DEIPHONTES (mortal son of Antimachus)
Figure of myth · son of Antimachus in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Antimachus
- Consorts
- Hyrnetho
- Children
- Argeus, Orsobia, Xanthippus, Antimenes
- In the sources
- 10 ancient passages
Young men accused him before Hyrnetho, claiming he ruled a less prosperous country with fewer subjects than they did.1 Temenus favored Deiphontes and his daughter over his own sons, a preference that sowed deep resentment among the brothers.2
In revenge for this favoritism, Temenus's sons hired men to murder their father, an act that the army later ruled made the kingdom belong to Deiphontes.2 After the death of Temenus, Deiphontes seceded from the other Argives, while he and the Argives had previously taken possession of the land known as Epidauria.3 He acted alongside the Argives to expel the Ionians and expelled Procles and his followers from the region.4 The sons of Temenus, seeking to cause him grief, planned to separate Deiphontes from Hyrnetho, a scheme Agraeus disapproved of.5
Deiphontes rushed to rescue his wife, engaging Phalces in combat but refraining from shooting him to avoid accidentally killing Hyrnetho.6 During the pursuit, he shot and killed Cerynes.6 Deiphontes and his children, Antimenes, Xanthippus, Argeus, and Orsobia, carried the dead body of Hyrnetho to a specific location.7 That place was later named Hyrnethium in her memory.7 Under his leadership, Argives crossed to Aegina and settled among the existing population, establishing Dorian customs and language.8 He also helped found settlements in the region around Acte after the Heracleidae returned.9 Deiphontes remained a figure of blameless conduct, remembered for his loyalty and the tragic fate of his household.1,7
