Heracles (Ch23)

Etymology
"Glory of Hera": named to appease his implacable nemesis Hera.
"Master of Animals": numerous man vs. beast exploits

Geographical Associations
Peloponnesus (Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos) for Labours 1-6; transcends to panhellenic heroic status (Boeotia, Trachis, Thessaly, etc.) due to Labours 7-12 and Parergon (Par "side" + erga "work").

Origin: Born in Thebes. Hybrid Greek/Near East culture figure due to sheer abundance of myths. Zeus + Alcmena.

• Local: Prince of Tiryns, vassal of the Mycanean King Eurysthesus (always mighty, never the ruler ie. Ajax)
• Imported: Near East mythologic themes parallel the Gilgamesh Epic (ie. man vs. wild, man vs. manufacture). Imported "primitive" qualities: brute strength, use of outdated weapons (ie. club, bow), dons lionskin, prefers physical conquest over intellectual.

Claim to Fame: Greatest of all heroes in that he ascends Olympus and achieves immortal status among Gods. Completion of 12 "impossible" labours.
Literature: ?

Birth 

1. Miraculous Conception

• Alcmena (granddaughter of Perseus, wife of Amphitryon, King of Mycenae) + Zeus = 
• "Heterofraternal Superfecundation", different fathers for fraternal twins: Heracles (f. Zeus) and Iphicles (f Amphitryon, King of Mycenae). 
• Amphitryon is cuckolded on his wedding night while he is away at war, returns to find his wife is pregnant (ref. Plautus's Amphitruo, Roman comedic play on the situation)

2. Imminent Threat at Birth

•  Zeus's boast, that his child born that day will rule all men, angers Hera to force Elethuia to hasten the birth of Eurystheus, Heracles' cousin. 
• In an effort to appease her, Zeus offers Heracles to Hera to suckle, in which he bites off her nipple = creation of Galaktos ("milky way"). 
• Hera unleashes two deadly serpents upon the sleeping child, but Heracles throttles them while still in the crib.

3. Prophecy for Life

•  Seer Tiresias foretells that Heracles will gain numerous victories and rewards for humankind, attain a glorified death, and be the only hero to ascend Mt. Olympia and reside with the gods.

Midlife

Numerous mentors teach him charioteering, wrestling, archery and music (Linus, Mt. Citharon, is accidentally killed by his own lyre). Heracles is exiled to Boeotia, where he saves the town of Thespia from a lion and is given the Megara, Princess of Thebes, hand in marriage. Just as his family is growing happily, Hera strikes Heracles with a fit of madness, causing him to murder his own wife and children in his own home. He seeks the Oracle at Delphi to expiate his crimes, whereby the Pythia orders him to serve his cousin Eurystheus for 12 years and perform his labours.

The 12 Athloi ("Labours")

The 12 Athloi, "labours" or "contests with a prize at the end", depicted on the 12 Metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. They are completed mostly single-handedly, but are assisted by gods or mortals at times. Several incidental Parergon are completed in addition to attest to Heracles might.

Peloponnesian Labours (1-6): centrally located in Mycanea, feature mostly Man vs. Beast.

1. Nemean Lion:

- NW of Mycenae

- Required to fight lion [barehanded/club/bow] and return its [impenetrable] skin. Had to strangle it, since its skin is invulnerable, and then skin it with its own claws.

- Symbolism: iconography of club and lionskin has primitive artistic implications.

2. Lernaean Hydra:

- SE of Mycenae

- Required to defeat the Hydra ("water serpent"), which has 8 mortal heads and 1 immortal head (whereby for every head severed 2 replace it) as well as a giant crab sent by Hera. Iolaus (nephew) aids Heracles by cauterizing the severed stumps while Heracles pins the beast underneath a boulder.

- The defeated crab is preserved by Hera as the constellation Cancer; Heracles dips his arrows in poisonous Hydra blood (future implications).

- Symbolism: Hydra, a never-ending puzzle.

