Sthenelus of Argos
heroSon of Capaneus and charioteer of Diomedes at Troy, one of the Epigoni who avenged their fathers at Thebes.
The Myth
He succeeded where his father spectacularly failed — Capaneus was struck by Zeus attacking Thebes, but Sthenelus helped raze it a generation later. As one of the Epigoni, the sons who completed the siege their fathers died attempting, Sthenelus proved the bloodline by helping sack Thebes. At Troy, he served as Diomedes's charioteer and closest companion, the steadying presence behind the most aggressive Greek fighter after Achilles. When Diomedes wounded both Ares and Aphrodite with Athena's help, it was Sthenelus who drove the chariot. Homer makes him boastful but competent — he claims the Epigoni were greater than their fathers.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Epigoni succeeded because they listened to oracles their fathers had ignored.
Explore Further
Capaneus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the...
Epigoni
conceptThe sons of the Seven against Thebes who returned a generation later and successfully sacked the...
Diomedes
heroDiomedes was the only mortal in the Iliad to wound two Olympian gods in a single day.
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Evadne
heroWife of Capaneus who threw herself onto his funeral pyre at Thebes, becoming the archetype of...
Ares
godGod of the brutal, savage side of war. Unlike Athena's strategic warfare, Ares represented the raw...
Eurystheus
heroKing of Mycenae who assigned Heracles his twelve labours, born prematurely through Hera's...
Aphrodite
godGoddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so...
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...
Diomedes (Aristeia)
conceptThe extended battle sequence in Iliad Books 5-6 where Diomedes wounds both Aphrodite and Ares, the...