In Greek mythology, Polynices was the son of Oedipus and Jocasta. His wife was Argea. // Greek mythology consists in part in a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. ... Oedipus and the Sphinx, from an 1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church Oedipus was the mythical king of Thebes, son of Laius and Jocasta, who, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother. ... In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also Iocaste (Iοκαστη) or Epikastê, was a daughter of Menocenes, Queen of Thebes, who unwittingly married Oedipus, her own son. ... In Greek mythology, Argea (or Argeia) was a daughter of King Adrastus of Argos. ...

When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern for their father, who cursed them for their negligence. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices, staying at the court of another Greek king, Adrastus, enlistened his help as well as that of five other notorious Greek champions. Polynices engendered the support of the prophet Amphiaraus by offering his wife Eriphyle the necklace of Harmonia. They the Seven Against Thebes attacked Thebes unsuccessfully. During the attack on Thebes , Polynices and Eteocles engaged in single combat. Both brothers died in the battle. For the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, see Thebes, Egypt. ... Eteocles and Polynices being carried away, dead, after the Battle of Thebes, in an 1897 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church In Greek mythology, Eteocles was the son of Oedipus and Jocasta, the father of Laodamas. ... In Greek mythology, Adrastus, or Adrastos (he who stands his ground, son of Talaus) was one of the three kings at Argos, along with Iphis and Amphiaraus, who was married to Adrastus sister Eriphyle. ... In Greek mythology, Amphiaraus, or Amphiaraos (doubly-cursed) was the son of Oicles and husband of Eriphyle. ... In Greek mythology, Eriphyle, daughter of Talaus, was the mother of Alcmaeon and the wife of Amphiaraus. ... In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the goddess of harmony and concord. ... The Oath of the Seven Chiefs, an 1897 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church Seven Against Thebes is a play by Aeschylus concerning the battle between Eteocles and the army of Thebes and Polynices and his supporters, traditional Theban enemies. ...

Polynices' story continues, somewhat, after his death. King Creon, who ascended to the throne of Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried. Antigone, his sister, defied the order, but was caught. Creon decreed that she was to starve to death, this in spite of her betrothal to his son Haemon. Antigone's sister, Ismene, then declared she had aided Antigone and wanted the same fate. Creon imprisoned Antigone in a sepulchre; meanwhile the gods, through the blind prophet Tiresias, expressed their disapproval of Creon's decision, which convinced him to rescind his order. He then went to bury Polynices himself, and release Antigone. However, she had already hanged herself rather than be buried alive. When Creon arrived at the tomb where she was to be interred, his son Haemon made as if to attack him and then killed himself. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, was informed of their death, she, too, took her own life. In Greek mythology, Creon, or Kreon (ruler), son of Menoeceus, was the father of Haemon and husband of Eurydice. ... A painting of Antigone by Frederic Leighton Antigone (Greek: Ἀντιγόνη, (Αντι-γόνη, Counter-Generation, meaning The opposite of her ancestors) is the name of two different women in Greek mythology. ... In Greek mythology, Ismene was a daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta and sister to Antigone. ... A sepulchre (also spelled sepulcher) is a burial chamber. ... In Greek mythology, Tiresias (also transliterated as Teiresias) was a blind prophet, the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. ... In Greek mythology, Haemon (bloody) (or Haimon) was the son of Creon and Eurydice. ... In Greek mythology, there were two characters named Eurydice (Eurydíkê). // Wife of Orpheus The more famous was a woman—or a nymph—who was the wife of Orpheus. ...

See also

• Epigoni