The Theban Dynasty, The Rape of Antiope, Amphion and Zethus: Plot Summary
I was currently searching for more information about Amphion and Zethus, Zeus' twin sons who are believed to have constructed the city walls of Thebes. Then I ended up reading about their mother Antiope and now I'm utterly disgusted and currently pity this woman whom I'm genuinely considering turning into my new blorbo. Then I realized that I need to make a whole ass post in order to organize all the thoughts from head and try to set alternative myth versions into a relatively chronological and consistent timeline.
There were two brothers named Nycteus and Lycus, who were direct descendants of Poseidon. Lycus had a wife named Dirce who became a worshipper of Dionysus, whereas Nycteus had two important children in this story that matter: Nycteis and Antiope. Cadmus' son Polydorus married Antiope, which automatically led to Nycteus becoming his father in law and an important political figure in Thebes. Unfortunately Polydorus died, leaving behind little Labdacus that got raised by Nycteus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece:
"Now Pentheus the son of Echion was also powerful by reason of his noble birth and friendship with the king. Being a man of insolent character who had shown impiety to Dionysus, he was punished by the god. Polydorus had a son, Labdacus. When Polydorus was about to die, Labdacus was still a child, and so he was entrusted, along with the government, to the care of Nycteus."
Now, there's also a version where Polydorus became king after Cadmus got exiled written by Pausanias as well, but because it makes things way more confusing we'll try to avoid it.
This Labdacus was very likely contemporary with Pentheus and, just like his cousin, he wasn't exactly very smart either. According to Apollodorus, he died during Dionysus' visit in Thebes, leaving behind a son named Laius (BOOOO!), who got raised by Lycus for a while.
Turining back to Nycteus, I've mentioned earlier that he had another daughter named Antiope. Zeus raped her in the shape of a satyr, leaving her pregnant (EW!). Once her father found about her pregnancy, she fled to the Sycion Island out of shame, where King Epopeus helped her find refuge and eventually married her, thus impregnating her with another child while she was already carrying Zeus' offspring (So yeah, the fathers were basically overlapping each other.). Meanwhile, Nycteus killed himself out of shame, but before taking his life he asked Lycus to avenge him. So her sieged Sycion, murdered Epopeus, and then took Antiope and brought her back to Thebes. [Keep in mind the fact that during this time Cadmus and Harmonia were already in exile and he was the current king if Thebes, until Laius would've been old enough to rule]. On their way back to Thebes Antiope gave birth to her twin sons, who later got exposed but, fortunately, got saved and reared by shepherds.
Antiope got mistreated during all these years by Lycus' wife, Dirce, who treated her as a slave. When she finally learned that her twin sons were in fact alive and well all this time, she fled to Thebes where they got reunited, then asked them two to avenge her. They tied Dirce to a bull and tore her apart as she was celebrating the rites of Dionysus on Mount Chitaeron, which eventually caused Dionysus' wrath and made him drive Antiope mad. She wandered the earth while inflicted with madness and came across the neighbouring kingdom, where King Phocis found her, cured her of her illness and eventually married her. By this time Amphion and Zethus murdered Lycus and took his throne, thus becoming the new rulers of Thebes, and exiled Laius who then got raised by Pelops (Yeah...).
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 5. 5 (trans. Frazer) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Labdakos (Labdacus) [king of Thebes] having left a year-old son, Laios (Laeus), the government was usurped by Lykos (Lycus), brother of Nykteus (Nycteus), so long as Laios was a child. Both of them had fled [from Euboia] because they had killed Phlegyas, son of Ares and Dotis the Boiotian, and they took up their abode at Hyria, and thence having come to Thebes, they were enrolled as citizens through their friendship with Pentheus. So after being chosen commander-in-chief by the Thebans, Lykos compassed the supreme power and reigned for twenty years, but was murdered by Zethos (Zethus) and Amphion for the following reason. Antiope was a daughter of Nykteus, and Zeus had intercourse with her. When she was with child, and her father threatened her, she ran away to Epopeus at Sikyon (Sicyon) and was married to him. In a fit of despondency Nykteus killed himself, after charging Lykos to punish Epopeus and Antiope. Lykos marched against Sikyon (Sicyon), subdued it, slew Epopeus, and led Antiope away captive. On the way she gave birth to two sons at Eleurethai [on Mount Kithairon (Cithaeron)] in Boiotia (Boeotia). The infants were exposed, but a neatherd found and reared them, and he called the one Zethos and the other Amphion. Now Zethos paid attention to cattle-breeding, but Amphion practised minstrelsy, for Hermes had given him a lyre. But Lykos and his wife Dirke (Dirce) imprisoned Antiope and treated her despitefully. Howbeit, one day her bonds were loosed of themselves, and unknown to her keepers she came to her sons cottage, begging that they would take her in. They recognized their mother and slew Lykos, but Dirke they tied to a bull, and flung her dead body into the spring that is called Dirke after her. And having succeeded to the sovereignty they fortified the city, the stones following Amphion's lyre; and they expelled Laios."
As a king, Amphion married Niobe (and I guess everybody knows what happened years later...), being either killed by Artemis and Apollo as well, taking his own life after learning about his children's death, or trying to storm Apollo's temple and getting slain by the god as punishment. Zethus on the other hand had a wife named either Thebe or Äedon, who killed their son Itylus by mistake (long story and different versions), thus causing Zethus to kill himself out of grief. After their death Laius finally returned to Thebes and became king (*sighs*).
