Haemon
Son of Creon and fiancé of Antigone who died beside her in defiance of his father
The Legend of Haemon
Haemon was the son of King Creon of Thebes and was betrothed to Antigone, daughter of Oedipus. When Creon sentenced Antigone to death for burying her brother Polynices, Haemon pleaded with his father to show mercy. He argued that the citizens of Thebes sympathised with Antigone and that a wise ruler should listen to his people. Creon accused him of being enslaved by a woman. Haemon stormed away, declaring that Creon would never see him again. When Creon finally relented and opened Antigone's tomb, he found she had hanged herself. Haemon, finding her dead, spat in his father's face and drove his sword into his own side.
Parents
Creon and Eurydice
Symbols
Fun Fact
His name means "blood" in Greek, a grim foreshadowing of his suicide beside Antigone's body
Explore Further
Creon
🗡 heroNone recorded
King of Thebes who ruled after Oedipus and decreed death for Antigone
Ismene
🗡 heroNone recorded
Daughter of Oedipus and sister of Antigone, cautious where Antigone was defiant
Megara
🗡 heroNone recorded
First wife of Heracles, given to him as a reward and later killed in his madness
Jocasta
🗡 heroNone recorded
Queen of Thebes who unknowingly married her own son Oedipus after his return
Electra
🗡 heroAvenger of Agamemnon
Daughter of Agamemnon who plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge their father's murder by killing their mother Clytemnestra.
Chrysothemis
🗡 heroNone recorded
Obedient daughter of Agamemnon who accepted her mother's rule where Electra rebelled
Clytemnestra
🗡 heroQueen who murdered Agamemnon
Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, driven by rage over Iphigenia's sacrifice.
Althaea
🗡 heroNone recorded
Queen of Calydon and mother of Meleager who killed her own son by burning the magical brand that the Fates had tied to his life at birth
Tenes
🗡 heroPurity, Betrayal, Apollo
Prince of Colonae and first ruler of Tenedos, killed by Achilles despite his divine protection by Apollo.
Sarpédon
🗡 heroSon of Zeus who died at Troy
Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and the greatest Lycian warrior at Troy — his death forced Zeus to confront the limits of even divine power.
Icarius
🗡 heroNone recorded
A legendary king of Sparta and father of Penelope who tried to prevent his daughter from leaving with Odysseus after her marriage
Agamemnon
🗡 heroKing of Mycenae
Agamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife Clytemnestra.