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 Imported "primitive" qualities: brute strength, use of outdated weapons (ie.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.

Trojan Saga, pt. III (Ch 19)

Post-Iliad Events

Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, comes to fight for the Trojans but is defeated by Achilles and stripped of her armour. Upon realizing she is a woman, Achilles is smitten, and falls in love with her as he kills her. For this unrequited love, he is jibed by Thersites (Greek joker figure) as being "the ugliest man in Troy". After slaying the joker, a fellow soldier, he must withdraw to Lesbos for blood purification before returning to battle.

Achilles is finally slain by Paris's arrow, guided by Apollo, which punctures his moral heel. Achilles' corpse and armour is fought for by Ajax the Greater and is recovered back to the Achaean camp, where the ghost of Achilles demands the sacrifice of Priam's daughter Polyxena.

Odysseus and Ajax fight over armour, which is eventually arbitrated over by Athena and a Greek jury. Odysseus wins the arms due to cunning, as he blackmails a group of terrorized Trojan prisoners into testifying to his might. Ajax goes insane with incomprehension, and slaughters a flock of sheep under the disillusion they are the jury of Greek leaders. After realizing his "failure as a hero" he commits suicide by falling upon his own sword. The death of Ajax the Greater is a symbol of the end of the "old hero". The last of his kind, he represents a nation of heroes that relied on brute strength over cunning and wiles. From his blood, a hyacinth sprouts, honoring the passing of his spirit.
Odysseus concludes that "we who live are nothing more than ghosts and weightless shades", implying that no matter how great and mighty you are, you will inevitable be levelled by your mortality.

The three conditions foreseen by Helenus, the Trojan seer, are met by the Achaean army:

• Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, is recovered. He brutally slaughters Priam at an altar.
• The Paladium, the wooden figure of Pallas, friend of Athena, is stolen by Odysseus disguised as a beggar.
• The Bow of Heracles is recovered from Philoctetes in Lemnos.

As such, Odysseus commands Epeus to build a giant wooden horse. While the Greeks feign retreat by sailing away behind the island of Tenedos, they leave behind Sinon, who pretends he's escaped from becoming a Greek human sacrifice. Sinon explains that the horse is an offering to Athena, and is built so large that the Trojans will not be able to fit it inside their walls, but the Trojans tear down their own gates in order to capture it.

The Trojans are warned twice: once by Cassandra, daughter of Prium suffering a curse from Apollo, and the other by Laocoon, who declares Sinon a liar and the horse a ruse. He hurls a spear into the side of the horse and hears the rattling of soldiers' armour, which is miraculously drowned out by the sudden appearance of two sea serpents that drag him and his two children into the sea.

With the city penetrated, the Achaeans mercilessly ransack Troy. Euripedes' Trojan Women, as well as other Greek literary works, depict the Post-Iliad as a powerful anti-war tragedy, as seen through the eyes of prisoner women (Hecuba, Cassandra, Andromache).

• Ajax the Lesser, son of Oileus, attempts to rape Cassandra at the temple of Athena, ensuring his death on the way home. Cassandra herself is taken as concubine to Agamemnon, as told in Aeschylus' Agamemnon.
• Odysseus hurls Hectors son Astyanax from the walls of Troy, before his mother's eyes, because "only a fool kills a father and allows his son to live. Andromache herself is taken as a concubine.

As told in Vergil's Aeneid, Aeneas (Aphrodite + Anchises) is visited upon by Hector's ghost, is told to escape far away, to a land where he is the eventual founder of Rome.

The Trojan Saga, pt I (Ch 19)

Overview

The Trojan War spanned 10 years of fighting and skirmishing between the Greeks and the Trojans, and is reflected in the quarrelling of allied Gods and Goddesses. What begins as a war over the abduction of Helen continues as an excuse for political advancement, whereby the Greeks seek to assert their dominance over the Romans.

Key Concepts

Warrior Pride

• Arete, "excellence": the pursuit of physical and intellectual dominance
• Time, "face": honor of a warrior, his reputation
• Kleos, "glory": the essence of being a victor, and history is written by those who win.

Loyalty: the wives of Agamemnon and Odysseus contrast the virtue of loyalty and are rewarded by their own fate and the fate of their kingdom.

