Pentheus

Pentheus (dissyll.) (dissyll.), eī or eos, m.: Pentheus, king of Thebes, grandson of Cadmus, and son of Echion and Agave; torn to pieces by his mother and her Bacchanalian companions for mocking at the orgies of Bacchus, 4.469.

Pentheus, ĕi and ĕos, m., = Πενθεύς,

• son of Echion and Agave, grandson of Cadmus, and king of Thebes; having treated with contempt the rites of Bacchus, he was torn in pieces by his mother and her sisters when under the influence of the god, Ov. M. 3, 514; Prop. 3, 17 (4, 16), 24; 3 (4), 22, 33; Ov. Tr. 5, 3, 40; Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 73; id. C. 2, 19, 14.—Hence,
• • A Penthēĭus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Pentheus, Penthean: mater, Sid. Carm. 22, 94.—
  • B Penthēus, a, um, adj., = Πενθεῖος, of or belonging to Pentheus, Penthean, Stat. Th. 2, 575.—
  • C Penthīdes, ae, m., = Πενθείδης, a male descendant of Pentheus, Ov. Ib. 449 and 609.

Pentheus, eī u. eos, Akk. eum u. ea, m. (Πενθεύς), König in Theben, Enkel des Kadmus, wegen seiner Verachtung des bacchischen Gottesdienstes von seiner rasenden Mutter, deren Schwestern und anderen Bacchantinnen zerrissen, Ov. met. 3, 514 sqq. Hyg. fab. 184. Mythogr. Lat. 2, 83: Genet. -eī, Hor. carm. 2, 19, 14. Mythogr. Lat. 3, 12; Genet. -eos, Prop. 3, 17, 24. Ov. trist. 5, 3, 40: Akk. -eum, Mythogr. Lat. 1, 151; Akk. -ea, Prop. 3, 22, 33. Ov. met. 3, 561 u.a.: Vok. Pentheu, Hor. ep. 1, 16, 73. – Dav.: A) Penthēus, a, um (Πενθεῖος), penthëisch, des Pentheus, caedes, Ov.: genus, Stat. – Spät. poet. Nbf. Penthēius, a, um, mater, Sidon. carm. 22, 94. – B) Penthīdēs, ae, m., der Penthide (= Nachkömmling des Pentheus), von Lykurg, Ov. Ib. 445 u. 605. – C) Penthiacus, a, um, nach Art des Pentheus zerrissen, gallinaceus, Petron. 47, 10.

Pentheūs, (13) ĕī ou ĕos, m. (Πενθεύς), Penthée [fils dʼÉchion et dʼAgavé, roi de Thèbes, déchiré par les Bacchantes] : Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 73 ; Ov. M. 3, 514 || -thēĭus, a, um, Sid. Carm. 22, 94 ; et -thēus, a, um, Stat. Th. 2, 575, de Penthée || -thĭăcus, a, um, déchiré comme Penthée : Petr. 47, 10.

Pentheus

(Πενθεύς). The son of Echion by Agavé, daughter of Cadmus. He was the successor of Cadmus as king of Thebes, and on the introduction of the Bacchic worship resisted it. It is said that Pentheus concealed himself in a tree in order to witness secretly the orgies of the Bacchanals, and on being discovered by them was taken for a wild beast, and torn in pieces by his own mother and his two sisters, Ino and Autonoë, in their Bacchic frenzy. The scene of this occurrence was said to be Mount Cithaeron or Mount Parnassus. The story forms the subject of the Bacchae of Euripides. (See Euripides.) The Corinthians had a tradition that the tree in which Pentheus hid was afterwards carved into images of the god Dionysus and worshipped (Pausan. ii. 6, 6). Hence some have tried to connect the story of Pentheus with the primitive tree-worship.

Pentheus Pentheus, son of Echion

• Paus. 9.2.4, Paus. 9.5.4
• king of Thebes, son of Echion and Agave, tries to stop the Bacchic orgies: Apollod. 3.5.2
• is torn to pieces by his mother: Apollod. 3.5.2
• insults Dionysus and is torn to pieces by Bacchanals on Mount Cithaeron: Paus. 1.20.3, Paus. 2.2.7, Paus. 9.2.4, Paus. 9.5.4