Pentheus
Family: mythological · Role: mythic king · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 20
Pentheus, the son of Echion, was an enemy of Dionysus. After outraging him, Pentheus went to Mount Cithæron to spy on the women and climbed a tree to watch them; they detected him, dragged him down, and tore him limb from limb.
His fate took place on Mount Cithæron, though the precise location was unknown.
Relationship record
Life events
- Pentheus was dragged down and torn limb from limb after spying on Dionysus’s women.(Book 2 · Chapter 2 · 📍 Mount Cithæron)
- With: Dionysus
- “Pentheus they say, when he outraged Dionysus, among other acts of reckless daring actually at last went to Mount Cithæron to spy the women, and climbed up into a tree to see what they were doing: and when they detected him, they forthwith dragged him down, and tore him limb from limb.”
- Pentheus met his fate on Mount Cithæron, though its precise location was unknown.(Book 9 · Chapter 2 · 📍 Mount Cithæron)
- “In what part of Mount Cithæron Pentheus the son of Echion met with his fate, or where they exposed Œdipus after his birth, no one knows”
Book 1 · Chapter 20
- enemies with Dionysus (Pentheus was punished for insulting Dionysus.) “There are paintings also of Pentheus and Lycurgus paying the penalty for their insults to Dionysus”
Book 2 · Chapter 2
- enemies with Dionysus “Pentheus they say, when he outraged Dionysus, among other acts of reckless daring actually at last went to Mount Cithæron to spy the women, and climbed up into a tree to see what they were doing:”
- with Dionysus (Pentheus outraged Dionysus.) “Pentheus they say, when he outraged Dionysus, among other acts of reckless daring actually at last went to Mount Cithæron to spy the women, and climbed up into a tree to see what they were doing: and when they detected him, they forthwith dragged him down, and tore him limb from limb.”
Book 9 · Chapter 2
- parent: Echion “In what part of Mount Cithæron Pentheus the son of Echion met with his fate, or where they exposed Œdipus after his birth, no one knows, as we do know the cross-roads on the way to Phocis where Œdipus slew his father.”
Book 9 · Chapter 5
- parent: Echion (Parent-to-child direction.) “Pentheus the son of Echion had great power”
- enemies with Dionysus (Dionysus punished Pentheus.) “Pentheus the son of Echion had great power both from the lustre of his race and the friendship of the king, though he was haughty and impious and justly punished by Dionysus”
- with Dionysus (Dionysus punished Pentheus) “though he was haughty and impious and justly punished by Dionysus.”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.