Admetos
vol. I p. 377-380
Admetos (Ἄδμητος)
1) Son of Theres (Aisch. Eum. 723. Soph. frg. 354. Eur. Alc. 11. 476. Apollod. bibl. I 8, 2, 3. I 9, 14. Hyg. f. 14. Diod. IV 53, 2. Schol. Ap. Rh. I 49. Prob. Georg. III 1. Kaibel epigr. 192) and of Klymene (Schol. Eur. Alc. 16) or Periklymene, daughter of Minyas (Hyg. f. 14), brother of Lykurgos (Apd. I 9, 14), grandfather of Magnes (Anton. Lib. 23). <page break 377/378> He is the king of Pherae in Thessaly, where he lives on mt. Chalkodonion (Ap. Rh. I 49. Verg. Cul. 262. Hyg. f. 14). In the oldest tradition, his rule stretches over the four cities of Boibe, Glaphyra, Iolkos, and Pherae (Il. II 711. Aristarch in schol. Eur. Alc. 1154). However, in Euripides he already rules in the east up to the boibean sea, to Pelion, Iolkos, and to the aegean sea, and in the west up to the region of Molosser, <10> so essentially all of Thessaly (Alc. 590ff.; cf. 422ff. 510. 687). Accordingly, in poetry and legend, inasmuch as the latter is available to us, A. is the first representative of Pherae and its surroundings, and later even of the whole of Thessaly. As a thessalian, A. is rich in livestock (Eur. Alc. 573ff. 588), especially in horses (Il. XXIII 288 u. schol. Townl. Callim. h. II 48. Stat. Theb. VI 332ff. Triph. 171). Accordingly, his children are called Eumelos (Il. II 714. XXIII 288. 391. 532. Aristot. Pepl. 29. Hyg. f. 97. Dict. I 14. Triph. 171), <20> Perimele (Ant. Lib. 23, mother of Magne) and Hippasos (Schol. Ar. Wasps 1239), while a fourth child, Pheres, is poorly evidenced (Dares 26). A firm characteristic is his lawfulness (ὁσιότης, εὐσέβεια, emphasised in Eur. Alc. 11. Diod. VI 7, 6 and in the scholion to Athen. XV 695c. Arist. Wasps 1239 together with Schol. Schol. Ar. Ach. 980. Paus. att. fgm. 14 Schwabe; cf. Diogenian. II 68. Zenob. I 18), <30> and in connection with that, his hospitality which was strongly accentuated by Euripides, though scarcely invented (Alc. 343ff. 539. 545ff. 555ff. 747f. 762. 855). The most important myths of A. are Apollo’s θητεία and A.’s marriage with Alkestis. Apollo had to serve A. as a slave and shepherd, following Zeus’ command, and as a punishment for killing the cyclopes who made the thunder with which Zeus killed Asklepios; <40> this is how Hesiod tells it, which is used in Eur. Alc. 1ff. Apollod. bibl. III 10, 4, 1. Hyg. f. 49. 51. Serv. Aen. VII 761. Schol. Eur. Alc. 1; cf v. Wilamowitz Isyllos 62ff. 82, 55. Further: Diod. VI 7, 6. Luc. de sacr. 4. Orph. Arg. 175. Prob. Georg. III 1. Serv. Georg. III 2. Schol. Lucan. VI 368. Stat. Theb. VI 376ff. According to Pherekydes, the reason for the θητεία was that Apollo had killed the sons of the cyclopes, and according to Alexandrides of Delphoi, that he had killed the dragon Python (Schol. Eur. Alc. 1; cf. Val. Flacc. I 444). <50> According to Rhianos (Schol. Eur. Alc. 1), Apollo fell in love with A. and hence put himself at his service (Callim. h. II 49. Nonn. Dion. X 322. Plut. Erot. 17. 