3. Cerynean Hind:

- Arcadia (C. Peloponnesus)

- Required to capture the sacred deer of Artemis, as characterized by its golden antlers, and return it unscathed to Eurystheus to prevent the wrath of the goddess. He tracks it for an entire year until it yields due to exhaustion.

- Hind is returned to Artemis and Heracles is forgiven.

- Symbolism: Pindarian Variation states that Heracles tracked the hind all the way to the land of the Hyperboreans (beyond the North Wind), a journey symbolic of a conquest over death.

4. Erymanthian Boar:

- Mt. Erymanthos (Arcadia)

- The boar is trapped with a net, presented to his cousin, then released.

- Parergon: meets Pholus (centaur) who entertains him with wine (symbol of mans conquest over nature), but the other centaurs attack them for this betrayal. Chiron (re: tutor of Oedipus) is wounded by one of Heracles' poison arrow, and then offers his immortality to Prometheus because he cannot bear to live with the pain.

5. Augean Stables:

- Elis (area of Mt. Olympia)

- Required to clean the filthy stables of King Augeas (son of Helius) who keeps vast herds of enormous cattle. If he succeeds, he is promised 1/10th of the wealth. With the help of Athena, Heracles diverts rivers Alpheus and Peneus to flow through the stables and completes the deed, but Augeaus renegs on the agreement, earning his own death by Heracles' wrath.

- Parergon: Said to have established the first Olympian games during his stay.

6. Stymphalian Birds:

- Lake Stymphalus (Arcadia)

- A flock of carnivorous predatory birds is flushed out by casanets donated by Athena, then shot with the [sling/bow] of Heracles.

Non-Peloponnessian Myths (7-9): Completed in outlying areas of Greece, which add to the claim of his imported origin. Most feats now tend to combine intellect with strength.

7. Cretian Bull:
- Crete (S of Greece)
- Required to catch the bull that King Minos failed to sacrifice to Poseidon. Once overpowering it, he rides it back to the Greek mainland, where it is presented and then released.
- The Bull escapes through an isthmus and resides in the fields of Marathon where it is eventually caught by Theseus.
8. Mares of Diomedes:
- Thrace (N of Greece)
- Required to capture the man-eating herds of King Diomedes (son of Ares). Heracles feeds their king to the horses, then returns to Eurystheus where they are released and dedicated to Hera.
- Parergon: Alcestes (wife of Admetus, King of Thrace) is mourned because she takes her own life for her husband (wish of Apollo granted), so Heracles wrestles Thanatos ("Death") to recover the Queen.
9. Girdle of Hippolyta:
- Amazon (E of Greece)
- Required to deliver the girdle Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta ("Hippo" horse + lyta "tamer"), which is surrendered willingly. Hera gets the Amazons up in arms to attack Heracles on the claim he has come to rape their Queen. Heracles kills the Queen and defeats the army.
- Parergon: rescues the damsel Hesione from the sea monster at Troy upon the request of wealth from King Laomedon. After another deal is reneged upon, he returns, sacks troy, and replaces the throne with King Priam.
- Symbolism: Girdle (chastity) is given as willingly as her life.

Western Labours of Death (10-12): Non-peloponnesian in nature, symbolically and/or literally represent Heracles triumph over death because they take place in the land that is both beyond the understanding of the Greeks. (Also, sun sets in the west, blood red skies, etc.)
10. Cattle of Geryon:
- Erythea ("red land", far west of Greece), is aided by Helius who transports him by Golden Cup.
- Required to capture the cattle of Geryon ("three bodied monster"; son of Callirhoe = Phorcys + Ceto and Chrysaor = Medusa + Poseidon) as supervised by the giant Eurytion and his two-headed watchdog Orth[r]us.  He defeats all three then drives the cattle home.
- Parergon: When he stops in the outcrops of Spain of Morrocco (strait where Med sea meets Atlantic), he sets up the Pillars of Heracles to symbolize the boundary of the known and the unknown world.
11. Apples of Hesperides:
- Far West
- Required to bring back the golden apples from the tree of life (wedding present of Zeus to Hera), as guarded by the three Hesperides ("daughters of evening") and the serpent Ladon.
- The sea monster Nereus is wrestled into submission by Heracles, and is forced to reveal where the location is. In Eurepides' version, Ladon is killed and Heracles returns the apples alone. In the version on the Metopes on the Temple of Zeus, Atlas trades places with Heracles, and is tricked back into upholding the heavens after he obtains the apples.
- Parergon: Busirus, King of Egypt, and his court is slaughtered after violating guest/host relations by sacrificing visiting strangers to Zeus; Antaeus (giant of Libya, son of Poseidon and Earth), is crushed in mid air to death by Heracles in a wrestling match, after it is determined that he gains strength when he touches the earth; Prometheus is freed from his chains, after Heracles kills Zeus' eagle.
12. Cerberus:
- Underworld
- Required to capture the hell-hound of the underworld and present to Eurystheus.
- Hermes and Athena assist Heracles's descent into Hades, where he encounters and frees the hero Theseus, and promises the marry Deianira ("man eater"), sister of Meleager.

