ABSTRACT
Daughter of Hypseus, king of the Lapiths. After his wife Ino, who was mad, had been away so long that he believed her to be dead, Athamas, king of Orchomenus, married Themisto. She bore him a number of children (her sons were identified as Leucon, Erythrius, Schoeneus and Ptous; but the names Presbon, Sphincius, and Orchomenus were also given). But in due course Ino returned, cured of her insanity. Thereupon Themisto became ferociously jealous of Ino’s children, Learchus and Melicertes, and plotted to murder them. She told their nurse to dress her own children in white and Ino’s in black, so that when during the night she entered their bedroom they all shared, she would have no difficulty in telling them apart. But Ino reversed the colours, and Themisto killed two of her own sons. Then, in horror at her mistake, she committed suicide. This version of the story (which echoes the relationship between Ino and Nephele, Athamas’ first wife) was given in Euripides’ lost play Ino. See ATHAMAS.
