Through my experience and the tours I do with my guests, especially my Alexander the Great Tour, I have noticed that many visitors know about his father, Philip II. This is mainly because of the Royal Tombs of Vergina, where the story of Philip and the Macedonian royal family becomes much more real for visitors.
But when I ask them who the mother of Alexander was, the answer is usually different.
So, who was the mother of Alexander the Great?
Who Was Olympias? The Mother of Alexander the Great?
Olympias was born around 375 BC in Molossia, in Epirus. She was the daughter of Neoptolemus, king of the Molossians, so she was a princess. Her original birth name was Myrtale. Philip II later gave her the name Olympias to celebrate his horse winning at the Olympic Games in 356 BCthe very same year Alexander was born.
She came from an important royal family. Her family, known as the Aeacids, believed they were descended from the ancient hero Achilles through his son, Neoptolemus.
Olympias also grew up in a place where religion was very important. In Epirus was Dodona, one of the oldest and most important religious centers of ancient Greece, famous for the oracle of Zeus.
Women’s Position in Epirus
We know very little about Olympias’s childhood. The ancient writers do not tell us much about her daily life or her education.
But we do know that she grew up in a royal family and in a society where women could have more freedom in some areas than women in places such as Athens. Women in Molossia and other parts of northwestern Greece could own property and take part in some financial and legal matters.
This does not mean that women had the same rights as men. But their position could be stronger and more independent than in some other parts of the Greek world.
This helps us understand Olympias a little better. Before she became the mother of Alexander the Great, she was already a princess of Epirus, from a powerful family and a society where a woman could have her own property and some independence.
Olympias and Philip II
At some point, Olympias’s life changed and took her away from Epirus.
According to an ancient tradition, Olympias and Philip met on the island of Samothrace. They were both connected with the Mysteries of the Great Gods there. Plutarch tells us that Philip was impressed by the young Olympias and wanted to marry her.
Their marriage took place around 357 BC. It was not only a marriage between two people. It also connected the royal family of Epirus with the royal family of Macedon.
Olympias left her homeland and began a new life in Macedon. From then on, her story would be connected with Philip II and, soon after, with the birth of Alexander the Great.
The Birth of Alexander
In 356 BC, in Pella, Olympias gave birth to a boy. His name was Alexander.
From the beginning, stories and signs surrounded his birth. People later saw these stories as signs that this child would have an extraordinary future:
- The Dream of Lightning: Plutarch tells us that, before Alexander was born, Olympias had a strange dream. She heard a loud thunderclap and saw lightning strike her womb. A great fire appeared, spread everywhere, and then went out.
- The Lion Seal: Philip also had a dream, according to the same tradition. He dreamed that he placed a seal on Olympias’s womb, and the seal had a lion on it. The seers believed that the dream meant Olympias was pregnant and that her child would be strong and brave like a lion.
- The Three Good News: On the day Alexander was born, Philip received three pieces of good news, according to Plutarch. His army had won a battle, his horse had won at the Olympic Games, and his son had been born.
For people in the ancient world, these events happening on the same day seemed like a very good sign. They believed that the child would have a great future.
Of course, we cannot know if these dreams and signs really happened. They are stories that ancient writers recorded many years later. But they show us something important: from the very beginning, Alexander’s life was surrounded by stories, legends, and the idea that he was destined for something great.
Olympias Was More Than the Mother of Alexander
When we talk about Olympias, it is easy to remember her only as the mother of Alexander the Great. But her life was much more than that.
She was born a princess of Epirus, became queen of Macedon, and became part of one of the most important royal families of the ancient world.
And her story did not end when Alexander left for Asia. Even after his death, Olympias continued to fight for her family and for her grandson, Alexander IV. She became involved in the struggles for power that followed Alexander’s death. In the end, her enemies defeated her, and she was killed.
Why Olympias Matters Today
Perhaps this is why we should look at Olympias a little differently.
She was not simply the mother of one of the greatest conquerors in history. She was a woman who lived in a world of kings, wars, and political struggles and she had her own place in that world.
They say that behind every great man there is a strong woman. Perhaps this saying also fits the story of Alexander. We cannot know exactly how much Olympias influenced her son’s character and future. But she certainly was not a woman who simply lived in his shadow.
And when we walk through Pella today on our Alexander the Great Tour, the place where Alexander was born, it is worth remembering that behind the great king there was also a mother with her own story, her own strength, and her own place in history.
Olympias was not simply the mother of Alexander the Great.
She was Olympias. And she had her own place in history.
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Until our next story from Thessaloniki.