# The Myrmidons explained — Bulfinch’s Mythology

> Chapter companion for Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

## What happens

King Aeacus recounts to Cephalus the devastating plague sent by Juno that destroyed the people of Aegina, and how he prayed to Jupiter, who transformed ants into a new race of diligent subjects called the Myrmidons, who now populate the island and are offered as allies for the war against Minos.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hubris and Divine Retribution

Juno's vengeful plague on Aegina illustrates divine punishment for the island's association with one of Jupiter's favorites.

### Mortality and Immortality

The plague's devastation highlights human mortality, while Jupiter's intervention creates a new immortal-like race from ants.

## Character check-ins

### Cephalus

King of Athens who visits Aegina to seek aid against Minos of Crete.

### Jupiter

Father of Aeacus; answers Aeacus' prayer by transforming ants into the Myrmidons.

### Juno

Angry goddess who sends a plague upon Aegina because it bears the name of one of Jupiter's favorites.

### Ovid

Author who copied the description of the plague from Thucydides' account of the plague of Athens.

## Key lines

> Cephalus, king of Athens, arrived in the island of Aegina to seek assistance of his old friend and ally Aeacus, the king, in his war with Minos, king of Crete.

Cephalus, the Athenian king, came to Aegina to ask his friend King Aeacus for help in his conflict with King Minos of Crete.

_Sets up the narrative frame for Aeacus' story._

> A plague sent by angry Juno devastated the land. She hated it because it bore the name of one of her husband’s female favorites.

Juno, in her anger, unleashed a plague on Aegina because the island was named after one of Jupiter's lovers.

_Explains the divine motive behind the catastrophe._

> I called them Myrmidons, from the ant ( Myrmex ) from which they sprang.

I named them Myrmidons, after the ant (myrmex) that was their origin.

_Etymology of the Myrmidons' name._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-myrmidons
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters