Cadmus
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Cadmus,
in Greek legend, son of AgenorAgenor, in Greek mythology. 1 King of Tyre, father of Cadmus and Europa. When Europa disappeared, Agenor sent Cadmus and his other sons in search of her. 2 Trojan hero, son of Antenor.
..... Click the link for more information. and founder of ThebesThebes,
chief city of Boeotia, in ancient Greece. It was originally a Mycenaean city. Thebes is rich in associations with Greek legend and religion (see Oedipus; the Seven against Thebes; Epigoni). Sometime before 1000 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . Misfortune followed his family because he killed the sacred dragon that guarded the spring of Ares. Athena told him to sow the dragon's teeth, and from these sprang the Sparti [sown men], ancestors of the noble families of Thebes. Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. At their wedding he presented her with a sacred robe and necklace, made by Hephaestus, which later brought misfortune to their possessors (see AmphiaraüsAmphiaraüs
, in Greek mythology, a prophet, one of the ill-fated Seven against Thebes. He foresaw the disaster of the expedition, but Polynices bribed his wife, Eriphyle, with the magic necklace of Harmonia, to convince him to go.
..... Click the link for more information. ; AlcmaeonAlcmaeon
, in Greek legend, son of Amphiaraüs and Eriphyle, a leader of the expedition of the Epigoni against Thebes. He murdered his mother in revenge for his father's death and consequently was haunted by the Erinyes until he found haven on Achelous' island.
..... Click the link for more information. ). They had four daughters—Ino, Semele, Autonoe, and Agave. In their old age Cadmus and Harmonia were turned into serpents by Zeus and sent to live in the Elysian fields.
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Cadmus
introduced the alphabet to the Greeks. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 161]
See: Education
Cadmus
sows dragon’s teeth that turn into armed men. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 180]
See: Transformation
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.