War Precedents

1. Leda, wife of Tindareus (King of Sparta) is visited upon by Zeus (disguised as a swan). She gives birth to two eggs, four kids: Polydeuces/Pollux + Helen, Castor + Clytemnestra.
- The Dioscuri ("sons of Zeus"): Pollux (immortal) and Castor (mortal), grow up to join Jason and the argonauts. In a violent storm, flames flicker from the brother's heads ("Castor and Pollux", "St. Elmos Fire") and the storms seize immediately in the face of their divinity. Castor, however, is later killed in a fight, and is avenged by his brother Pollux who splits his immortality (one brother occupies the underworld, while the other is above, they alternate each day)
- Tyndareus, in a position where his daughter is desired by countless suitors of significant political clout, asks Odysseus to solve his daughter's betrothal in exchange for the hand of Penelope. Odysseus asserts that (1) all suitors must abide by Tyndareus's decision, (2) all must vow for her vengeance if she is ever abducted, and (3) Menalaus, King of Sparta, would be the best protectorate and husband.

2. Hecuba, wife of Priam (King of Troy), has a dream of a fire-brand that destroys Troy, and subsequently gives birth to it. In fear of her nation, she abandons the infant Paris on the side of Mt. Ida where he is discovered and raised by a shepard.

3. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (neriad), the Gods in attendance are thrown into discord by the appearance of Eris ("strife"), who throws a golden apple among the goddesses inscribed with "to the fairest". Zeus chooses the Paris, handsome son of Priam, to make a ruling between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, who respectively bribe him with power, military prowess, and Helen.
Naturally, Paris ascertains that Aphrodite is the fairest of them all.

4. When Paris abducts Helen and returns to Troy, all Greek heroes are ordered to assembly at Aulis - only Odysseus is reluctant and momentarily feigns madness. The seer Calchas of Sparta prophetizes Troy cannot be taken without Achilles. The seer Helenus of Troy prophetizes Troy cannot be captured without the aid of Heracles' bow.

5. Meanwhile, Thetis attempts to make Achilles immortal.

• Like Diamophoon, Thetis makes like Demeter and attempts to burn away the mortal flesh of an ambrosia-anointed Achilles. Once she reaches his heel, however, she is stopped by Peleus.
• Or, she dips Achilles by his heel into the River Styx.

He is mentored alongside Patrocles by the centaur Chiron on Mt. Pelion, until Thetis learns of the prophecy he will either live his life short and glorious, or long and unremarkable. She responds by hiding Achilles on the Cycladid island Scyros, and disguising him by concealing him in women's clothing.
His cover is blown, however, when Odysseus calls the young men of the island to arms.
He leaves behind a wife, Deidamia, and son, Neoptolemus (a.k.a. Pyrrhus) in order to go to war with the Achaens.

6. As the armada at Aulis is completed, King Agamemnon learns he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease Artemis and gain favourable winds. He deceives the young girl by saying she is about to marry Achilles, but before she is about to be executed, Artemis substitutes a young doe and whisks her off to the land of the Taurians.

7. On the way to Troy, Philoctetes (holder of Heracles' bow) is bitten in the foot by a snake. The wound rots to give off a powerful enough stench he is dropped off, with bow and arrows, on the island of Lemnos. He is later rescued and the bow is what eventually kills Paris.

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.

Apollo (Ch 11)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Apollo
     (l.) Apollo, Phoebus ("bright/shining"), Loxius ("crooked/devious")
Domain: Ambiguous non-hellenic origin (Lycia, Hyperborea). Came to occupy Delphi.
Genealogy: Zeus + Leto. Brother to Artemis. Father of Asclepius (father of medicine).
Claim to Fame: God of poetry, prophecy, medicine, sailors, colonization, archery. Installer of the oracle
     at Delphi. Conqueror of land but not of love.
Iconography: Sun, lyre, raven, swan, laurel wreath, dolphin
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Ovid's Metamorphosis

Myth

I. Delian Apollo - On the island of Delos, Leto finds refuge from the wrath of Hera, who is trying to prevent the birth of her children. In exchange for sanctuary, the lonely island is promised wealth, civilization, populace and fame. After 9 days of labour, Eilethya (goddess of childbirth) is sent to assist her, as conjured by Iris (goddess of the rainbow). Artemis is born first and it is either her or Eilethya that assists Leto with the birth of Apollo. From then on, the island is used as a treasury for the Athenians.

