Harmonia
Harmonia was the goddess of harmony and concord, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, whose wedding necklace — forged by Hephaestus — brought disaster on every woman who wore it.
The Myth of Harmonia
Harmonia married Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, at a wedding attended by all the gods of Olympus — one of the few times mortals and immortals feasted together. Hephaestus gave her a magnificent necklace of his own crafting, but he had forged a curse into it — revenge for the affair between Aphrodite, his wife, and Ares, whose union had produced Harmonia. The cursed necklace brought ruin to every generation that possessed it, dooming the royal house of Thebes through Oedipus, Antigone, and the Seven against Thebes. In old age, Cadmus and Harmonia left Thebes and were transformed into serpents by Zeus — a gentler fate than their descendants received. The necklace's curse only ended when it was dedicated at Delphi.
Parents
Ares and Aphrodite
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word "harmony" comes from this goddess — the concept of balanced, pleasing arrangement in music and life.
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
Necklace of Harmonia
💭 conceptcurse, artifact
A cursed golden necklace crafted by Hephaestus as a wedding gift for Harmonia, bringing destruction to every subsequent owner across multiple generations.
Alphesiboea
🗡 heroMarriage, tragedy
First wife of Alcmaeon who received the cursed necklace of Harmonia as a wedding gift
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods, marriage, family, childbirth
Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's lovers and their children.
Hera Teleia
⚡ godmarriage, completion
An epithet of Hera as goddess of marriage and its fulfilment, worshipped as the divine model of the married woman and protector of the wedding ceremony.
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods and guardian of marriage
The queen of Olympus and goddess of marriage who defended the institution of matrimony with a wrath that shaped half the myths.
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, desire, and beauty
The goddess born from sea-foam whose power over desire could override the will of gods and mortals alike.
Megaera
⚡ godUnderworld
One of the three Erinyes who punishes oath-breakers, the jealous, and those guilty of marital infidelity
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, beauty, desire
Goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so great that even the gods were not immune.
Hymenaios
⚡ godMarriage ceremonies
God of weddings and the marriage hymn, invoked at every Greek wedding celebration
Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
💭 conceptNarrative
The divine wedding feast where gods and mortals celebrated together, unknowingly setting the Trojan War in motion
Aerope
🗡 heroAdultery, royalty
Queen of Mycenae whose adultery with Thyestes caused the devastating curse upon the House of Atreus
Hephaestus
⚡ godGod of the forge and craftsmanship
The lame god of metalwork and fire who crafted the weapons of the gods and the most wondrous automatons in mythology.