18; Num. 4, 7. Ov. her. V 151; a. a. II 239. Tib. II 3, 11. III 4, 65ff.). Equally, it can be traced back to Hesiod, who says that Apollo, because A. treated him lovingly and respectfully, blessed his cows with a double-fertility, so that they bore twin calves (Apollod. III 10, 4, 2. Callim. h. II 54. v. Wilamowitz loc. cit. 66). <60> Apollo even served[?] A.’s horses (Schol. T to Il. XXIII 288. Callim. h. II 49). For the particular location where Apollo pastured A.’s livestock, the stream Amphrysos is named (Callim. h. II 48. Verg. G. III 2 together with Servius and Probus. Serv. Aen. VII 761. Lucan VI 367 together with Schol. and comm. Bern. Stat. Silv. I 4, 103). A. set up the sanctuary Eretria at Pharsalos for Apollo: Strab. X 447. <page break 378/379> For the cynicists[?] and the church-fathers, this θητεία of Apollo with A. is a beloved locus communis in the struggle against the ancient religious beliefs: eg. Luc. Iup. conf. 8. Clem. Al. protr. III 65. Tert. apol. 14. Minuc. Fel. 23, 5. Aug. de civ. d. XVIII 13 (where Herakles is related with Apollo, as Clem. Al. strom. I p. 139). Further sources: Eur. Alc. 570--75. Philostr. ep. 57. Ant. Lib. 23. Schol. Nic. Al. 560. Hyg. f. 14. Sen. Herc. fur. 455. Stat. silv. III 3, 57. Dracont. VIII 206. <10> As thanks for his loving treatment of him, Apollo helps A. to get Alkestis as a wife. Her father Pelias only wanted to give his daughter away to somebody who was so rich that he was able to yoke lions and boars to his wagons. With the help of Apollo, A. managed it <20> (Apoll. bibl. I 9, 15, 1 = Hyg. f. 51, from Hesiod, v. Wilamowitz a. a. 68; A. yoking the boars and the lions was portrayed on the amycleian throne. Paus. III 18, 16; cf. Ann. d. Inst. 1861, 227ff.). At the wedding party (for the account, Eur. Alc. 915), A. neglected to sacrifice to Artemis, and finds snakes in his bridal chamber. If the omen fulfilled itself, A. would have to die (Apoll. bibl. I 9, 15, 2), Apollo however convinces the fates, whom he gets drunk, that A. should be able to stay alive if he can find someone willing to die in his place <30> (Aisch. Eum. 721ff. Eur. Alc. 12. 32. 42. 222, the source of which - generally on the basis of Serv. Aen. IV 694, though without sufficient justification - is taken as Phrynichos; Apd. bibl. I 9, 15, 2). Only Alkestis is prepared to die on his behalf: Persephone however, moved by her sorrow, sends her back to A. in the overworld. This is the way the myth goes as it traces back to Hesiod (Plat. symp. 179 B. Apd. I 9, 15, 3), <40> whereas in a less old tradition originating from Phrynichos, <40> Herakles brings Alkestis back from the dead (Eur. Alc. Apoll. bibl. I 9, 15, 3. Hyg. f. 51. v. Wilamowitz loc. cit. 67ff.). The myth is one of the most popular in antiquity, Alkestis and A. were typical of marital love; eg. Ael. v. h. XVI 15. Philostr. her. II 3. Prop. II 6, 23. Ov. trist. V 14, 37; Pont. III 1, 106. Sen. Med. 666; Dial. XII 19, 5. Val. Max. IV 5, 6. Stat. silv. III 3, 192. V 3, 272. Hieron. adv. Iov. I 15; <50> in addition: Plat. symp. 208 D. Iuv. IV 652. Hyg. f. 243. 251. Dict. I 14. Furthermore, A. takes part in the calydonian hunt (already on the François-vase, Apd. bibl. I 8, 2, 3. Hyg. f. 173), in the funeral games which Akastos holds after the death of Pelias, where, along with Mopsos, the son of Ampykos, he misses out on the fist-fight (as on the Kypselos-box, Paus. VI 17, 9. Diod. IV 53, 2), in the argonaut-campaign (Pind. Pyth. IV 126ff. along with Schol. Soph. fgm. 354. Ap. Rh. I 49. Orph. Arg. 175. Apd. bibl. I 9, 16, 8. Hyg. fab. 14) <60> and, in Statius, in the nemean games, where he wins a chlamys with a portrayal of Hero and Leander (Theb. VI 371ff. 540ff.). A. sends colonists out, who then choose Leukippos as their leader, go first to Crete, are banished from there, and settle finally in Ephesos (Parthen. 