ATHAMAS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Athamas was a legendary king in Greek mythology who ruled the kingdom of Orchomenus in Boeotia and later established a kingdom in Thessaly. Although born into one of the most powerful royal families of ancient Greece, Athamas is remembered primarily for the many tragedies that plagued his life, including betrayal, divine punishment, madness, exile, and the loss of his children.
Athamas King of Orchomenus
Athamas was the son of Aeolus, the King of Thessaly (not to be confused with Aeolus, the keeper of the winds), and Enarete. Through his father, Athamas belonged to one of the most prominent dynasties in Greek mythology. His brothers included Cretheus, Salmoneus, and the infamous Sisyphus.
Like his siblings, Athamas became a ruler in his own right, ascending the throne of Orchomenus, one of the most important cities of Boeotia.
Like his siblings, Athamas became a ruler in his own right, ascending the throne of Orchomenus, one of the most important cities of Boeotia.
The First Wife of Athamas
Athamas is primarily remembered for his troubles, much of which seemed to derive from the fact that he was thrice married.
The first wife of Athamas was the Oceanid cloud nymph Nephele; and by Nephele, Athamas would become father to a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Helle.
The first wife of Athamas was the Oceanid cloud nymph Nephele; and by Nephele, Athamas would become father to a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Helle.
The Second Wife of AthamasThe marriage of Athamas and Nephele lasted but a relatively short time, for the eye of Athamas was taken by the beauty of Ino, the daughter of Cadmus. By Ino, Athamas would become father to a further two sons, Learches and Melicertes.
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Troubles for Athamas
A severe drought and famine struck Boeotia. Some myths claim that Nephele caused the disaster in revenge for being abandoned, while others suggest that Ino fabricated the crisis to advance her own ambitions.
Seeking to secure the throne for her sons, Ino bribed messengers returning from the Oracle of Delphi. They falsely reported that the oracle had declared the drought would end only if Phrixus were sacrificed.
The people of Orchomenus demanded the sacrifice, and Athamas found himself under immense pressure to comply.
Before the sacrifice could occur, Nephele intervened. She sent the magical Golden Ram to rescue her children. Phrixus and Helle escaped by flying away on the ram's back.
During the journey, Helle fell into the sea at the strait later named the Hellespont in her memory. Phrixus survived and eventually reached Colchis, where he sacrificed the Golden Ram and hung its golden fleece in a sacred grove. This fleece later became the legendary Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.
Seeking to secure the throne for her sons, Ino bribed messengers returning from the Oracle of Delphi. They falsely reported that the oracle had declared the drought would end only if Phrixus were sacrificed.
The people of Orchomenus demanded the sacrifice, and Athamas found himself under immense pressure to comply.
Before the sacrifice could occur, Nephele intervened. She sent the magical Golden Ram to rescue her children. Phrixus and Helle escaped by flying away on the ram's back.
During the journey, Helle fell into the sea at the strait later named the Hellespont in her memory. Phrixus survived and eventually reached Colchis, where he sacrificed the Golden Ram and hung its golden fleece in a sacred grove. This fleece later became the legendary Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.
Athamas and Dionysus
It was around the time when Athamas was ruler in Boeotia that Zeus seduced Semele, with the result that Semele would fall pregnant with a son, Dionysus. The interference of Hera ultimately saw Semele die, and Zeus having to carry Dionysus to term, with his son sown up in the god’s thigh.
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When Dionysus was born though, Zeus had Hermes deliver the baby boy to Ino and Athamas, for Ino was sister to Semele, but the instructions were that Dionysus had to be disguised as a girl, perhaps in the hope of avoiding notice by Hera.
The Madness of AthamasThe ruse worked for but a short time and Hera soon discovered that Athamas was helping her husband, by looking after his illegitimate child.
Hera roused the Erinyes into action, and from the Underworld came Tisiphone (one of the Erinyes) and a host of other Daemons. Madness descended upon Athamas and Ino, and Athamas now saw not his son Learches, but a deer that needed to be hunted. Thus, Athamas killed Learches with an arrow. The madness of Ino saw Athamas’ wife snatch up her other son, Melicertes, and jumped from the top of a cliff into the sea. The fall of Ino and Melicertes was commonly said to have killed the pair, but some tell of the transformation of mother and son, with Ino becoming the sea goddess Leucothea, and Melicertes becoming Palaemon. Dionysus avoided injury in all of this though, For Zeus had him whisked away to be safely cared by the Hydaes nymphs. |
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Athamas Taken by The Furies - PD-art-100
The Family of Athamas Extended
The madness that had taken Athamas would eventually dissipate, and now finding he had no heir to his kingdom, Athamas adopted his grandnephews Coronus and Haliartus, grandsons of Sisyphus, and regions of Boeotia called Coroneia and Haliartus were named after these relatives of Athamas.
The Sacrificial Athamas
It was said by some that at some point in the life of Athamas in Boeotia, his own people sought to sacrifice the king to Zeus. Possibly through the belief that the king had killed Phrixus, although this was what the populace had desired at the time.
The sacrifice though was said to have been stopped by the arrival of Cytissorus in Boeotia; Cytissorus was the son of Phrixus, and thus grandson of Athamas, and it was Cytissorus who informed everyone that Phrixus was alive.
The sacrifice though was said to have been stopped by the arrival of Cytissorus in Boeotia; Cytissorus was the son of Phrixus, and thus grandson of Athamas, and it was Cytissorus who informed everyone that Phrixus was alive.
Athamas in Exile
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Athamas had though murdered his son Learches and for this his own subjects sent him into exile.
Having no idea of where he should go, Athamas consulted an Oracle, and was thus told to live in the place where he was hospitably received by wild animals. In the region of Phthiotis in Thessaly, Athamas came cross wolves feasting upon sheep, but they would suddenly depart, leaving behind meat and bones for Athamas. Athamas believed this to be the land that the Oracle had spoken of and so Athamas founded the city of Alos. A Third Wife For AthamasAthamas would marry for a third time, this time to Themisto, a daughter of Hpseus, King of the Lapiths.
This third marriage would bring forth a number of additional children, twins Ptous and Prophyrion, Sphinclus, Orchomenus, Schoeneus, Erythrius and Leucon. More Tragedy for AthamasNow some say that Athamas lived out his life happily in Thessaly with his third wife Themisto, other writers though, would bring further tragedy into the life of Athamas.
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To this end, it was said that Athamas discovered that his second wife, Ino, and children, were not dead, and so brought them from Boeotia to Thessaly.
This only aroused the jealousy of Themisto, who now, just as Ino had tried to do away with her predecessor’s children, sought to kill the sons of Ino and Athamas.
Themisto decided this was a deed best done at night, and so ordered a slave to dress her own children in white and those of Ino in black so that they could be identified in the gloominess of night. Unbeknownst to Themisto the slave who she asked to undertake the task was Ino, and seeing a deadly plot in the eyes of Themisto swapped the coloured clothing around.
As a result Themisto killed her own sons, whilst leaving those of Ino and Athamas alive. When, in the morning, Themisto realised she had killed the wrong children, the third wife of Athamas killed herself.
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