Miscellaneous Labours

After receiving expiation for the sin of murdering his wife and family, Heracles encounters a number of "contests" later in life.
- Cercopes (pair of dwarves) are about to be killed for their attempt to rob Heracles, but their joking of his burned-buttocks earns a more humourous mood as well as their lives. Later turned into [apes/stones] by Zeus.
- Deianira (2nd wife) is won by wrestling the shape-shifting river god Acheolus and breaking off one of his magical horns, which is traded for the Cornucopia of Amalthea. On the way back, the centaur Nessus  offers to carry his wife across the flooding river Evenus, but he attempts to rape her, earning him a swift herculean poisoned arrow and a painful death. Before he expires, he tells Deianira to collect his blood on the claim it will prevent Heracles from loving any other women, without taking into consideration the mixing of poisoned Hydra blood with his own.
- Iole, a mortal on the island of Euboea, is refused from a smitten Heracles, who retaliates by throwing her brother off the acropolis. Once more, Heracles seeks expiation for his sins at the Delphic Oracle, who refuses to answer him. When he attempts to make off with her tripod and set up his own oracle, Apollo intervenes, and Zeus commands him that he must serve as a slave for one year to Omphale, Queen of Lydia (cross-dressing, weaving ensues)

Death of Heracles

After learning of her husbands infatuation with Iole, Deinira smears her husbands shirt with Nessus' blood and sents it to be worn at the sacrifice to Zeus. The flames from the offering fused the shirt to Heracles' flesh, burned off his mortal part, and the immortal part ascended Olympus in a chariot sent by Zeus. Only then is he reconciled with Hera, who gives him Hebe ("Youth") as a wife.
Deineria commits suicide on the funeral pyre on Mt. Oeta, lit by a flaming arrow shot by Poeus (Philoctetes Father) from Hercules' bow.
Odyssey, Book 11: Met by Odysseus in the Underworld, some debate of mortality.

Bellerophon

Etymology: "Slayer by shaft"
Origin: Grandson of [death cheating/boulder pushing] Sisyphus. Son of Glaucus,  King of Corinth.
Claim to Fame: Slayer of the Chimera, hybrid fire-breathing lion/serpent/goat monster located in Lycia, Asia Minor.
Literature: Homer's Illiad, Euripedes Bellerophontus

After accidentally killing his brother, he is exiled from Corinth but finds expiation as a suppliant of King Proteus (brother of Acrisius) in Tiryns. The Queen Sthenboea, however, takes a liking to him, and when her seductive charms are rejected she accuses Bellerophon of rape (Potiphar's Wife Motif). In order to find a way to honor Xenia (Greek Guest/Host relations) Proteus orders Bellerophon to take a letter to his father-in law in Lycia (Far East) inscripted with the message to "kill the bearer of the letter". The father-in-law, also unwilling to violate Xenia in fear of the wrath of the Erinyes, instructs Bellerophon to defeat the monsterous Chimera to relieve the dishonor of his accusation.
Bellerophon seeks the aid of Athena, who gives him a golden bridal of which he can use to tame the mythological steed Pegasus. He succeeds in slaying the Chimera through suffocation, and returns to the Greek mainland a hero.

