Tydeus was a son of
Oeneus and either
Periboea, Oeneus's second wife, or
Gorge, Oeneus's daughter. He was the husband of
Deipyle, the mother of Diomedes. Tydeus was banished from
Calydon by his uncle
Agrius because he had killed either his brother or a different uncle or six of his cousins. He travelled to
Argos, where he married Deipyle, daughter of king
Adrastus.
Seven against Thebes Gathering of the Seven While housing Tydeus, King Adrastus of Argos also lodged
Polynices, the exiled son of
Oedipus who had shared the rule of
Thebes with his brother
Eteocles before he was expelled by the latter. Late one night, the two young exiles got into a fierce dispute over the guest room in Adrastus's palace. Awakened by the clamor, Adrastus rushed to the hall to find the two men locked in a brawl. It was then that Adrastus recalled a prophecy that had instructed him to "yoke his daughters to a boar and a lion". Adrastus recognized Tydeus as the boar and Polynices as the lion (either by the ferocious manner in which they fought, the animals emblazoned on their shields,) and wed his daughters to them, keeping them as his sons-in-law in Argos. Through marriage into Adrastus's family, Polynices and Tydeus became princes of Argos, had children, and generally lived well. Adrastus promised that he would help restore their kingdoms to them (or in other versions of the myth, Polynices asks Adrastus to help him take back Thebes) and he organized the expedition of the
Seven against Thebes, and their army raised from Argolis (the area around Argos), the largest army that had ever appeared in Greece to that time.
Nemean Games Shortly after the expedition arrived in
Nemea, the young son of King Lycourgos was killed by a snake. In turn, Adrastus's men killed the serpent, buried the boy and held the first
Nemean Games in his honor (other stories cite
Heracles' triumph over the
Nemean Lion as the cause of the first games). Tydeus won the boxing event at these games.
Envoy to Thebes When the expedition reached
Cithaeron, Tydeus was sent ahead to demand that the Thebans reinstate Polynices. Frustrated with being ignored by Eteocles, Tydeus issued one-on-one challenges to multiple men and vanquished each one with power granted to him by Athena. While Tydeus returned to his allies, the Thebans amassed a force of fifty men, led by
Maeon and
Polyphontes, and ambushed him. Tydeus killed every man with the exception of Maeon, whom he allowed to live due to signs from the gods.
Cannibalism During the war, Tydeus was mortally wounded by
Melanippus, the son of
Astacus. The goddess
Athena intended to make Tydeus immortal, but the seer
Amphiaraus, knowing this and hating Tydeus, cut off Melanippus' head and gave it to Tydeus, who proceeded to eat the brains of his killer. As was Amphiaraus's intention, Athena was so appalled that she changed her mind and let Tydeus die. ==In literature and art==