Amphitryon

Amphitryon was an Argive hero, the son of Alcaeus and grandson of Perseus. He is the husband of Alcmene and the mortal father of Iphicles. Zeus took his shape and slept with Alcmene on the night before Amphitryon came home, and she bore Heracles to Zeus and Iphicles to Amphitryon as twins.

Family

Apollodorus says that Alcaeus, a son of Perseus and Andromeda, had a son Amphitryon and a daughter Anaxo by Astydamia, daughter of Pelops; some said their mother was Laonome, daughter of Guneus, and others that she was Hipponome, daughter of Menoeceus (Apollodorus, Library 2.4.5). Anaxo married her uncle Electryon, king of Mycenae, and bore Alcmene (Library 2.4.5). Amphitryon therefore married his cousin. Euripides opens his Heracles with the same lineage, calling him “Argive Amphitryon”, son of Alcaeus son of Perseus, and father of Heracles (Euripides, Heracles 1–3).

The Death of Electryon

In Apollodorus, the sons of Pterelaus, who came with Taphians from the islands, claimed the kingdom of Mycenae. When Electryon ignored them they drove off his cattle, and in the fighting that followed Electryon’s sons and most of the invaders killed each other. Only Licymnius, who was young, survived among Electryon’s sons. The Taphians who escaped left the cattle with Polyxenus, king of Elis, but Amphitryon ransomed them from him and brought them back to Mycenae (Library 2.4.6).

Electryon wished to avenge his sons on the Teleboans (the Taphians) and entrusted the kingdom and his daughter Alcmene to Amphitryon, making him swear that she would remain a virgin until he returned. As Amphitryon was receiving the cattle back, one cow charged him; he threw the club in his hand at her, the club rebounded from the cow’s horns, and it struck Electryon’s head and killed him. Sthenelus, Electryon’s brother, used this as a pretext to banish Amphitryon from the whole of Argos and took the thrones of Mycenae and Tiryns himself (Library 2.4.6). Hesiod tells it differently: Amphitryon killed Alcmene’s father in anger over cattle (Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 11–12).

Exile at Thebes

Amphitryon went to Thebes with Alcmene and Licymnius, and Creon purified him of the killing and gave his sister Perimede to Licymnius (Apollodorus, Library 2.4.6; compare Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 11–14). Alcmene said she would marry him once he had avenged her brothers’ death. Hesiod says he lived at Thebes with her, without lying with her until he had killed the men who had slain her brothers and burned the cities of the Taphians and Teleboans (Shield of Heracles 14–19).

Creon agreed to join Amphitryon’s expedition on condition that he first rid the Cadmea of a fox that was ravaging the land. The Thebans were exposing a child every month to it. Amphitryon persuaded Cephalus to bring from Athens the hound that never failed to catch what it pursued; when the hound chased the fox, Zeus turned both into stone (Library 2.4.6–7). With allies from Athens, Phocis, Argolis and Thebes, Amphitryon ravaged the Taphian islands. Pterelaus could not be defeated while he lived, since Poseidon had put a golden hair in his head, but his daughter Comaetho fell in love with Amphitryon and pulled out the hair. Pterelaus died, and Amphitryon took all the islands, killed Comaetho, and sailed back to Thebes with the spoils (Library 2.4.7). Hesiod gives Amphitryon Boeotian, Locrian and Phocian troops (Shield of Heracles 23–26). Herodotus saw a tripod at the sanctuary of Ismenian Apollo at Thebes with an inscription saying that Amphitryon had dedicated it from the spoils of the Teleboans (Herodotus 5.59).

Zeus and Alcmene

Before Amphitryon reached Thebes, Zeus came by night, made the night three times as long, took the shape of Amphitryon, and slept with Alcmene, telling her of the war with the Teleboans (Apollodorus, Library 2.4.8). Hesiod says Zeus slept with Alcmene on the same night that Amphitryon, having finished his task, arrived home, so that she lay with both a god and a man and bore twins who were not alike in mind: Heracles, the stronger, to Zeus, and Iphicles, the weaker, to Amphitryon (Shield of Heracles 27–56). When Amphitryon arrived and found his wife cool toward him, she told him that he had come the night before and slept with her. He learned from Tiresias that Zeus had been with her (Library 2.4.8). Homer knew the main facts: Odysseus sees Alcmene in the underworld, wife of Amphitryon, who bore Heracles after lying in the arms of Zeus (Homer, Odyssey 11.266–268).

When Heracles was eight months old Hera sent two huge snakes to the bed. Alcmene called Amphitryon to help, but Heracles had already strangled the snakes with his hands (Library 2.4.8).

Death

Amphitryon died in the war with the Minyans. When Heracles, still young, had cut off the ears, noses and hands of the Minyan heralds who had come to Thebes to collect tribute, Erginus marched against the city. Heracles, armed by Athena, killed Erginus and forced the Minyans to pay double, but Amphitryon fell fighting bravely. Heracles received Creon’s eldest daughter Megara as a prize, and after Amphitryon’s death Rhadamanthys married Alcmene (Apollodorus, Library 2.4.11). Pausanias says Amphitryon was buried at Thebes (Pausanias 1.41.1).

Amphitryon Sources

Apollodorus, Library 2.4.5–8, 2.4.11; Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 1–56; Homer, Odyssey 11.266–268; Euripides, Heracles 1–3; Herodotus 5.59; Pausanias 1.41.1.

See Also: Alcmene, Creon, Zeus, Heracles, Tiresias, Iphicles, Electryon, Perseus