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Amphitryon

Amphitryon watches his stepson strangle two snakes sent by Hera

Amphitryon was a human husband of Alcmene and step-faher of Heracles. He had a son named Iphicles and accepted Heracles as his own son. He was the son of Alcaeus and Astydamia, therefore being a paternal grandson of Perseus and a maternal grandson of Pelops. His two uncles were kings of Argos.

Mythology[]

Amphitryon was a Theban general, who was originally from Tiryns in the eastern part of the Peloponnese. He was friends with Panopeus.

Having accidentally killed his father-in-law Electryon, king of Mycenae, Amphitryon was driven out by Electryon's brother, Sthenelus. He fled with Alkmene, Electryon's daughter, to Thebes, where he was cleansed from the guilt of blood by Creon, king of Thebes.

Alkmene, who was pregnant and had been betrothed to Amphitryon by her father, refused to marry him until he had avenged the death of her brothers, all but one of whom had fallen in battle against the Taphians. It was on his return from this expedition that Electryon had been killed. Amphitryon accordingly took the field against the Taphians, accompanied by Creon, who had agreed to assist him on condition that he slew the Teumessian fox which had been sent by Dionysus to ravage the country.

The Taphians, however, remained invincible until Comaetho, the king's daughter, out of love for Amphitryon cut off her father's golden hair, the possession of which rendered him immortal. Having defeated the enemy, Amphitryon put Comaetho to death and handed over the kingdom of the Taphians to Cephalus. On his return to Thebes, he married Alkmene, who gave birth to twin sons, Iphicles and Heracles. Only the former was the son of Amphitryon because Heracles was the son of Zeus, who had visited Alcmene during Amphitryon's absence. He and Alkmene also had a daughter named Laonome.

He fell in battle against the Minyans, against whom he had undertaken an expedition, accompanied by the youthful Heracles, to deliver Thebes from a disgraceful tribute.

Gallery[]

Family[]

Inachid Genealogy in Greek mythology
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inachus
 
Melia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zeús
 
Io
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phoroneus
 
Teledice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Epaphus
 
Memphis
 
 
 
 
 
 
Apis
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argos
 
Evadne
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Libya
 
Poseidôn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Criasos
 
Melantho
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Belos
 
Achiroe
 
 
 
 
 
 
Agenor
 
Telephassa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phorbas
 
Cleobea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Danaus
 
Pieria
 
Aegyptus
 
Cadmus
 
Cilix
 
Europa
 
Phoenix
 
Gelanor
 
 
 
Triopas
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jasus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hypermnestra
 
 
 
Lynceus
 
Kings of Thebes
 
Kings of Cilicia
 
Kings of Crete
 
Kings of Phoenicia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sosis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nepeira
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lacadaemon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SpartaAbas
 
 
 
 
 
Ocalea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Crotopos
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sthenelos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eurydice
 
 
 
 
Acrisius
 
Proetus
 
Hipponoe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zeús
 
Danaë
 
 
 
 
 
Megapenthes
 
Demophile
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Perseus
 
Andromeda
 
 
 
 
 
Argeos
 
Pyrante
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Electyron
 
 
Alcaeus
 
Sthenelus
 
 
Anaxagoras
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hyrmine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eurydice
 
 
 
 
 
Astydamia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nicippe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amphitryon
 
 
 
 
Alcmene
 
 
Zeús
 
Eurystheus
 
 
 
 
 
Alector
 
Iphis
 
Helice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Automedusa
 
Iphicles
 
 
 
 
Heracles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Itea
 
 
 
 
 
Sthenelius
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cylabares
 
 
 
 
 
Iolaus
 
Megara
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heraclidae (see Heraclid genealogy)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bacchiadae
After Eurystheus, the kingdom of Mycenae passed to the Atreids in the person of Atreus After Cylabares, the kingdom of Argos passed to the Atreids of Mycenae in the person of Orestes (Atreus' grandson)
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Amphitryon (view authors). As with Myth and Folklore Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported).
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