Amphitryon was the son of Alcaeus in Greek mythology, king of Tiryns. He was a general in Thebes, who married Alcmene, daughter of Electryon, king of Mycenae. He accidentally killed Electryon, and was exiled by Electryon's brother, Sthenelus, along with his wife. Together, they fled to Thebes, where Amphitryon was purified by the king of the city, Creon. Alcmene had refused to marry Amphitryon until he avenged the death of her brothers, so he had gone on an expedition against the Taphians. While there, Zeus visited Alcmene having taken the form of Amphitryon and slept with her; Alcmene became pregnant to Heracles. When Amphitryon returned from the expedition, Alcmene was startled as she told him he visited her the previous night. The seer Tiresias revealed what Zeus had done. Amphitryon had two children with Alcmene, Iphicles and Laonome. He died while fighting agains the Minyans.
In Greek mythology, a Gorgon is a mythical creature portrayed in ancient Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature and occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus. The large Gorgon eyes, as well as Athena 's "flashing" eyes, are symbols termed "the divine eyes" by Gimbutas (who did not originate the perception); they appear also in Athena's sacred bird, the owl. They may be represented by spirals, wheels, concentric circles, swastikas, firewheels, and other images. Anyone who would gaze into their eyes would be turned to stone instantly. Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss...
Comments
Post a Comment