Opheltes
The son of the Nemean king Lycurgus and his wife Eurydice, or according to others by Amphithea. His nurse Hypsipyle left him alone for a moment in order to lead the Seven to a nearby spring, and during her absence the boy was killed by a serpent. On this occasion his name was changed into Archemorus, q.v.
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Iconography
The death of Opheltes is depicted on some late vase paintings and reliefs. A second-century sarcophagus, at the Archaeological Museum in Corinth, depicts Opheltes and his nurse Hypsipyle.
References
Sources
- Pausanias. Description of Greece ii, 15.2-3.
- Pseudo-Apollodorus. The Library iii, 6.4.