Tydeus in Greek tradition
Exile follows Tydeus after he kills a relative, though accounts differ on the victim. He is a Calydonian hero, the son of Oineus, and one of the Seven Against Thebes. Unlike his son Diomedes, who later rules Argos and leads the Argives at Troy, Tydeus dies after being wounded by Melanippos during the Theban expedition.
The quick answers
Who is Tydeus?
Tydeus is a Greek being.What family links are recorded for Tydeus?
Father: Oeneus, Mother: Gorge, Spouse: Deipyle, 2 children.
Tydeus’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The myths of Tydeus
4 myths, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.
Tydeus Is Exiled from Calydon
Tydeus reached manhood in Calydon, ruled by his father Oineus. He attacked the sons of Agrios, Oineus’ brother, because they were plotting against the king. During the attack, he accidentally killed a relative who happened to be present. One account names the victim as his brother, Olenias. Another names his uncle Melas. Other accounts give different victims. They say that Tydeus killed Alcathoos, a brother of Oineus, or the sons of Melas. These were Pheneus, Euryalos, Hyperlaos, Antiochos, Eumedes, Sternops, Xanthippos, and Sthenelaos. When Agrios tried to bring charges, Tydeus fled from Calydon.
He reached Argos and went to Adrastos, its king. One later account places his arrival at night. Outside the palace, Tydeus met Polynices, who mistook him for an enemy. They fought until Adrastos heard the noise and separated them. By torchlight, Adrastos saw a boar painted on Tydeus’ shield and a lion on Polynices’. The boar referred to the Calydonian hunt. The sources differ over the meaning of Polynices’ lion.
Adrastos gave Tydeus his daughter Deipyle in marriage. She bore him Diomedes. Tydeus then remained at the Argive court as an exile from Calydon. He later joined Adrastos’ expedition against Thebes. There, Melanippos wounded him, and Tydeus died.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 2The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 3Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“After Tydeus killed a relative, he fled to Argos, where Adrastos gave him Deipyle in marriage, and he later died from a wound received in the war against Thebes.”
Apollodorus, The Library
Tydeus Fights Polyneices at Argos
Polyneices reached Argos in the dead of night after his exile from Thebes. Outside the royal palace, he met Tydeus, son of Oineus, king of Calydon. Tydeus was also a fugitive. He had accidentally killed a relative during a hunt. In the darkness, Polyneices mistook him for an enemy. They quarrelled and began to fight. Their combat might have ended in death if King Adrastus had not been awakened by the noise.
Adrastus came out and separated them. His attendants carried torches, and their light revealed the figures painted on the two shields. Polyneices bore a lion in honour of Heracles. Tydeus carried a boar, recalling the Calydonian boar hunt. Adrastus was surprised by these signs. They brought to mind an extraordinary oracle concerning his two daughters, Argia and Deipyle.
Adrastus therefore reconciled the two fugitives. He took Polyneices and Tydeus as his sons-in-law and gave them his daughters in marriage. The quarrel outside the palace ended with both men joined to the royal house of Argos. Their arrival at the palace had begun with a fight, but Adrastus’ decision changed their relationship and their place within his household.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
2 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Greek Myths & TalesT1
- 2Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“Polyneices and Tydeus fought outside Adrastus’ palace until their shields revealed a lion linked with Heracles and a boar recalling the Calydonian hunt, after which Adrastus gave them his daughters in marriage.”
Apollodorus, The Library
Tydeus Marries Deipyle
Tydeus fled to Argos after he was exiled from his home. Some said that he killed Alcathoos, a brother of Oineus. Another telling said that he killed the sons of Melas after they plotted against Oineus. Pherecydes said that he killed his own brother, Olenias. A related telling said that he attacked the sons of Agrios and accidentally killed a brother, or his uncle Melas, who was present. When Agrios tried to bring charges against him, Tydeus went to Adrastos in Argos.
Tydeus married Adrastos’ daughter, Deipyle. She bore him a son, Diomedes. Tydeus joined Adrastos on the expedition against Thebes. Melanippos wounded him during the campaign, and Tydeus died from his wounds.
Diomedes remained in Argos and became one of the Epigoni. The sons of Agrios took Oineus’ kingdom, gave it to their father, imprisoned Oineus, and mistreated him. Diomedes later killed the sons of Agrios, apart from Onchestos. He succeeded Adrastos as ruler of Argos and Tiryns because Adrastos was his father-in-law. He became leader of the Argives at Troy and was later known as a Greek hero of the Trojan War.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 2Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“Tydeus went to Adrastus in Argos, married his daughter Deipyle, and became the father of Diomedes, before later dying from wounds received in the campaign against Thebes.”
Apollodorus, The Library
- 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
Tydeus Dies in the War Against Thebes
Tydeus joined Adrastus in the expedition against Thebes. The army reached Cithaeron, and Tydeus was sent as an envoy to request that Eteocles surrender the kingdom to Polynices, as the brothers had agreed. The embassy failed. The army then advanced towards Thebes, with its commanders and forces stationed before the seven gates.
The Thebans consulted Teiresias, who declared that they would win if Menoeceus, son of Creon, sacrificed himself to Ares. Menoeceus killed himself before the gates. Fighting followed, and many men died. Capaneus climbed a ladder against the wall while boasting that he would take Thebes whether Zeus wished it or not. Zeus struck him down with a thunderbolt, and the Argives fled.
The two armies later agreed that Eteocles and Polynices should fight for the throne in single combat. They killed each other, but the fighting began again. The sons of Astacos performed deeds of valour. Ismaros killed Hippomedon, Leades killed Eteoclos, and Amphidicos killed Parthenopaios. Some accounts instead say that Periclymenos, son of Poseidon, killed Parthenopaios.
Melanippus, the last of the sons of Astacos, attacked Tydeus and wounded him in the stomach. Tydeus killed Melanippus, then took and devoured his severed brain. Athena had intended to grant Tydeus immortality, but after seeing this act she withdrew the gift. Tydeus therefore died from the wound he had received in the battle against Thebes.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1War in Greek MythologyT1
- 2Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“Melanippus wounded Tydeus, who killed him and ate his brain, causing Athena to abandon her plan to make Tydeus immortal, after which Tydeus died.”
Apollodorus, The Library
- 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
Also appears in
The myths across MythSource where Tydeus features, each on that figure’s page.
- Agamemnon’s Disputed Departure from Troy · on Agamemnon
- Zeus Strikes Down Capaneus · on Capaneus
- Diomedes Marries Aegialia · on Diomedes
- The Birth and Upbringing of Diomedes · on Diomedes
- Eriphyle Reconciles Adrastus and Amphiaraus · on Eriphyle
- Hypsipyle Becomes Nurse of Opheltes · on Hypsipyle
- Hypsipyle’s Flight from Lemnos · on Hypsipyle
- The Death of Opheltes · on Hypsipyle
- The Lemnian Massacre and Hypsipyle’s Queenship · on Hypsipyle
- Jason on Lemnos with Hypsipyle · on Jason
1 work catalogued
This is the candidate catalogue for Tydeus: candidate reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. Nothing here has been checked against a source yet. Only reviewed myth-to-work links are promoted in Overview.
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Film1
- HerculesRework
These are catalogue candidates, not proof that every work retells this figure. Reviewed myth-to-work links appear in Overview.
What this page is built from
About this page
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4 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Tydeus. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/tydeus
"Tydeus." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/tydeus.
"Tydeus." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/tydeus.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
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