Seven Against Thebes (Detail)
conceptThe doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by Polynices to reclaim the throne from his brother Eteocles.
The Myth
The Seven Against Thebes arose from the curse Oedipus placed on his sons Eteocles and Polynices when they showed him disrespect. The brothers agreed to alternate the kingship yearly, but Eteocles refused to yield after his first year. Polynices fled to Argos and married the daughter of King Adrastus. Adrastus assembled seven champions, one for each gate of Thebes: himself, Polynices, Tydeus, Capaneus, Amphiaraus, Hippomedon, and Parthenopaeus. Amphiaraus, a seer, knew the expedition was doomed but was compelled by his wife Eriphyle, bribed with the Necklace of Harmonia. Capaneus was struck by Zeus's thunderbolt for boasting he would take Thebes even against the gods. Tydeus forfeited Athena's gift of immortality by eating his enemy's brains. The brothers killed each other in single combat. Only Adrastus escaped, saved by his divine horse Arion, son of Poseidon.
Children
Epigoni (next generation)
Symbols
Fun Fact
Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes (467 BC) was the world's first siege narrative, establishing conventions that run through every war story from the siege of Jerusalem to Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings. The one-champion-per-gate structure — matching attackers against defenders in paired duels — invented the "battle lineup" narrative device used in everything from sports commentary to heist-movie team assembly scenes.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Epigoni
conceptThe sons of the Seven against Thebes who returned a generation later and successfully sacked the...
Necklace of Harmonia
conceptA cursed golden necklace crafted by Hephaestus as a wedding gift for Harmonia, bringing destruction...
Adrastus
heroAdrastus was the only survivor of the Seven Against Thebes — he escaped on his divine horse Arion...
Harmonia
godHarmonia was the goddess of harmony and concord, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, whose wedding...
Polynices
heroPolynices was the son of Oedipus who raised an army of seven champions to take Thebes from his...
Thebes
placeThebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for...
Amphiaraus
heroAmphiaraus was a warrior-prophet who foresaw his death in the Seven Against Thebes but marched...
Capaneus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the...
Eteocles
heroEteocles was the son of Oedipus who refused to share the throne of Thebes with his brother...
Tydeus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who was denied immortality by Athena after she caught him eating...
Helm of Darkness
conceptThe cap of invisibility crafted by the Cyclopes for Hades during the Titanomachy, later borrowed by...
Oedipus Prophecy
conceptThe Delphic prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta, which...