Omphale (Ὀμφάλη) was a daughter of Iardanus, either a king of Lydia, or a river-God. Omphale was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor; according to Bibliotheke she was the wife of Tmolus, the oak-clad mountain king of Lydia; after he was gored to death by a bull, she continued to reign on her own. After a few years reigning on her own, Herakles would come to Lydia to be her slave for a year (a penalty Herakles had to pay for inadvertently murdering Iphitus) During his year of service, she would wear his lion pelt and hold his club while humiliating him by making him dress in women's clothes and do domestic work (classically reserved for women). While he was her slave Omphale forced Herakles to be her lover and possibly forced him to marry her. The reason for speculation as towards whether or not they were actually wed is that Herakles did eventually leave Lydia after three years and did not come back. On the other hand that while Herakles was only obligated to be her slave for one year he did spend two additional years and she did in that time bare him three sons. (Agelaus, Maleus & Tyrsenus).
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Parents[]
Iardanus
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Time with Herakles[]
The theme of penalty for "inadvertent" murder, for his murder of Iphitus, the great hero Herakles, was, by the command of the Delphic Oracle Xenoclea, remanded as a slave to Omphale for the period of a year. compensation to be paid to Eurytus, who refused to accept it. During the time with him Omphale would wear his Nemean Lion pelt and made him dress in women's clothes and do domestic work (classically reserved for women). During his stay there Omphale forced Heracles to be her lover and some (such as Diodorus Siculus) claim she forced him to marry her. After his year of servitude of service was up he did stay an additional two years while longer. During the time Herakles was in Lydia she bore him Agelaus, Maleus & Tyrsenus.