Electryon in Greek tradition
When the sons of Pterelaos stole Electryon’s cattle, his sons fought them, leaving Licymnios and Everes alive. Electryon was king of Mycenae, the son of Perseus and the father of Alcmena. Amphitryon recovered the herd, helped defeat the invading Taphians, and then received control of Mycenae and marriage to Alcmena.
The quick answers
Who is Electryon?
Electryon is a Greek being.What family links are recorded for Electryon?
Father: Perseus, Mother: Andromeda, Spouse: Anaxo, 11 children, 6 siblings.
Electryon’s family, at a glance
The myths of Electryon
1 myth, with sources recorded for each.
Electryon’s War with the Taphians
While Electryon ruled at Mycenae, the sons of Pterelaos arrived with Taphios and claimed the kingdom associated with Mestor, their maternal grandfather. Electryon rejected their claim. The visitors then drove away his cattle. Electryon’s sons pursued them, and the two groups challenged one another in battle. They killed one another, leaving only Licymnios among Electryon’s sons, because he was still a child, and Everes among Pterelaos’s sons, because he had been guarding the ships.
The Taphians who escaped sailed away with the stolen cattle. They placed the animals in the care of Polyxenos, king of the Eleans. Amphitryon ransomed the cattle from Polyxenos and brought them back to Mycenae. Electryon then sought vengeance for the deaths of his sons. With Amphitryon’s help, he defeated the invading Taphians, who were also called Teleboans in the account of his planned expedition.
Electryon intended to continue the war against the Teleboans. He entrusted the kingdom to Amphitryon and gave him his daughter Alcmene. He made Amphitryon swear that he would respect her virginity until Electryon returned. The account then turns to the recovery of the cattle, which Electryon was receiving back when the passage breaks off. The islands of the Teleboans lay opposite Acarnania, near the entrance to the Corinthian Gulf.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-18
- 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 2Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“Pterelaos’s sons claimed their maternal grandfather Mestor’s kingdom, took Electryon’s cattle, and were defeated after their surviving companions fled by ship.”
Apollodorus, The Library
- 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
Also mentioned in
Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Electryon, each on that figure’s page.
- Amphitryon’s Exile and Purification · on Amphitryon
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. How a page gets built.
2 sources are cited on this page and listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Electryon. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/electryon
"Electryon." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/electryon.
"Electryon." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/electryon.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the sources listed above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only confirmed connections are presented as modern retellings in Overview.
