Admetus- Greek FigureMortal"King of Pherae"
Also known as: Admetos, Admētos, and Ἄδμητος
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Description
When Admetus's hour of death arrived, Apollo got the Fates drunk to buy him a reprieve — but someone had to die in his place. His parents refused. Only his wife Alcestis walked willingly into the grave, until Heracles wrestled Death himself to bring her back.
Mythology & Lore
Apollo's Servitude
Admetus was king of Pherae in Thessaly. When Zeus struck down Apollo's son Asclepius with a thunderbolt for raising the dead, Apollo killed the Cyclopes who had forged the bolt. Zeus might have hurled him into Tartarus, but Leto pleaded for her son, and Apollo was sentenced instead to serve a mortal master for one year. He chose Admetus. The king treated his strange cowherd well, and during his service Apollo tended the herds with such care that every cow bore twins.
Winning Alcestis
Admetus sought to marry Alcestis, daughter of King Pelias of Iolcus. But Pelias set an impossible bride-price: Admetus must yoke a lion and a wild boar together to a chariot. No mortal could accomplish such a feat, but Apollo — grateful for Admetus's kindness during his servitude — tamed the beasts and helped Admetus harness them. Admetus drove the chariot before Pelias and won Alcestis's hand.
In his joy, Admetus neglected to sacrifice to Artemis at the wedding feast. The goddess, insulted, filled the bridal chamber with a writhing knot of snakes. Once again Apollo intervened, placating his sister and averting disaster.
The Reprieve from Death
When the king's appointed hour of death arrived, Apollo intervened once more. He tricked the Fates by getting them drunk on wine, persuading them to accept a substitute death in Admetus's place. But when Admetus asked his aged parents to die for him, both refused. Only his wife Alcestis volunteered, going willingly to her death so that her husband might live.
The Rescue of Alcestis
Heracles arrived at Pherae on the very day of Alcestis's death. Admetus concealed his wife's death and welcomed Heracles as an honored guest. When a servant revealed the truth, Heracles — moved that Admetus had hidden his grief to honor a guest — went to Alcestis's tomb and wrestled Thanatos himself, forcing Death to release her. Alcestis was restored to life, veiled and silent, and returned to her husband.