The Gods Devised a Horrific Punishment for an Overly Proud Mother
Niobe, in Greek myth, was a daughter of Tantalus, who got his own dose of terrible divine punishment from the gods – see previous entry. She was a queen of Thebes, and was blessed with great fortune. However, she committed the sin of hubris – a mixture of extreme pride, dangerous overconfidence, and overweening arrogance. For that, the gods subjected her to a terrible punishment.
In addition to her noble birth and descent from a king, Niobe was a stunning beauty. She took great pride in both her birth and her looks, but what she took the greatest pride in was her large brood of fourteen children – seven sons, and seven daughters. One day, the people of Thebes went out to celebrate the feast of Latona – a religious festival in honor of Leto, the mother of the gods’ Apollo and Artemis – and as described in Bulfinch’s Mythology:
“It was on occasion of the annual celebration in honor of Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana [i.e Artemis] when the people of Thebes were assembled, their brows crowned with laurel, bearing frankincense to the altars and paying their vows, that Niobe appeared among the crowd. Her attire was splendid with gold and gems, and her face as beautiful as the face of an angry woman can be. She stood and surveyed the people with haughty looks. “What folly,” said she, “is this! to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! Why should Latona be honored with worship rather than I? My father was Tantalus, who was received as a guest at the table of the gods; my mother was a goddess. My husband built and rules this city, Thebes; and Phrygia is my paternal inheritance. Wherever I turn my eyes I survey the elements of my power; nor is my form and presence unworthy of a goddess. To all this let me add, I have seven sons and seven daughters, and look for sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of pretensions worthy of my alliance. Have I not cause for pride? Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titan’s daughter, with her two children? I have seven times as many. Fortunate indeed am I, and fortunate I shall remain! Will any one deny this?”
That impiety shocked the Thebans, and they returned to their daily pursuits in awestruck silence and trepidation. They had good reason for trepidation because taunting Leto turned out to be a bad idea. Niobe’s hubris provoked Leto’s children, the gods’ Apollo and Artemis, to seek vengeance for the insult to their mom, who had suffered greatly on their behalf – see earlier entry about Leto, above.
In a flash, Apollo and Artemis, whose nicknames included “The Immortal Archers”, showed up at the citadel of Thebes. From its towers, they watched the Theban youths engaged in sports below, while the Latona festival in honor of their mother was ignored. So Apollo strung his golden bow, and shot down all seven of Niobe’s sons, one after the other. Not to be outdone, Artemis strung her bow, and slew all seven of Niobe’s daughters.
Niobe was left transfixed with grief and surrounded by the corpses of her offspring. Her children lay unburied for nine days, because the gods turned the Thebans into stone, until the tenth day, when they allowed the burials to proceed. Even then, the gods were not yet done with Niobe. As if her punishment was not already horrible enough, Zeus piled on and capped it off by turning Niobe into a pillar of stone, in which state she would continue to weep throughout eternity for her loss.
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Sources & Further Reading
Mythology Source – Zeus and Io
Ranker – All The Ways Hera Got Revenge On Zeus For Cheating On Her
ThoughtCo – Thetis: Not Just a Greek Nymph
Ancient History Encyclopedia – Prometheus
Bulfinch, Thomas – Bulfinch’s Mythology (2010)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Tantalus
Encyclopedia Mythica – Lycurgus
Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology – Actaeon
Keefer, Professor Julia, New York University – The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
Nilsson, Martin P. – Greek Folk Religion (1972)
Nilsson, Martin P. – Mycenean Origin of Greek Mythology (2017)
Peabody, Josephine Preston, Tales Beyond Belief – The Myth of Niobe
Theoi Greek Mythology – The Titaness Leto
History Collection – Truly Intense Vengeance Stories From Greek Mythology