Amphion and Zethus

Amphion (Greek Ἀμφίων ) In Greek mythology, a son of Antiope and Zeus or Epopeus, the twin brother of Zethos and with this the ruler of Thebes and the husband of Niobe, daughter of Tantalus.

Childhood

Amphion and Zethos were, after they had been born in a thicket by the roadside in the city Eleutherai, exposed by her uncle Lycus, king of Thebes, which was then known as Kadmeia on Mount Cithaeron. They were found and raised by a shepherd.

Amphion, the Hermes had erected an altar, was blessed by the god with a four-stringed lyre and supplemented this by a further strings, so they had those seven, as was customary at the Lydians, because his wife was from there. According to Pliny, Amphion invented the Lydius mode, a key which corresponds approximately to the major. From Zethos, the hunting and animal husbandry devoted himself, often ridiculed because of his devotion to music, his talent, however, proved later in the construction of the city of Thebes, the talents of Zethos consider: The stones attached together with his lyre game by itself, and from this reason, the city wall was built with seven goals.

Battle for Thebes

The two brothers, Euripides called the Dioscuri with white horses, settled in Eutresis at Thespiai and fortified the city with a wall. Her mother, who was imprisoned by Lycus was able to escape and came to Eutresis. As Antiope, Amphion and Zethos again recognized as their sons and told of their abuse, they gathered an army to take revenge on the Lycus. They conquered Kadmeia, killed Lycus and Dirce and sold Laius. According to another version they had previously brought Laius in safety so that these do not come to harm. They surrounded the lower city of Kadmeia with a wall and called these Thebes and Amphion reigned jointly with Zethos over Thebes.

Family and death

According to the Libraries of Apollodorus Amphion had fourteen children, seven sons of Niobe: Sipylos, Eupinitos, Ismenos, Damasichthon, Agenor, Phaidimos, Tantalus and seven daughters: Ethodaia or Neaira, Kleodoxa, Astyoche, Phthia, Pelopia, Astykrateia and Ogygia. According to Hesiod, there are 10 sons and 10 daughters, have been according to Herodotus, two sons and four daughters and six sons to Homer and 6 daughters. As more children are still Amphion, Amyklas and Meliboia be cited. However, all children up to Amyklas and Meliboia called Chloris, were killed. As Niobe boasted of their great fertility and Leto, the mistress of Zeus had ridiculed the daughters of Artemis and the sons of Apollo were killed. According to Pausanias, she had died of the plague and the corpses were burned on a pyre. Amphion brought either by itself, was with his sons killed by Apollo - or until he is driven by thoughts of revenge raiding a temple of Apollo.

Other traditions

Amphion was buried with his brother in Thebes. The grave mound was surrounded with stones that had followed his lyre game. According to a prophecy of the poet saying Bakis the people of Earth Tithorea of this grave should get through the constellation of the bull at the time of the passage of the sun. The scattering of the earth on the grave of Antiope, which was located in Tithorea would bring them fertility. For this reason the Thebans guarded the grave at that time.

In Plato's Gorgias, Socrates compares his speech resist Callicles with the speech of the Amphion against Zethos ( Gorgias, 506b ).

The name Amphion is according to Robert Graves " protected by the moon " or " with the moon on both sides " mean and Goddess move it close to the three times, the power of the air, on the earth and in the underworld. The lyre in the construction of the walls should therefore provided their towers, gates and foundation walls with the protection of the goddess. Therefore Graves also believes that the lyre may have had only three strings.

Amphion is often mentioned together with Orpheus. Both are with their music charmed wild animals and have tamed. An early opera -like performance in Dusseldorf on the occasion of the marriage of John William of Jülich -Cleves -Berg was entitled Orpheus and Amphion.