Irlandos at 13:08, September 3, 2006

2006-09-03T13:08:21Z

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In [[Greek mythology]] '''Alcmene''', or '''Alkmênê''' ("might of the moon") was the mother of [[Heracles]]. She was the daughter of [[Electryon]], king of [[Mycenae]] and a son of [[Perseus]], and was the wife of [[Amphitryon]] in his exile, though he had accidentally killed her father. Some mythographers identified her mother as [[Eurydice]] (Graves, 110.c).

With Amphitryon she fled to [[Thebes]], where [[Creon]] purified her husband of his blood-guilt. However, Alcmene's eight brothers had been killed in a cattle raid, and she would not lie with Amphitryon until they had been avenged.

Thus at Thebes she was the mother of [[Heracles]] by [[Zeus]], who assumed the likeness of her husband during his absence to lie with her and stayed [[Helios]], to make one night into three; and she was the mother of [[Iphicles]] by Amphitryon, when he returned, giving birth to Heracles' twin, younger by a day. In this way Alcmene is one among several mothers of mythic twins of whom the sire of one is mortal, of the other a god, the most famous of them being the [[Dioscuri]], two from the double set of such twins of [[Leda]]. Theseus combined in his person a double fatherhood, a human father and a divine: see [[Theseus]]. In this case Alcmene's son Iphicles was mortal, while Heracles became immortal.

While Alcmene was pregnant with [[Heracles]] ("glory of Hera"), [[Hera]] (sometimes her daughter [[Ilithia|Eileithia]]) herself tried to prevent her from giving birth to the hero who would help establish the new Olympian order. She was foiled by [[Galanthis]], Alcmene's servant, who told Hera that she had already delivered the baby. Hera turned her into a weasel.

Through Heracles, Alcmene was regarded as the ancestress of the [[Heracleidae]], and venerated at [[Thebes]] and [[Athens]].

After the death of Amphitryon, Alcmene married the [[Crete|Cretan]] [[Rhadamanthus]], who was exiled in [[Boeotia]]. Their "tombs" were shown to travellers in classical times at Haliartus (Graves, 88.i); such "tombs" were generally sites for propitiatory ancestor cults.

==External links==
*[http://85.1911encyclopedia.org/A/AL/ALCMENE.htm ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' 1911:] "Alcmene"

==References==
*Burkert, Walter, ''Greek Religion: "Clan and Family Mysteries'' pp 278ff.
*Graves, Robert, 1960. ''The Greek Myths'' (revised edition)

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[[Category:Greek mythological people]]

Alcmene - Revision history

Irlandos at 13:08, September 3, 2006