Antiope [key], in Greek mythology. 1 Theban princess, daughter of Nycteus. She was seduced by Zeus and bore him twin sons, Zethus and Amphion. Fleeing to Sicyon to escape the wrath of her father, she was forced to abandon her infants on Mt. Cithaeron, where they were raised by shepherds. Antiope was pursued and captured by her uncle Lycus, then king of Thebes, and his wife Dirce, who treated her with great cruelty. Later the sons of Antiope revenged their mother; they dethroned Lycus and punished Dirce by tying her to the horns of a bull. They then erected a wall around Thebes with stones which moved of their own will to the music of Amphion's lyre. Zethus married the nymph Thebe, who gave her name to Thebes. Amphion married Niobe. 2 A queen of the Amazons, sister of Hippolyte. According to one legend she was abducted by Theseus and became the mother of Hippolytus.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Folklore and Mythology
