Theban Royal Family
The cursed ruling house of Thebes spanning from Cadmus through Oedipus to the fratricidal war of his sons
The Meaning of Theban Royal Family
The Theban Royal Family encompasses the entire mythological history of Thebes' rulers, from its founding by the Phoenician Cadmus to the destruction wrought by the Epigoni. Cadmus founded Thebes and married Harmonia, but a curse followed the family. Their grandson Pentheus was torn apart by Maenads led by his own mother Agave. Labdacus, Pentheus's cousin, inherited the throne, and his line produced Laius, who was warned never to have children. Laius's son Oedipus fulfilled the prophecy of patricide and incest, unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother Jocasta. His sons Eteocles and Polynices destroyed each other in the war of the Seven Against Thebes. When the sons of the original Seven, the Epigoni, returned a generation later, they finally conquered Thebes. The city was razed and its royal line extinguished entirely.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
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Theban Cycle
💭 conceptepic, dynasty
The cycle of myths surrounding the cursed royal house of Thebes, from Cadmus's founding through Oedipus's tragedy to the war of the Seven and their sons.
House of Oedipus
💭 conceptDynasty, fate
The doomed Theban royal line of Laius and Oedipus, destroyed by patricide, incest, and fraternal war
House of Pelops
💭 conceptDynasty, curse
The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae descended from Pelops, encompassing the Trojan War generation
House of Atreus
💭 conceptNarrative
The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae whose generations of bloodshed and vengeance form the darkest saga in Greek mythology
House of Cadmus
💭 conceptDynasty, Thebes
The royal dynasty of Thebes founded by the Phoenician prince Cadmus who sowed the dragon's teeth
Trojan Royal Family
💭 conceptDynasty, Troy
The ruling dynasty of Troy descended from Dardanus through Tros, Ilus, and Laomedon to Priam and his fifty sons
Danaid Lineage
💭 conceptDynasty, Argos
The royal lineage descending from Danaus and his fifty daughters, central to the mythology of Argos
Seven Against Thebes
💭 conceptwar, curse
The doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by Polynices to reclaim the throne from his brother Eteocles.
Heraclids
💭 conceptDynasty, conquest
The descendants of Heracles who claimed the Peloponnese and established the Dorian kingdoms of Sparta, Argos, and Messenia
Seven Against Thebes
💭 conceptNarrative
The doomed military expedition of seven champions against the city of Thebes in the generation before the Trojan War
Descendants of Aeolus
💭 conceptDynasty, lineage
The vast family tree stemming from Aeolus son of Hellen, encompassing many of Greece's greatest heroic houses
Oedipus Cycle
💭 conceptNarrative
The interconnected myths tracing the cursed lineage of Oedipus from prophecy to tragic fulfilment