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Seven Against Thebes | |
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Epigoni |
Here is a list of the seven Argive champions who fought against Thebes. It also showed the gate the hero fought at and which Theban champions they were killed by.
| Champions | Parentage | Gate | Killed By |
| Adrastus (Ἄδραστου) | son of Talaus & Lysimache | – | – |
| Amphiarüs (Ἀμφιάραος) | son of Oícles & Hypermnestra | Homoloean Gate | Zeus (or Periclymenus) |
| Hippomedon (Ἱππομέδων) | son of Talaus & Lysimache or Lysianassa | Athena Onca | Ismarus |
| Mecisteus (Μηκιστεύς) | son of Talaus & Lysimache or Lysianassa | – | Melanippus |
| Capaneus (Καπανεύς) | son of Hipponous & Astynome | Electran Gate | Zeus |
| Eteoclus (Ἐτεοκλυς) | son of Iphis | Neïstan Gate | Leades or Megareus |
| Parthenopaeüs (Παρθενοπαἳος) | son of Ares, Hippomenes, Melanion or Meleager & Atalanta | Borraean Gate | Periclymenus, Asphodicus or Amphidicus |
| Tydeus (Τυδεύς) | son of Oeneus & Gorge or Periboea | Proëtid Gate | Melanippus |
| Polyneices (Πολυνείκης) | son of Oedipus & Jocasta | Seventh Gate | Eteocles |
Adrastus, king of Argos, was the leader of the Seven champions. He was the only leader of the Seven to survive the war.
Capaneus was killed by the thunderbolt of Zeus. While Zeus did not actually killed Amphiarüs, rather that the god caused the earth to open up in front of Amphiarüs' chariot, swallowing up the seer and his charioteer.
Note that nine people are listed here, instead of seven. The Seven champions were seven Argive chieftains listed above (including Adrastus, king of Argos). Polyneices and Tydeus were foreign princes (and sons-in-law of Adrastus); therefore, they were not counted as member of the Seven, though they both took very active roles in the war. For this reason, I have placed Polyneices and Tydeus in the bottom of the list, anyway.
Some writers, however, do count Polyneices and Tydeus as two of the seven champions. In this case, you could leave out Mecisteus and Adrastus (eg. Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes). The name of the gates attacked by the Seven was also given in Aeschylus' play.
| Leaders | Parents |
| Aegialeus (Αἰγιάλεος) | son of Adrastus & Amphithea |
| Cyanippus (Κυάνιππος) | son of Adrastus & Amphithea |
| Alcmeon (Ἀλκμάιων) | son of Amphiarüs & Eriphyle |
| Amphilochus (Ἀμφίλοχος) | son of Amphiarüs & Eriphyle |
| Sthenelus (Σθένελος) | son of Capaneus & Evadne |
| Polydorus (Πολύδωρος) | son of Hippomedon |
| Euryalus (Εὐρύαλος) | son of Mecisteus |
| Promachus (Πρόμαχος) | son of Parthenopaeüs |
| Diomedes (Διομήδης) | son of Tydeus & Deïpyle |
| Thersander (Θέρσανδρος) | son of Polyneices & Argeia |
Alcmeon was elected leader of the Epigoni. Aegialeus was the only leader to die in Thebes. Adrastus, king of Argos died from grief, when he heard that his son (Aegialeus) had fallen in battle. Apparently, one of the prophecies stated that the Argives can't win the war, unless the last leader of the original Seven has died.
One writer listed Timeas and Adrastus, the sons of Polyneices & Argeia, also as the members of the Epigoni.
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Copyright: Timeless Myths (Classical Mythology) © 1999, Jimmy Joe. All Rights Reserved.
First Created (Facts and Figures: Seven Against Thebes and Epigoni): 08/08/1999.
Last Modified: 24/06/06.