Alcestis- Greek FigureMortal"Queen of Pherae"

The Bride of Admetus

Alcestis was a daughter of Pelias, king of Iolcus. Many suitors sought her hand, but Pelias set an impossible condition: any man who wished to marry her must yoke a lion and a boar to a chariot. Admetus, king of Pherae in Thessaly, accomplished this feat with the help of Apollo, who was serving him as a herdsman in punishment for killing the Cyclopes. Apollo not only helped Admetus win Alcestis but also obtained a special boon from the Fates: when Admetus's destined hour of death arrived, he could escape if someone else volunteered to die in his place.

The Willing Sacrifice

When Thanatos came to claim Admetus, the king discovered that no one would die for him — not his aged parents, not his friends, not his servants. Only Alcestis offered herself. In Euripides' Alcestis, she accepts death willingly but not without grief: she laments leaving her children and the light of the sun. She sees Charon's boat approaching and the halls of Hades opening before her. She dies asking only that Admetus never remarry and that he protect their children from a stepmother's resentment. In some versions, Persephone herself was so moved by Alcestis's devotion that she sent her back to the living.

Heracles and Thanatos

As it happened, Heracles arrived at Pherae as a guest on the very day of Alcestis's death, traveling to Thrace for his eighth labor. Admetus, bound by the sacred laws of hospitality, concealed his grief and welcomed Heracles with feasting. When a servant revealed the truth, Heracles was ashamed of his revelry in a house of mourning. To repay his host's extraordinary hospitality, he went to Alcestis's tomb and waited for Thanatos. When Death arrived to receive his due, Heracles wrestled him and forced him to release Alcestis. He brought her back veiled to Admetus, who at first refused to accept what he thought was a strange woman, honoring his promise to his wife.