Capaneus

Capaneus

Capaneus was a mortal with considerable strength, son of Hipponous and Astynome. He was married to Ianeira, with whom he had a son, Sthenelus.

The myth has it that Capaneus was extremely strong and a very capable warrior. However, he was also particularly arrogant, which eventually caused his demise. At one point during the siege of Thebes, he started shouting that he would climb the walls of the city and not even Zeus would be able to stop him. While he was climbing the wall, and as the gods detested anyone who committed hubris, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt against him and instantly killed him.

See Also: Seven Against Thebes, Zeus

Capaneus Q&A

Who was Capaneus?

Capaneus was a mortal with considerable strength, son of Hipponous and Astynome. He was married to Ianeira, with whom he had a son, Sthenelus.

Link/Cite Capaneus Page

You can freely use the content on this page for non-commercial reasons (homework, lessons, school essays or college projects, free online courses) as long as you cite this page as the source.

Written by: The Editors of GreekMythology.com. GreekMythology.com editors write, review and revise subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge based on their working experience or advanced studies.

For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Capaneus". GreekMythology.com Website, 05 Mar. 2015, https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Capaneus/capaneus.html. Accessed 18 March 2024.