Meanings
- Greekhuman sciencesA Mycenaean king of Tiryns (or, according to some authors, of Argos), in Argolis, son of Sthenelus and grandson of Perseus, who imposed the twelve labours on Heracles.
There is a different kind of religious reference at 989-90, where Eurystheus claims that it was Hera who had afflicted him with the enmity towards Heracles.
2003, Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood, Tragedy and Athenian Religion, Rowman & Littlefield (Lexington Books), page 3232 more examples
"But why hasn't Iolaus killed Eurystheus?," she asks. In a witticism very much akin to Electra's "But where are the messengers?," Euripides has Alcmene ask, essentially, why the plot she is part of has just swerved from its expected course: Iolaus is supposed to kill Eurystheus, by tradition.
1991, Transactions of the American Philological Association, Scholars Press, page 129Already we have seen from Iliad 19 and the birth of Eurystheus that at an early stage of the tradition Herakles was destined to be subordinate to his cousin.
1993, Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Volume 2, Johns Hopkins University Press, page 381
Origin
- Ancient GreekΕὐρυσθεύς
- LatinEurystheus
- EnglishEurystheus
Borrowed from Latin Eurystheus, from Ancient Greek Εὐρυσθεύς (Eurustheús).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Εὐρυσθεύς
- Εὐρυσθεύς (Eurustheús)Greek mythological king
French Eurysthée
- EurysthéeGreek mythological king
Greek Ευρυσθέας
- Ευρυσθέας (Evrysthéas)Greek mythological king
Italian Euristeo
- EuristeoGreek mythological king
Latin Eurystheus
- EurystheusGreek mythological king
Portuguese Euristeu
- EuristeuGreek mythological king
Russian Еврисфе́й, Эврисфей
- Еврисфе́й (Jevrisféj)Greek mythological king
- Эврисфей (Evrisfej)Greek mythological king
Cite this entry
Eurystheus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eurystheus
“Eurystheus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eurystheus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Eurystheus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eurystheus.
Source: Eurystheus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.