Haemus was the son of Boreas and the nymph Oreithyia. He was a king of Thrace and was married to his sister Rhodope. They called each other “Zeus” and “Hera” and in punishment for this hubris Zeus changed them into the Balkan mountains that still bear their names. In another version of the story, as told by Hesychius, Haemus made war against Byzas and was defeated by him in single combat on that mountain.
