Cadmus

Cadmus is a figure in Greek mythology, typically described as a Phoenician prince, the son of Agenor and Telephassa, and the brother of Europa and Phoenix. He is best known as the founder of the city of Thebes in Boeotia and as a legendary teacher of methods that linked sacred rites, urban founding, and writing in Greek tradition. In various tellings he is also associated with introducing the Phoenician alphabet to the Greeks, sometimes portrayed as receiving guidance from Athena or Hermes.

According to myth, Cadmus set out to find Europa after her abduction by Zeus, but ultimately sought an oracle’s advice when the search proved futile. The oracle at Delphi directed him to follow a cow and found a city where the cow rested. He complied, founding Thebes and establishing civic rites and a temple to Athena. His next task involved slaying a dragon sacred to Ares; after slaying the dragon, he was told to sow the dragon’s teeth. The teeth sprang into armed men, the Spartoi, who fought each other until a handful remained. These survivors became the aristocracy of Thebes, and Cadmus used diplomacy and marriage to bind the new city to the gods’ favor.

Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, and they had several children, including Autonoë, Ino, Semele (the mother of Dionysus by Zeus), and Agave. In later versions, Cadmus and Harmonia were transformed into serpents and placed among the guardians of Thebes.

Cadmus’ tale is a foundational myth in Greek lore, illustrating themes of cleverness, piety, and the sometimes costly consequences of founding a great city. The term Cadmean victory denotes a victory achieved at excessive cost.