Later on, Bellerophon attempts to ascent Mt. Olympus on Pegasus. For his Hubris, Zeus sends a gadfly to aggravate Pegasus into bucking him off. While Pegasus is captured by Zeus, Bellerophon falls from grace (literally and metaphorically), and lives out the rest of his days as a cripple.

Perseus (Ch 21)

Etymology: N/a.
Geographic Associations: Are of Argos, Mycenae and Tiryns, centre of Greek mainlans.
Origin: Central Greek culture figure. Son of Zeus + Danae.
Claim to Fame: Slaying the Gorgon Medusa, rescuing Andromeda, founder of Mycanae
Literature: Herodontus

Birth: Danae (daughter of Acrisius, King of Argos) + Zeus (Golden Shower)
1. Prophecy for Life: Son of Danae will overthrow King Acrisius.
2. Miraculous Conception: Danae is imprisoned in a brazen [underground chamber/tower] by her father to preserve her virtue. Zeus appears as a shower of sparks to impregnate her.
3. Imminent Threat at Birth: Acrisius denies divine parentage, and casts his daughter and grandson out to the Aegean sea in a chest. Rescued by Dictys ("net man") rescues the pair and delivers them to his brother Polydectes, King of Seriphos, who falls for Danae much to her resistance.
4. Quest: Polydectes orders the young men of the island to bring the throne a horse each. Perseus one ups his peers by boasting he can bring him the head of a Gorgon.

• With the assistance of Athena, he is directed to the Graiai ("Grey Ones", daughters of Phorcys + Ceto) where he steals their single eye and tooth to obtain the whereabouts of the nymphs. 
• From the nymphs, Perseus obtains the Cap of Invisibility, Winged Sandals, and a leather Kibisis ("pouch"). Later variants add in the Scimitar and Polished Shield of Hermes. He then seeks to find the Gorgons Stheno (i.), Euryale (i.), and Medusa (m.).
•  Using the polished shield to prevent petrification, Perseus beheads Medusa and places it in the Kibisis. From her decapitated body springs her two offspring from a tryst with Poseidon, Pegasus (winged horse) and Chrysaor ("he of the Golden Sword"). 
• On his return journey, Perseus saves Andromeda (daughter of Cassiopia + Cepheus, King of Ethiopia) from being sacrificed to Poseidon's sea monster for her mothers hubristic claim she is more ceautiful than the Neriads (Egyptian Oracle of Zeus Ammon symbolizes Greek/African fusion). He then defeats Andromeda's bethrothed, Phineus, by transforming him to stone, and then takes her hand in marriage. 
• On his return to the Island of Seriphos, Perseus avenges his mothers harassment by turning Polydectes to stone, elevating Dictys to crowned ruler.
• While participating in the funeral games in Thessaly, he accidentally kills Acrisius with a stray discus throw. Since he cannot return to Argos with blood on his hands, he becomes king of Tiryns and with Andromeda creates the generations before the family of Atreus.

5. Afterward and Etiology: The Gorgon head is given to Athena for her [breastplate/shield] called the Gorgoneion, while the Sandals, Kibisis, and Cap are given to Hermes. Perseus and Danae form a family and have a son, Perses, that inherits the kingdom of Cepheus and fathers the Perseid Dynasty (ancestors of Heracles).

• Athena invents the flute in imitation of the lamentations of the two surviving Gorgons.
• On his escape, Pegasus strikes Mr Helicon in passing, and from it the Hippocrene fountain emerges, spouting artistic inspiration for generations to come.
• As Perseus flew over Libya, the Gorgon blood dripped through the Kibisis = poisonous snakes.
• As Perseus passed Atlas he was refused hospitality, so he turned Atlas to stone = Atlas mountains.

Odysseus (Ch 20)

Etymology: Unknown. Ep. Polytropos "of many twists and turns".
Origin: King of Ithica, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus. Son of Laertes and Anticlia.
Claim to Fame: Cunning, Trojan Horse, Katabasis (mortal descent into hell)
Literature: Vergil's Aeneid, Homer's Odyssey, Homer's Illiad

Nostos ("Homecoming")

After 10 years of fighting at Troy alongside Achilles, it takes him 10 years to return home to Ithaca to his faithful wife and growing son.

