dirce who treated her very cruelly for many years 4 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 4 They also either killed Lycus or forced him to give up his throne 5 Rule of Thebes edit Amphion became a great singer and musician after his lover Hermes 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 5 Amphion and Zethus built fortifications of Thebes 5 They built the walls around the Cadmea the citadel of Thebes at the command of Apollo 6 While Zethus struggled to carry his stones Amphion played his lyre and his stones followed after him and gently glided into place 7 Amphion married Niobe the daughter of Tantalus the Lydian king Because of this he learned to play his lyre in the Lydian mode and added three strings to it 8 Zethus married Thebe after whom the city of Thebes was named Otherwise the kingdom was named in honour of their supposed father Theobus 9 nbsp Woodcut illustration of Niobe Amphion and their dead sons printed by Johannes Zainer ca 1474 Later misfortunes edit 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 and Apollo Leto s children killed Niobe s children in retaliation see Niobe It s Niobe s overweening pride in her children offending Apollo and Artemis brought about her children s deaths 5 In Ovid Amphion commits suicide out of grief according to Telesilla 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 10 Zethus had only one son who died through a mistake of his mother Thebe causing Zethus to kill himself 7 In the Odyssey however Zethus s wife is called Aedon a daughter of Pandareus in book 19 who killed her son Itylus in a fit of madness and became a nightingale 11 Later authors would clarify that Aedon tried to kill Niobe and Amphion s firstborn Amaleus out of jealousy that Niobe had borne many children while she and Zethus only had one 12 13 However in the dark of the night Aedon by mistake killed Itylus and in her mourning she was transformed into a nightingale by Zeus 14 15 when Zethus began to chase her down in rage for murdering their son 16 Alternatively Aedon was afraid that Zethus here mistakenly perhaps spelled Zetes was having an affair with a nymph and that Itylus was assisting his father in his infidelity so she killed him 17 18 After the deaths of Amphion and Zethus Laius returned to Thebes and became king Compare with Castor and Polydeuces the Dioscuri of Greece and with Romulus and Remus of Rome Family tree editRoyal house of Thebes family treevte Solid lines indicate descendants Dashed lines indicate marriages Dotted lines indicate extra marital relationships or adoptions Kings of Thebes are numbered with bold names and a light purple background Joint rules are indicated by a number and lowercase letter for example 5a Amphion shared the throne with 5b Zethus Regents of Thebes are alphanumbered format AN with bold names and a light red background The number N refers to the regency preceding the reign of the Nth king Generally this means the regent served the Nth king but not always as Creon A9 was serving as regent to Laodamas the 10th King when he was slain by Lycus II the usurping 9th king The letter A refers to the regency sequence A is the first regent B is the second etc Deities have a yellow background color Harmonia1 CadmusPolyxoA4 Nycteus Regent DirceB4 amp A6 Lycus Regent ZeusZeusInoAgaveEchion3 PolydorusNycteisAntiopeSemeleAutonoeDionysus2 PentheusEpeiros4 Labdacus5a Amphion5b ZethusMenoeceusEurydiceA7 A8 amp A9 Creon Regent Jocasta6 LaiusMeropePolybusHipponomeAlcaeusZeusAlcmeneAmphitryonPerimede7 OedipusMegaraHeraclesIphiclesAnaxoHeniocheMegareusHaemonAntigone8b EteoclesArgea8a PolynicesPyrrhaLycomedesIsmene9 Lycus IIA12 Peneleos Regent 10 LaodamasDemonassa11 ThersanderOpheltes12 Tisamenus14 Damasichthon13 Autesion15 PtolemyTherasArgeiaAristodemus16 XanthosEurysthenesProclesGallery editAmphion edit nbsp Amphion son of Zeus and Antiope and twin brother of Zethus nbsp Amphion by NathanJacquin November 16 2015 nbsp Amphion nbsp Mercury and Amphion by Jean Vignaud 1819 nbsp Amphion by Krauss Johann Ulrich ca 1690 Amphion and Zethus edit nbsp The Farnese Bull depicting the punishment of Dirke by Amphion and Zethos nbsp Dirce being tied to a bull by Amphion as Zethus looks on Antiope tries to stop her son s hand fresco 1st century AD nbsp The Famese Bull nbsp Amphion and Zethus nbsp Julius Troschel Amphion and Zethus 1840 1850 Neue Pinakothek See also editDivine twinsMention in Ancient Sources editPlato Gorgias 485e Notes edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amphion and Zethus This Antiochus has not been identified Carvalho Abrantes Miguel 30 April 2017 2 16 Antiochus Explicit Sources of Tzetzes Chiliades 2nd ed CreateSpace ISBN 978 1545584620 Retrieved 22 November 2018 According to other writers and to Antiochus 1 as cited in John Tzetzes Chiliades 1 13 line 319 A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology Neis a b Apollodorus 3 5 5 a b c d Roman L amp Roman M 2010 Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology p 58 at Google Books Hyginus Fabulae 9 a b 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 Tripp Edward Crowell s Handbook of Classical Mythology New York Thomas Crowell Company 1970 p 43 Tzetzes Chiliades 1 13 line 322 Gantz Timothy Early Greek Myth Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 1993 p 539 Homer Odyssey Trans Richmond Lattimore New York Harper Collins 1967 p 295 Pimentel amp Simoes Rodrigues 2019 p 201 Fowler 2000 p 341 Eustathius of Thessalonica On Homer s Odyssey 19 710 Hansen 2002 p 303 Scholiast on the Odyssey 19 518 Photios I of Constantinople Myriobiblon Helladius Chrestomathia Wright Rosemary M A Dictionary of Classical Mythology Summary of Transformations mythandreligion upatras gr University of Patras Retrieved March 15 2023 References editApollodorus 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 Fowler Robert Louis 2000 Early Greek Mythography Texts Oxford New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 814740 6 Hansen William F 2002 Ariadne s Thread A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature UK USA Cornell University Press ISBN 0 8014 3670 2 Homer 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 ISBN 978 0674995611 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 ISBN 0 674 99328 4 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library Pausanias Graeciae Descriptio 3 vols Leipzig Teubner 1903 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library Pimentel Maria Cristina Simoes Rodrigues Nuno March 20 2019 Violence in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds Bristol USA Peeters ISD LLC ISBN 978 90 429 3602 7 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 nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Amphion and Zethus Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press Regnal titlesPreceded byLycus Mythical Kings of Thebes jointly Succeeded byLaiusFurther reading editMichels Johanna Astrid 2023 Theban Myths Amphion amp Zethus and the Labdacids III 40 47 Agenorid Myth in the Bibliotheca of Pseudo Apollodorus A Philological Commentary of Bibl III 1 56 and a Study into the Composition and Organization of the Handbook Beitrage zur Altertumskunde Vol 42 Berlin Boston De Gruyter pp 550 642 doi 10 1515 9783110610529 012 ISBN 9783110610529 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Amphion and Zethus amp oldid 1189395827, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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