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Amphion

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Theban prince and musician whose lyre-playing magically moved stones to build Thebes’ walls; brother of Zethus and husband of Niobe.

Detailed Definition
Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, used his magical lyre-playing to move stones into place for Thebes’ walls. His music symbolized harmony and divine inspiration. In poetry, he represents the power of art to shape reality and the tragic fragility of happiness, especially after his children’s deaths.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells how Amphion built Thebes’ walls by playing his lyre; Pindar’s Pythian Odes praise Amphion’s musical power over stone; Apollodorus recounts his twinhood with Zethus and rule over Thebes; In Euripides’ Antiope, Amphion is central to the drama of recognition; Later poetry uses Amphion as a metaphor for art’s civilizing power.
Additional Notes
Amphion, twin of Zethus, builds Thebes’ walls by playing his lyre—a myth symbolizing the civilizing power of music. Students should contrast his artistic approach with Zethus’s manual labor, reflecting Greek debates about techne vs. banausic work. His story appears in Euripides’ Antiope and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. His marriage to Niobe (and their children’s slaughter) adds tragic depth. Related: Thebes, lyre of Hermes, Niobe, city-foundation myths.
Also Known As
Amphion the Lyre-Builder Twin of Zethus Singer of Thebes Son of Zeus and Antiope
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