< Polydorus, son of Cadmus >

1 Origin

Polydorus was born in Cadmeia (later Thebes) in 1418 BC.

Polydorus' father was Cadmus, son of Agenor. [Apo.3.4.2, Arr.2.16, Diod.4.2.1, Herod.5.59, Paus.9.5.3]

Polydorus' mother was Harmonia, daughter of Electra. [Apo.3.4.2, Diod.4.2.1]

2 Family

Polydorus married Nycteis, daughter of Nycteus. [Apo.3.5.5]

Polydorus and Nycteis had a son, Labdacus. [Apo.3.5.5, Arr.2.16, Herod.5.59, Paus.9.5.4]

3 Others

In 1370 BC, Polydorus was killed by Pentheus, son of Agave, daughter of Cadmus. [Nonnus.5.190]

Pentheus' father Echion was a Sparti. [Apo.3.4.1, Hyginus.178, Tze.10.430]

Pentheus was killed by Dionysus, son of Semele. [Tzetzes.6.580]

It is believed that Nycteus, father of Polydorus' wife, was also involved in the murder of Pentheus, and Nycteus became the guardian of Polydorus' son Labdacus. [Paus.2.6.2, Paus.9.5.4]

Since the time of Polydorus, there has been a power struggle between the descendants of Cadmus and the Sparti.

Their conflict continued through the time of Oedipus and Creon until Autesion, the son of Tisamenus, left Thebes. Even after the Boeotians became the rulers of Thebes, the Sparti continued to hold power in Thebes until the time of Epameinondas.