Editing Themisto (section)

== Mythology ==
Themisto intended to kill her husband's children by his previous wife, but accidentally slew her own sons. This was the subject of a non-surviving tragedy by [[Euripides]], retold by Hyginus as follows. Athamas married Themisto as he believed his second wife, [[Ino (Greek mythology)|Ino]], was dead, but Ino turned out to be alive and to have been on Mount [[Parnassus]] with the [[Maenads]]. Athamas had her brought home but kept her return a secret; Themisto did find out she was back, and resolved to kill Ino's children as an act of revenge. However, she had never seen Ino in person and took her for a servant as they met, and ordered the "servant" to dress all her own children in white clothing, and Ino's in black. Themisto then proceeded to kill all the black-clothed children. What Themisto did not realise was that Ino had switched the children's clothing, and so she in fact killed her own children. Upon discovering that, she killed herself.<ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#4 4] & [https://topostext.org/work/206#243 243]; a shorter version in Fab. 1, where the clothing swap is attributed to a nurse's mistake and Ino isn't involved.</ref> According to [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Pseudo-Apollodorus]], however, Themisto married Athamas after the death of Ino, and the whole story with the murder of the children did not take place.<ref name=":1" />