Gods,Heroes,Myths Greek Mythology Homer's epics,Expeditions

Cadmus was the son of the king of Phoenicia, Agenor, and Telephassa. He had siblings named Phoenix, Cilix, and Europa.

When Zeus abducted Europa, Cadmus set out to find her. Upon reaching Delphi, the god Apollo instructed him to stop the search and follow a cow. Wherever the cow rested, he was to found a city.

Thus, Cadmus founded Thebes, and its acropolis was named Cadmea. He then killed a dragon that guarded a spring of the god Ares and devastated the area around the city. Following the advice of the goddess Athena, he sowed the dragon's teeth, and from them, armed men called Spartoi emerged. However, the Spartoi killed each other, except for five, who became the ancestors of the Thebans.

Cadmus had to atone for the murder, and so he served the god Ares for eight years. As a reward, the god gave him his daughter, Harmonia, as his wife. Their wedding was considered one of the most splendid events of the time.

Cadmus presented his wife with a famous piece of jewelry known in mythology as the Necklace of Harmonia. This necklace was one of Hephaestus' masterpieces. He also gifted her a magnificent veil created by the hands of the goddess Athena.

The couple lived and ruled in Thebes, and their reign was long and happy. They had several children, including Ino, Semele, Agave, Autonoe, and Polydorus. Later, after transferring the kingship to Polydorus, they settled in Illyria. According to the myth, after their deaths, they were transformed into serpents and sent by Zeus to the Elysian Fields. The historian Herodotus claims that Cadmus introduced the Phoenician (or Cadmean) letters to Greece.