1. Cicones, Thracian tribe allied with the Trojans
Odysseus sacks the city of the Cicones at Ismarus, but spares Apollo's priest Maron in exchange for 12 amphorae of wine. Six men from each of his ships are slaughtered as reinforcements arrive and they must flee.

2. Lotus-Eaters, North Africa
As they were rounding the tip of the Peloponnesus, the wind blows them off course to the land of the lotus-eaters, where one taste of their fruit is to attain blissful, apathetic oblivion. Odysseus resists the temptations to be relieved of all wants, desires, and passions in life through eternal sleep, and forces his men back to the ships to continue on home.

3. Polyphemus, one-eyed giant, son of Poseidon
Odysseus is captured by the giant Polyphemus, who kills and eats his six of his men before imprisoning them in his cave. They drug him with the 12 amphorae of wine, and while he is sleeping Odysseus blinds him with a burning stick, whispering to him that his name is "nobody" so the other cyclopes could not charge him. To escape, Odysseus and his surviving crew tie themselves to the bellies of the giant's sheep, so when he took them out to graze the prisoners were left undiscovered. As they sail away, Odysseus accidentally reveals his name, earning the wrath of Poseidon by the wrongdoing of his son.

4. Aeolus, keeper of the winds
They stop of the island of Aeolus, and befriend its inhabitant so that he gives Odysseus a leather bag containing the winds that will blow them home safely. Unfortunately just as they are almost in view of Ithaca Odysseus falls asleep and the mischievous crew open the bag, blowing them all back to Aeolus' island. This time, they cannot convince Aeolus to aid them again, so they turn to the seas once more.

5. Laestrygones, cannibalistic tribe
Captured by cannibals, 11 of Odysseus' 12 ships are destroyed and the men are devoured. Odysseus and his own ship's crew is all that remains.

6. Circe, sorceress, daughter of Helius. Island of Aeaea.
Odysseus and his crew are welcomed by Circe, and while he stays behind with the ship, they are all transformed into swine. Hermes intervenes, giving Odysseus the herb "moly" (antidote to her witchcraft), and Odysseus seduces Circe into transforming his men back into humans and letting them go. He first convinces her to reveal the means by which he can learn how to get home, several warnings for the jounrey ahead, and attains instructions to perform Nekuia ("spirit summoning") to consult the spirit of the dead seer Tiresias.

7. Katabasis, kata "down" + basis "going" (Homer's Odyssey Book 11, "Book of the Dead")
In the far west, Odysseus performs the rituals of Nekuia to summon the spirit of Tiresias. As instructed by Circe, Odysseus sacrificed an unfertile heifer and black sheep as well as pour a libation of honey, wine, milk, water, and blood to replenish the dead and convince Erebus to release several shades:
- Anticlia (mother), who died of a broken heart waiting for her son. Odysseus attempts three times to embrace her, but passes through her shade
- Elpenor (comrade at arms), who died of a drunken escapade and was left unburied and unwept. Cursed for 100 years.
- Achilles (comrade at arms), who died of Paris' divine arrow, asserts "it's better a slave on earth than King of the Dead"
- Ajax (comrade at arms), who died of suicide at the incomprehension of losing a wager to Odysseus, turns his back and refuses to speak.
- Tiresias (seer), who died of old age, is given blood in exchange for the knowledge that will return Odysseus alone to Ithica, where he must face Penelope's suitors before he can attain his rightful place.

8. Sirens, women who lure ships to rocks said to hold intellectual/sexual secrets = femme fatale
Eager to hear their song, Odysseus orders his men to tie him to the mast of the ship (by no means untie him) and plug their own ears with wax so they can safely pass. Like Prometheus, Odysseus succeeds in overcoming temptation with foresight.

