Introduction
Antiope is a mortal princess of Thebes, pursued by Zeus, and, through this union, the mother of twin sons, Amphion and Zethus, who together came to rule Thebes and are credited with building its famous walls.
This figure marks the point where the genealogy of the gods gives way to the genealogy of heroes. A fuller account of their adventures belongs to a separate treatment of the Greek Heroic Cycle; this article covers their divine parentage and place in that transition.
Family
Zeus's pursuit and a difficult life
Zeus came to Antiope, in most tellings, in the form of a satyr. Fearing her father's anger, she fled to Sicyon, and later suffered considerable hardship and mistreatment, including at the hands of her uncle Lycus and his wife Dirce, before her grown sons, Amphion and Zethus, learned the truth of their parentage and avenged her.
Amphion and Zethus
The twins, raised apart from their mother as herdsmen, eventually took control of Thebes and are credited, in a well-known tradition, with building its massive walls: Zethus, the stronger, hauling the stones by force, while Amphion, a gifted musician taught by Hermes, simply played his lyre so sweetly that the stones moved into place of their own accord.