Admetos
Admetus ( ancient Greek Ἄδμητος , Latinized Admetus ) is the king of Pherai in Thessaly in Greek mythology . He succeeded his father Pheres on the throne after which the city was named. His connection to Apollo is close : he had been banished from Olympus for nine years and had served Admetus during this time. Admetus is best known for the sacrifice of Alcestis .
Admetus courted Alcestis, the daughter of King Pelias . Her father only agreed to a marriage with the proviso that Admetos could drive a chariot pulled by lions, wild boars and other wild animals to Iolkos . Admetus succeeded in this with the help of Apollo, and the couple married.
However, due to an insult to the goddess Artemis , Admetos had to die. But Apollo convinced the Parzen that someone else could give his life for Admetus. Nobody except Alcestis was ready for it. However, Heracles saved Alcestis from the realm of death. This is not the only case in Greek mythology that a person from Hades could return to the world. Sisyphus already managed to outsmart death. After returning to the living, however, Alcestis was raptured from this world.
Admetus also appears in other legends, such as the famous hunt for the Calydonian boar , and he also took part in the Argonaut procession.
After Admetus, Eumelos succeeded the throne who led the peoples of Pherai and Iolkos into the Trojan War .
Reception of the Admetos myth
Stage plays
Euripides ' tragedy Alkestis , which inspired numerous works for the stage (for example by Wieland ), had a great aftereffect and painted an ambiguous picture of Admetus .
music
- Georg Friedrich Handel (1685–1759): Admeto , 1726
painting
- Friedrich Heinrich Füger (1751–1818): Alkestis gives her life for Admet
astronomy
The Jupiter Trojan (85030) Admetos is named after Admetos, the father of Eumelos.
literature
- Richard Engelmann : Admetos 1) . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 1.1, Leipzig 1886, Col. 68 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Peter von Möllendorff : Alkestis and Admetos. In: Maria Moog-Grünewald (Ed.): Mythenrezeption. The ancient mythology in literature, music and art from the beginnings to the present (= Der Neue Pauly . Supplements. Volume 5). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2008, ISBN 978-3-476-02032-1 , pp. 53-61.
- Georg Wentzel : Admetos 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 377-380.
