Amyclae
An ancient Laconian town near Sparta, sanctuary of Apollo Hyacinthius and site of the hero Hyacinthus' cult.
The Story of Amyclae
Amyclae was one of the oldest inhabited sites in the Peloponnese and predated Sparta as the dominant settlement in Laconia. It was here that Apollo loved the beautiful youth Hyacinthus, and here that Zephyrus, the west wind, jealous of the god's affection, deflected Apollo's discus so it struck and killed the boy. From Hyacinthus' blood Apollo caused the hyacinth flower to grow, its petals marked with the letters "AI" — a cry of grief. The great throne-and-statue of Apollo Amyclaios, described by Pausanias, was one of the most remarkable cult objects in Greece.
Parents
{Apollo (patron)}
Children
{Hyacinthus (cult)}
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Hyacinthia festival at Amyclae was a three-day event: the first day of mourning for Hyacinthus, the last two days of joyful celebration for Apollo.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Thespiae
🏛 placeSacred geography
A Boeotian city near Mount Helicon famous for its cult of Eros and the sanctuary of the Muses
Laodicea
🏛 placegeography
A Phrygian city named after a daughter of a Seleucid king but containing an older sacred tradition of Cybele.
Paphos
🏛 placeSacred geography
The chief sanctuary of Aphrodite on Cyprus, where the goddess was said to have first come ashore from the sea
Eleutherae
🏛 placegeography
A border town between Attica and Boeotia where the cult of Dionysus first entered Athens.
Sicyon
🏛 placeGeography
An ancient city near Corinth claiming to be one of the oldest in Greece and site of Prometheus's sacrifice trick
Methone
🏛 placegeography
A Macedonian coastal town where the archer Aster shot out the eye of Philip II — and mythologically associated with Ariadne.
Siphae
🏛 placegeography
A small Boeotian port sacred to Dionysus, connected to the god's worship on the Corinthian Gulf coast.
Arges
🏛 placegeography
The Argolid plain dominated by the city of Argos, one of the oldest and most mythologically saturated regions of Greece.
Phigalia
🏛 placegeography
A remote Arcadian mountain town with an ancient cave sanctuary where Demeter in the form of a horse was worshipped.
Corinth
🏛 placeCity of Sisyphus and Medea
Corinth was a wealthy trading city on the narrow isthmus connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, associated with Sisyphus, Medea, Bellerophon, and Pegasus.
Haliartus
🏛 placegeography
A Boeotian city on Lake Copais associated with the myth of Alcmena and a tradition of Heracles.
Amyclas
🗡 heroKingship, Laconia
Legendary king of Sparta and founder of the ancient city of Amyclae near Sparta