9. Scylla and Charybdis, straits of Messina (Sicily and Italy)
To negotiate the violent rocks and whirlpools, Odysseus adheres to the side of the strait associated with Scylla. Six of his men are consumed by her. They also pass safely through Planctae ("clashing rocks"), the Mediterranean Sea/ Black Sea passage connection.

10. Cattle of Thrinacia, island of Helius
Warned by Circe not to touch the cattle, Odysseus's crew disobeys, earning the wrath of Helius as enacted by Zeus's thunderbolt. Everyone drowns but Odysseus, who avoids Charybdis, clinging to the wreckage of his ship.

11. Calypso ("concealer"), sea-nymph and daughter of Atlas

Imprisons Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for 7 years. Although she nourishes him back to health as well as promises him immortality, Odysseus cannot justify (a) not returning to his family and kingdom, and (b) having his name left unspoken due to his concealment. He petitions Zeus, who sends Hermes to sanction his release.

12. Phaeacians, peaceful seafaring tribe, Scheria

Odysseus' raft is shipwrecked by Poseidon near the isle of the Scheria but Leucothea and Athena help him ashore. He is discovered by the princess Nausicaa, daughter of Alcinous and Arete, who earns his stays at their court through the retelling of his adventures. He shows prowess in a number of contests, and is sent home to Ithica with magical intervention.

Poseidon, angered by the Phaeacian's intervention, turns their ships to stone.

Arrival at Ithica

Since Telemachus is too young to be eligible for the throne, Peripheron Penelope ("circumspect") is harassed by a number of suitors intending to steal it from Odysseus.

- Telemacheus travels to Pylos to visit King Nestor, and Sparta to visit King Menalaus, to discover whether Odysseus still lives.
- Meanwhile, Penelope promises she shall pick a suitor once she is finished weaving her husbands shround (each night she undoes the days work to start over in the morning)

Disguised as a begger, Athena directs Odysseus to Eumaeus, the swine herd who kept Odysseus' faithful dog, Argus. The dog recognises his master and drops dead, affirming his identity as the lost king to Eumaeus and Telemachus. Similarly, an old nurse of his (Euryclea, characterized by her gashed thigh) washes his feet as a charity to a beggar, but upon recognizing them, she recognizes her king.

He arranges a meeting with Penelope on the claim he has seen Odysseus, dropping hints at his true identity by commenting on the fact she is not wearing a certain brooch (a gift from Odysseus, long ago).
In response to her suspicion of the stranger at court Penelope arranges an archery contest for the suitors, whereby they must string her husbands bow and shoot through 12 axeheads. Each one fails, until the beggar is given a turn, whereby Odysseus enacts his vengeance through his dramatic reveal.

• Father and son slaughters Antinoos (main suitor) and the rest, sparing only Medon (herald) and Phemius (bard). 
• The 12 Servant-girls that taunted the beggar at court as well as slept with the suitors were charged with cleaning up the bloodshed, then were hanged for their disloyalty. 
• Goat-herd Melanthius was mutilated and killed for violating Xenia.

Having been sent away during the bloodshed, Penelope enacts one last test for the stranger by asking Nurse Euryclea to move her marriage bed, which only few know that it is actually hand-carved out of a living, rooted olive tree. Odysseus' outrage at this order confirms his identity as it is a secret symbol of their tryst. Athena then consummates Odysseus's return and he obtains his rightful place as ruler of Ithica.

The Mycenaean Saga (Ch 18)

The Mycenaean Saga is oriented around the trials of Pelops and his descendents, namely the House of Atreus.

Etymology: Pelops, pelios "dark" + ops "eye"
Origin: Cult site at Olympia, the Pelopion ("shrine to Pelops") which precedes the worship of Zeus.
Claim to Fame: Eponymous hero of the Peloponnesus ("island of Pelops"), Olympic Games, multigenerational family blood-feud
Literature: Aeschylus' Oresteia (Agamemnon, Choephori/Libation Bearers, Eumenides)

Tantalus, King of Mt. Sipylus, served his son Pelops to feasting Gods at his court. In return he suffered eternal retribution in Hades with an insatiable thirst and hunger, with food and drink just out of reach. Zeus, having mercy on Pelops, restored him almost perfectly to life with a replacement ivory shoulder, for the flesh that was mistakenly consumed by Demeter. He is abducted and brought to Olympia, where he learns the sport of chariot driving.

