| Harmonia | |
|---|---|
Goddess of harmony and concord | |
 Harmonia embracing her husband, Cadmus, after he was transformed into a serpent | |
| Abode | Thebes,Illyria |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Ares andAphrodite, orZeus andElectra |
| Spouse | Cadmus |
| Children | Autonoë,Agave,Illyrius,Ino,Semele, andPolydorus |
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InGreek mythology,Harmonia (/hɑːrˈmoʊniə/;Ancient Greek:Ἁρμονία /harmoˈnia/, "harmony", "agreement") is thegoddess of harmony and concord. Her Greek opposite isEris and herRoman counterpart isConcordia. Harmonia is most well-known for her marriage toCadmus and the many misfortunes that haunted her descendants, particularly those related to the fabledNecklace of Harmonia.
Harmonia's parentage varies between accounts. She has most often been named as a daughter of the godsAres andAphrodite.[1][2][3][4] This would make her the sister of other mythological figures such asAeneas,Phobos, andEros. In other accounts, Harmonia was born inSamothrace toZeus and thePleiadElectra.[5] In this telling, Harmonia would have been the sister ofDardanus andIasion, who, under the instruction of Zeus, were the founders ofmystic rites on Samothrace.[6]
In nearly all of her mythological accounts, Harmonia is married toCadmus, the legendary hero and founder ofThebes.[7] With Cadmus, she was the mother ofIno,Polydorus,Autonoë,Agave,Semele, and, in some accounts,Illyrius.[8][9][10] Through her daughter Semele, Harmonia was the grandmother ofDionysus.[11]
Mythological narratives surrounding Harmonia are deeply intertwined with those of her husband,Cadmus. Harmonia is commonly acquired by Cadmus as his bride in two different ways. In the version of the myth where Harmonia was born toZeus andElectra onSamothrace, she was either given to Cadmus or carried off by him after he was initiated into the island'smysteries.[12] In the version of the myth where she is the daughter ofAphrodite andAres, Zeus gifted her to Cadmus upon his founding ofThebes and the completion of his eight-year servitude to Ares after he slew adragon sacred to the god.[1][13]
The wedding of Harmonia and Cadmus was attended by all the gods. Many gifts were lavished upon the couple, most notably apeplos and a necklace (ὅρμος) wrought byHephaestus.[3] Common versions of the myth claim that Hephaestus created the necklace because he was angered by his wife, Aphrodite's, affair with Ares, and vowed to curse any children born of the union.[3] Other traditions claim that the necklace andpeplos were instead gifted byAthena,[6] Aphrodite,[14] or Cadmus's sisterEuropa, who had received them as a gift from Zeus.[3] The necklace, commonly referred to as theNecklace of Harmonia or the Necklace ofEriphyle, was famed for bringing misfortune upon all those who wore it. This misfortune primarily fell upon queens and princesses of Thebes.[5] Although no undisputed description of the Necklace exists, it is usually described in ancient Greek passages as being of beautifully wrought gold and inlaid with various jewels, typically emeralds.[15][16][17]
Hyginus gives another version of the story. According to him, the thing which brought ill fate to the descendants of Harmonia was not a necklace, but thepeplos "dipped in crime", given to Harmonia by Hephaestus andHera.[18]
When Cadmus was expelled fromThebes,[19] Harmonia accompanied him. The pair went toIllyria to fight on the side of theEnchelii, and conquered the enemy.[3][20] Cadmus then became king of the Illyrians. However, he was turned into aserpent soon afterwards. His transformation may have been related to the ill fortune which clung to him as a result of his having killed the sacred dragon; one day he remarked that if the gods were so enamored of the life of a serpent, he might as well wish that life for himself. Immediately he began to grow scales and change in form. Harmonia, seeing the transformation, stripped herself and begged the gods to share her husband's fate. As she was embraced by the serpent Cadmus in a pool of wine, the gods took pity, granted her request, and transformed her.[21] The couple was sent toElysium.
Harmonia was closely associated withAphrodite Pandemos, an aspect of Aphrodite that personified order and civic unity. She was also associated with theRoman goddessConcordia.[5]
All of Harmonia and Cadmus's children experienced great misfortune. Through Agave's sonPentheus, the necklace came into the possession ofJocasta, wife and mother ofOedipus, who committedsuicide upon the discovery of his identity.[22] Their sonPolynices then inherited the necklace andpeplos. He used both items to bribeEriphyle so that she would persuade her husband,Amphiaraus, and her sons,Alcmaeon andAmphilochus, to participate in theSeven against Thebes expedition.[23] The expedition was a failure and Amphiaraus died during the battle. To avenge his father, Alcmaeon killed Eriphyle and the necklace andpeplos came into his possession.[24] He gifted it to his first wife,Alphesiboea, a daughter ofPhegus, king ofPsophis. When Alcmaeon attempted to take the items back from his wife, he was killed by Phegus's sons,Pronous andAgenor, and they took the necklace. Alcmeon's sonsAmphoterus andAcarnan then avenged their father by killing Phegus's sons, and dedicated the necklace to the temple of Athena inDelphi.[24] It was later stolen by thePhocian general Phayllus, who gave it to his mistress. She wore it for a time, but at last her youngest son was seized with madness, and set fire to the house, in which she perished with all her treasures.[25][26][27]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Harmonia".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 955.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Leonhard Schmitz (1870). "Harmonia". InSmith, William (ed.).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2. p. 350.
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