Hyacinthus’s Family Tree

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Family

• Clio(parent),Pierus(parent)— Consort

  Clio fell in love with Pierus after being cursed by Aphrodite and bore him a son Hyacinthus, according to Apollodorus.

  ⚠ The Spartan tradition makes Hyacinthus the son of Amyclas, king of Sparta. Apollodorus (1.3.3) gives the alternate genealogy of Clio and Pierus.

• Amyclas(parent)

  Hyacinthus was the son of King Amyclas of Amyclae in Laconia. Through his father, Hyacinthus was a Spartan prince, and his cult at Amyclae was one of the most important in the region.

• Apollo(spouse)— Consort

  Apollo loved the Spartan prince Hyacinthus above all mortals. During a discus throw, the discus struck Hyacinthus and killed him — whether by accident or Zephyrus's jealous gust — and from the boy's blood Apollo raised the hyacinth flower, inscribed with his grief.

Slain by

• Zephyrus

  Zephyrus, jealous that Hyacinthus favored Apollo over him, deliberately blew Apollo's discus off course so that it struck and killed Hyacinthus. Apollodorus and later mythographers name Zephyrus as the agent of the fatal blow.

Associated with

• Boreas

  In some versions of the myth, Boreas rather than Zephyrus is named as the jealous wind god who loved Hyacinthus and deflected Apollo's discus. Lucian and other late sources preserve this variant tradition.

• Thamyris

  Thamyris, the Thracian bard, loved Hyacinthus and was said to be the first man to love another man. His desire for Hyacinthus predated Apollo's love for the youth.

• Zephyrus

  Zephyrus desired Hyacinthus but was spurned in favor of Apollo. His jealousy drove him to deflect the discus that killed the youth, making him both a rejected lover and the agent of Hyacinthus's death.