Evadne
heroWife of Capaneus who threw herself onto his funeral pyre at Thebes, becoming the archetype of self-immolating devotion.
The Myth
She jumped into fire to follow her husband — and the Greeks considered it the noblest suicide in their mythology. When Capaneus was struck down by Zeus at Thebes, Evadne attended the funeral and leaped onto the burning pyre before anyone could stop her. Euripides stages this in The Suppliants, having her appear suddenly on a cliff above the pyre while her father Iphis begs her to come down. She jumps mid-sentence. The scene prefigures the Hindu practice of sati by millennia. Athena was present and did not intervene. Evadne chose this despite having children, making her act more disturbing than romantic to modern readers.
Parents
Iphis
Symbols
Fun Fact
Euripides has Evadne appear on a cliff above the pyre — one of the most dramatic staging directions in Greek drama.
Explore Further
Capaneus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the...
Sthenelus of Argos
heroSon of Capaneus and charioteer of Diomedes at Troy, one of the Epigoni who avenged their fathers at...
Athena
godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, born fully armored from the head of Zeus. Patron deity of...
Athena (Warrior)
godAthena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from...
Athena Promachos
godAn epithet of Athena meaning "the Champion" or "who fights in front," represented by a colossal...
Thebes
placeThebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for...
Thebes (Boeotia)
placeThe city of Cadmus and Oedipus, setting of more Greek tragedies than any other place.
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Zeus (King)
godZeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme...
Zeus Xenios
godAn epithet of Zeus as guardian of guests and the sacred law of hospitality (xenia), whose violation...
Aegeus
heroKing of Athens and father of Theseus who threw himself into the sea when he saw black sails,...
Patroclus
heroPatroclus was Achilles' closest companion whose death in borrowed armour at Hector's hands was the...