5). An isolated tradition of attic origin (Phanodemos Schol. Ar. Wasp. 1239) <page break 379/380> has him be banished with Alkestis and Hippasos around the end of his life, and find refuge in Athens with Theseus. Eur. Alc. 210 can be compared with this, where it’s said that A. has enemies amongst his people. A. has an oracle (Clem. Al. Strom. I p. 144). Otfr. Müller Prolegomena 300ff., which v. Wilamowitz Isyll. 75ff. follows, has realised that the hero A. is not the original figure, <10> but rather a shuffled-around version of an original mythical person, the king of the underworld, whom Apollo has to serve after the killing of the dragon Python; Alkestis must also be judged according to that. The newer physical-allegorical interpretations, collected by K. Dissel der Mythos von A. und Aklestis, Progr. Brandenb. 1882, should be rejected.
2) A trojan, son of Augeias, wounded Meges in the nyctomachy, according to the Iliupersis of the so-called lesche, <20> and [according to] the painting, which follows this, by Polygnotos in Delphi , and was killed by Philoktet. Paus. X 25, 5. 27, 1. F. Noack Iliupersis (Giessen 1890) 70.
[Wentzel.]
3) King of the molossians in roughly 470 BCE. A. sought a connection with Athens; allegedly he even endeavoured for an alliance, which was however rejected on Themistokles’ advice (Plut. Them. 24, 2; cf. Thuk. I 136. 2 m. d. Scholia and Scholia to Aristeides XLVI p. 680 Dind.). <30> When, later (about 466), Themistokles sought protection with him as he fled, A. granted him refuge, despite their earlier opposition, and didn’t hand him over to those pursuing him: Themistokles was surely lead to Pyda, and from here he could make his journey to Asia (Thuk. I 137, 1; cf. Plut. Them. 24, 3. 25, 2. Corn. Nep. Them. 8, 5. Diod. XI 56, 1--4). One legend already exploited by Thukydides (I 136, 3. 4. 137, 1), <40> made according to the Telephos-myth, has Themistokles seize the king’s son on the advice of Admetos’ wife, and, pleading for help, has him sit down with him by the hearth in the palace. Later on, the legend finds itself often expanded upon and embellished: the name of the queen, Phthia, is added, amongst other things (Plut. Them. 24, 2. 3. Corn. Nep. Them. 8, 4. Diod. XI 56, 1. Aristodem. 10. Pseudo-Them. Br. 5, 10 Hercher). A. isn’t mentioned any further. <50>
[Judeich.]
4) A Macedonian, leader of the hypaspists in Alexander the Great’s army, falls at the storming of Tyre, Arr. anab. II 23, 2. 5. Diod. XVII 45. cf. Droysen Hellenism. I 1, 294.
5) An Athenian (Π - -). Θεσμοθέτης between 230--220 BCE, CIA II 859, 41.
[Kirchner.]
6) A noble Macedonian, who was killed at the request of Philipp V. Pol. XXIII 10, 9. <60>
7) Son of Bokros, a Macedonian from Thesalonike, was honoured around the end of the 3rd century BCE as πρόξενος of those from Delos by these through the construction of statues. Bull. hell. X 124ff. Likely to be the same as num. 6.
[Wilcken].
8) The name of a bad poet in an anecdote in Lukian’s Demonax 44.
[Reitzenstein.]