Olympias

Olympias (Greek: Ολυμπιάς) (d. 316 BC) was an Epirote princess, a wife of Philip II of Macedon and the mother of Alexander the Great. According to several legends, Olympias was impregnated not by Philip, who was afraid of her and her affinity for sleeping in the company of snakes, but by Zeus. Alexander was himself aware of these legends, and would refer to Zeus as his father, rather than Philip.

After Alexander's death, Olympias supported her grandson, Alexander IV, and allied with Polyperchon in an attempt to drive Cassander from power in Macedon. Although she was successful in killing the rival king Philip Arrhidaeus, her step-son, Cassander was ultimately successful, capturing and executing her.

By tradition Olympias was descended from another woman of the same name, daughter of Neoptolemus and Andromache and so grand-daughter of Achilles. This formed the basis of Alexander's claims to be a new Achilles.

da:Olympias de:Olympias von Epirus fr:Olympias pl:Olimpias

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