Once grown, Pelops develops an affection for Hippodamia, daughter of Oenomaus (King of Pisa). First he must complete the marriage challenge forwarded by the King, who defeated 13 prior suitors in a death race and mounted their heads on spikes as a warning.

Pelops enters the competition with a golden chariot and winged steeds, a gift from his abductee Poseidon. He then bribes the King's charioteer, Myrtilus, with a one night stand with Hippodamia if Myrtilus is able to sabotage the King's chariot and ensure Pelops' victory. Oenomaus's lynchpin is replaced with wax, which caused his chariot to fall apart in the race and for Oenomaus to be dragged to death by his own horses. The victorious Pelops renegs on his deal with Myrtilus by pushing him off a cliff. Before his last breath, however, Myrtilus curses the descendants of Pelops.

Now the new King of Pisa, Pelops institutes the Olympic Games (a) in honor of his victory over Oenomaus, and (b) to purify himself of miasma ("blood-pollution").

Hippodamia bears him two sons, Atreus and Thyestes, who quarrel over the kingdom due to an oracle that states the kingdom of Pelops will go to one of his sons. Atreus' claim that it is his right as eldest is bested by Thyestes "divine sign" of a golden-fleeced ram (which he obtained by cuckolding Atreus by sleeping with his wife Aerope and stealing Atreus's own ram).

Atreus feigns reconciliation by inviting his brother for dinner and serving him his own sons, and recieves a curse upon his own descendants as Thyestes goes into exile, where an oracle tells Thyestes that if he bears a son with his own daughter, Pelopia, he will overthrow Atreus.

Atreus has two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus who each marry the daughters of Tyndareus (Clytemnestra and Helen), and ascend the thrones of Mycenae and Sparta, respectively.

• Agamemnon (King of Mycenae) + Clytemnestra = Orestes (m.), Electra (f.), Iphigenia (f.)
• Menalaus (King of Sparta) + Helen

When Menalaus's wife, Helen, is abducted by Paris (see Trojan Saga pt. ii), all of Greece must go to war. Before they depart, however, the greek seer indicates Artemis is angry and demands the sacrifice of Agamemnon's own daughter, Iphigenia, to gain favourable winds. They depart for 10 years war at Troy.

Aeschelus' Oresteia, "Agamemnon"

 Meanwhile, a vengeful Clytemnestra takes Aegisthus as a lover, and waits for her husband to return. Though his death [and her own] is foreseen by the cursed seer Cassandra, Agamemnon is mercilessly slaughtered by his wife and nephew.

Aeschelus' Oresteia, "Choephori (Libation Bearers)"

Vengeful of her father, Electra pours a libation on her fathers grave begging for Orestes return. Orestes, previously in exile, is divinely sanctioned by Apollo to avenge his fathers death, but as he murders his mother and cousin, he is driven mad by the Erinyes ("furies") for murdering a family member.

Aeschelus' Oresteia, "Eumenides"

Orestes [and his flock of furies] ventures to Delphi to seek purification from matricide from Apollo (animal sacrifice), who then directs him to Athens for total absolution. He pleads his case before Areopagus, the Athenian court. Defended by Apollo, persecuted by the Erinyes, judged by Athena and her Athenians, Orestes is acquitted of his family crime because the murder of his father is considered greater than the murder of his mother. Thus, the curse of Myrtilus is broken.
The Erinyes are appeased, and become known as the Eumenides ("kindly ones") and are integrated into the Athenian rule of law as part of checks and balances.

Moral of the story? Out of murder, blood pollution, family vendetta, and vengeance comes order.

