Tydeus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who was denied immortality by Athena after she caught him eating his enemy's brain.
The Myth
Athena was about to make him immortal — then she saw him gnawing on his enemy's skull and walked away in disgust. Tydeus, father of Diomedes, was the fiercest of the Seven against Thebes. Mortally wounded by Melanippus, he asked Amphiaraus to bring him his killer's severed head. As Athena descended with the elixir of immortality, she saw Tydeus cracking open Melanippus's skull and eating the brain. She turned away and let him die. His son Diomedes would later fight at Troy with Athena's full support — the goddess gave the son what she revoked from the father. The scene is one of the most shocking in the Epic Cycle.
Parents
Oeneus, Periboea
Children
Symbols
Explore Further
Diomedes
heroDiomedes was the only mortal in the Iliad to wound two Olympian gods in a single day.
Seven Against Thebes (Detail)
conceptThe doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by...
Amphiaraus
heroAmphiaraus was a warrior-prophet who foresaw his death in the Seven Against Thebes but marched...
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...
Thebes
placeThebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for...
Thebes (Boeotia)
placeThe city of Cadmus and Oedipus, setting of more Greek tragedies than any other place.
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Troy (Hisarlik)
placeHisarlik in Turkey is the archaeological site identified as Homer's Troy — multiple cities layered...
Aristeia of Diomedes
conceptThe battle sequence in Iliad Book 5 where Diomedes, empowered by Athena, wounds both Aphrodite and...