In Greek mythology, Learchus (Ancient Greek: Λέαρχος), also spelled Learches, was the son of King Athamas and Ino, the daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes. He was the brother of Melicertes. As a boy he was killed by his own father, who had been driven insane by the goddess Hera.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Learchus" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Family
Learchus was the son of King Athamas and Ino, the daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes. He was the brother of Melicertes.
II.Mythology
The story of Learchus is part of the Theban Cycle, which was elaborated by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. He was killed as a boy by his father, Athamas, whom Hera drove insane as punishment for having received and raised Dionysus, the illegitimate son of Zeus and Semele, Ino's sister.
Blinded by the madness, Athamas mistook Learchus for a lion (or, in other versions, a ram or a fawn) and killed him. After this, Athamas went in frenzied pursuit of Ino, who threw herself into the sea with their other son, Melicertes. Ovid adds further details, saying that Learchus had spontaneously stretched out his arms to his father to embrace him, not knowing that Athamas was mad and would slay him.
III.Cultural references
Dante cites the myth of Learchus as an example of insanity in his Inferno (Canto XXX).