Lycurgus

According to Greek mythology, king of Edoni in Thrace, who angered the god Dionysus by banning his cult, so was afflicted with madness that resulted in him killing his own son, believing him to be a trunk of ivy and pruning away his nose and ears, fingers and toes (Bucknill & Tuke, 1858; Feder, 1980; Osborn & Burgess, 2004). The god further inflicted punishment by ensuring that the people of Edoni exacted revenge for the murder by having Lycurgus ripped asunder by wild horses (Bucknill & Tuke, 1858; March, 1998; Osborn & Burgess, 2004; Smith, 1870).

Lycurgus in his madness, attacking his wife, a painting dating from 350-340 BCE.

References:

Bucknill, J.C., & Tuke, D.H. (1858). A manual of psychological medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Blanchard & Lea.

Feder, L. (1980). Madness in literature. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

March, J.R. (1998). Cassell’s dictionary of classical mythology. London, England: Cassell & Co.

Osborn, K., & Burgess, D.L. (2004). The complete idiot’s guide to classical mythology. (2^nd edition). New York, NY: Alpha Books.

Smith, W. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co.