Alexander the Great 3
"We are Family" Redux: Alexander's Mother
by CTCWeb Editors
"To Get Our Share of the World's Delights" - Pointer Sisters
Alexander’s mother, Olympias, was a queen worthy of Philip. Olympias was the daughter of the Molossian King Neoptolemus of Epirus (modern-day Albania). The Greek historian Plutarch writes that Olympias’ family was descended from Achilles, a fact not lost on Alexander who longed to be the Achilles of his time. Hot tempered and aggressive, Olympias was a devotee of Dionysus and his cults that reputedly kept snakes as pets. More likely than not, Philip and Olympias married for diplomatic reasons, specifically to unite the kingdom of Molossia with Macedonia in a strategic alliance.
Relief of Olympias, Source Unknown
A year after Philip and Olympias were wed, their first child, Alexander, was born. Although Philip had other wives with whom he had children, Alexander was the first to survive into adulthood. Alexander’s mother involved herself deeply in her son’s life. Olympias wielded great influence over her son and loved him almost to a fault. Alexander mirrored this devotion. When Philip and Olympias fought, Alexander often took his mother’s side.
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Mother Knows Best?
In the same way that Homer tells in the Iliad of Hecuba, the wife of King Priam of Troy, having a disturbing, prophetic dream while pregnant with Paris that foretold his role in the destruction of Troy, Olympias supposedly had premonitions about the coming greatness of Alexander. To add to the legend of Alexander’s birth, myths variously claim that lightning struck Olympias’ womb while she was pregnant, or that Alexander’s father was Zeus who impregnated Olympias while in the form of a snake, or that a lion guarded Olympias’ womb.
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According to legend, on the day of Alexander’s birth, Philip received three messengers. The first advised Philip that his general Parmenio had won an important battle. The second announced that Philip’s horse had won in the Olympics. The third told Philip that he had a newborn son. The greatness of the birth of the child was heralded by other great victories. However, these victories were insignificant compared with the future conquests of Alexander.
