Epigoni - The war, As a poetic theme, In art

In Greek mythology, the ‘next generation’ of heroes. After the failure of the Seven Champions to take Thebes, their sons made another expedition and succeeded; this was shortly before the Trojan War.

This is an article about the Greek myth. For the play by Sophocles, see The Progeny.

In Greek mythology, Epigoni (Greek Epigonoi, meaning "offspring") are the sons of the Argive heroes who had fought and been killed in the first Theban war. The second Theban war, also called the war of the Epigoni, occurred ten years later, when the Epigoni, wishing to avenge the death of their fathers, attacked Thebes.

According to Apollodorus, they were:

Aegialeus, son of Adrastus Alcmaeon, son of Amphiaraus Amphilochus, son of Amphiaraus Diomedes, son of Tydeus Euryalus, son of Mecisteus Promachus, son of Parthenopaeus Sthenelus son of Capaneus Thersander son of Polynices

To this list, Pausanias also adds:

Polydorus son of Hippomedon

The war

Both Apollodorus and Pausanias tell the story of the war of the Epigoni, although their accounts differ in several respects. Aegialeus was killed by Laodamas, son of Eteocles, but Acmaeon killed Laodamas. However, Pausanias says that Thersander was their leader, that Laodamas fled Thebes with the rest of the Thebans, and that Thersander became king of Thebes.

As a poetic theme

Epigoni (in Greek, Epigonoi; Only the first line is now known:

Epigoni (Epigonoi or "The Progeny") is also the title of a lost Greek tragedy by Sophocles.

In art

There were statues of the Epigoni at Argos and Delphi.