Themisto

Lore & Background

Themisto was the daughter of King Hypseus of the Lapiths and the naiad Chlidanope. Her sisters were Cyrene, Alcaea, and Astyagyia. She became the third and last wife of Athamas, a Boeotian king. According to some sources, the couple had four children: Leucon, Erythrius, Schoeneus, and Ptous. Other sources list only two: Sphincius and Orchomenus, or else Schoeneus and Leucon. Some say that the father of Leucon was Poseidon.

Reader's Guide

Themisto's significance lies in the tragic myth of mistaken identity, a subject of a non-surviving tragedy by Euripides, retold by Hyginus. In the story, Athamas married Themisto believing his second wife Ino was dead, but Ino was alive on Mount Parnassus with the Maenads. Athamas brought Ino home secretly, but Themisto discovered her return and resolved to kill Ino's children. Never having seen Ino, Themisto mistook her for a servant and ordered her to dress Themisto's own children in white and Ino's in black. Themisto then killed all the black-clothed children, not realizing Ino had switched the clothing, so she killed her own sons. Upon discovering this, Themisto killed herself. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, however, Themisto married Athamas after Ino's death, and the murder story did not occur. This myth illustrates themes of deception, revenge, and tragic error, and its legacy is preserved through Hyginus's retelling of Euripides' lost play.

Did You Know?

• Themisto's name derives from the Ancient Greek word 'θεμιστος,' meaning 'belonging to the law' or 'belonging to the customs.'
• She was the third and last wife of the Boeotian king Athamas.
• According to some sources, Themisto had four children: Leucon, Erythrius, Schoeneus, and Ptous.
• The story of Themisto accidentally killing her own children was the subject of a non-surviving tragedy by Euripides.