Oedipus (Ch 17)

Etymology: Oedipus, "swollen foot"
Origin: Born to Laius + Jocasta of Thebes, raised by Polybus + Merope of Corinth.
Claim to Fame: Defeats Sphinx. Kills his father, marries his mother.
Literature: Sophocles' Theban Trilogy (Oedipus Rex/Tyrannus, Antigone, Oedipus at Colonus), Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (Seven Against Thebes)

Precedents

Laius, the great-grandson of Cadmus, breaks Xenia (guest-host relationship) by abducting and raping Pelop's son Chrysippus, and thus his lineage is cursed. Laius returns to Thebes, ascends the throne, and marries Jocasta.He learns of an oracle that proclaims he is destined to die at the hands of his own son, asserting the curse placed upon him by Pelops, so when his son Oedipus is born he is abandoned on Mt. Cithaeron with spikes driven through both ankles (not only is his death likely, his spirit is anchored to one place).
Tiresias, the Theban seer, makes the mistake of striking two snakes that are copulating, and is thus changed into a woman for 7 years. Interested in his experience, Jupiter questions Tiresias if it is man or woman that obtains more pleasure from sex. He agrees with Jupiter that women derives more pleasure, and is struck blind by an enraged Juno. To compensate he is granted the gift of prophecy, despite his physical blindness.

Oedipus Tyrannus

Oedipus is rescued by a Corinthian shepard and delivered to Polybus and Merope (rulers of Corinth), where he receives his name. As he matures, he is mocked for being adopted, so he seeks information of his true parents from the Delphic Oracle, who responds instead that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Under the conception that Polybus and Merope are his parents, he vows never to return home and wanders to Thebes instead.
He encounters a regal procession at a crossroads, whereby he is driven off the road and is struck by a man in a chariot. Unbeknownst to Oedipus, this man is his father Laius (King of Thebes), so when he slaughters all but one (the shepard that saved him as a child) of the offending party he fulfills the first half of the Oracles prophecy.
He continues on into the city, where he meets the Sphinx ("strangler", part lion part eagle) that devours those that cannot answer her riddle (Q: What creature is quadruped, biped, and triped? A: Man. Four-legged as an infant, two-legged as an adult, with a cane as an elder). Because the Sphinx commits suicide, Oedipus is the saviour of the city, and therefore becomes King of Thebes with Jocasta as his wife - who bears him 4 children, Antigone (f.), Ismene (f.), Polyneices (m.), and Eteocles (m.).
A plague strikes Thebes because Laius' murder has never been solved. Ironically, Oedipus becomes the object of his own curse when he vows to uproot and avenge the killer, ignoring Tiresias' warning hint. A messenger from Corinth arrives, bearing news of the death of King Polybus and the ascension of Oedipus to the throne. The truth is revealed that Oedipus was not his biological son, while Oedipus forces the nature of his true parentage out of the messenger and a Theban attendant, Jocasta retreats into the palace to hang herself. In grief, Oedipus blinds himself and commits to self-imposed exile in Colonus, as led by his daughter Antigone.

Oedipus at Colonus

The inhabitants of Colonus reject Oedipus because his reputation precedes him. Theseus (King of Athens) resolves the situation and allows his exile due a the prophecy that states the city possessing the bones of Oedipus cannot be taken, but Oedipus mysteriously disappears into the Grove of Eumenides (Eryines).

Seven Against Thebes

The sons of Oedipus are cursed by their father to die by each others hands, as forseen by the seer Tiresias. While Eteocles ascends the throne, Polyneices is exiled from Thebes but manages to steal the robe and necklace of Harmonia (wife of Cadmus). He uses the necklace to win over 6 allies that declare war on Thebes, to no avail. The seven gates are defended by seven heroes, and the brothers kill each other to fulfill the prophecy. Only Amphiarus (seer) and Adrastas are saved, either swallowed by the earth or saved by the divine steed Arion, and Thebes is momentarily left without a ruler.

Antigone

After the deaths of the brothers, Creon (evil uncle of Antigone) becomes King of Thebes and dictates that Polyneices the Traitor must be denied burial while Eteocles will be given full funeral honors. At her uncle's hubris (damning her brother as a wandering spirit), Antigone takes matters into her own hands and sprinkles dust on her brother's corpse as a symbolic burial. She is thus sentenced imprisonment without food and water, and commits suicide by hanging. Her berothed as well as mother also kill themselves.