II. Pythian Apollo - Prophetized before birth that he is destined to seek a location for an oracle, Apolo comes to Crisa, at the foot of Mt. Parnassus. After slaying the dragon residing there (symbol of I.E. domination over autochthonous cultures), he leaves it there to rot and it becomes known as Pytho[n] ("to rot"). In punishment for slaying Ge & Themis' dragon, Apollo is exiled to Thessaly for 9 years (roots for the purification Festival of Stepteria, which occurs every 9 years).
Upon his return, Zeus sends his two eagles around the earth, and drops the Omphalus ("navel", Zeus stand-in that tricked Cronus) where they meet, which becomes the city to be known as Delphi.

III. Apollo Delphinius - After transforming himself into a dolphin (delphis), Apollo commandeers a Cretan ship and enlists the sailors as attendants for his oracle (symbol of minoan cultures being 'commandeered' by I.E. forces). Delphi becomes the sanctuary name, becomes an athletic/academic hub as well as a treasury of the rich and powerful.
Apollo installs Pythia, the prophetess of Apollo, upon a tripod (symbol of divine power) to relay oracles to the priest of Apollo for interpretation. Generally an asexual, postmenopausal mortal speaking in tongues. Believed to be possessed by Apollo, whereas it's more likely she was hallucinating from breathing in fumes from a nearby chasm or chewing copious amounts of laurels and vegetation. Also created and forwarded the maxims "know thyself" and "nothing too much" to warn humankind against our own hubris.

IV. Olympian Idol
1. Pan (Goat god, associate of Dionysus) criticizes the music of Apollo, boasting he can pipe better than Apollo can play his lyre. King Tymolus and King Midas are consulted as judges for the competition, and when Midas hubristically spites Apollo by siding with pan, he sprouts donkeys ears that from that day on must be wrapped in a turban. Pan is spared, only because of his divine company.
2. Marsyas (satyr) and his flute challenges Apollo to a musical contest, whereby the victor can do anything to the vanquished. Marsyas is easily defeated by Apollo and his lyre, and as a result is flayed alive.

V. Labours of Love - Apollo met and transcended a series of lovers, seemingly cursed to never find companionship.
1. Cassandra (daughter of Priam, King of Troy): offered the gift of prophecy in exchange for sexual favours. When she renegs on her end of the deal, she is cursed: always prophesies the truth, but never believed.
2. Cumaen Sibyl: Offered as many years of life as the grains of sand in her hands in exchange for sexual favours. She also renegs on the deal, she is cursed with a long life without lasting youth. Reduced in stature to the extent she becomes only a voice eternally wishes for death instead of obscurity.
3. Marpessa (lover of mortal argonaut Idas): Zeus intervenes with her abduction, giving her a choice of lovers. Apollo is rejected because she is afraid of abandonment once in her old age.
4. Daphne ("laurel", daughter of River Peneus) - Eros strikes Apollo with a golden arrow and Daphne with a leaden one so she will reject his advances. She flees and calls upon her father's help to escape Apollo's grasp, and is thus transformed into the laurel tree that is foreverore sacred to Apollo.
5. Hyacinthus (Spartan inamorato of Apollo ): killed by an errant discus, sent by a jealous Zephyrus (west wind). Apollo causes Hyacinth flower to sprout from the blood, the petals inscribed "ai, ai...", the cry of lament from Apollo. Worshipped annually him at the Hyacinthia (Spartan tomb).
6. Coronis (legitimate wife): pregnant with Apollo's child Asclepius, Coronis has an affair with another mortal, which is witnessed by Apollo's raven. Out of rage, Apollo blackens the feathers of his raven, and mortally wounds his wife. Filled with regret, he sets up her funeral pyre, but manages to salvage his  unborn son out of the flames. Asclepius is handed over to Chiron, the wise centaur, to be tutored in the healing arts. Asclepius matures to become known as the father of medicine, symbolized by his medical staff coiled with a single serpent, and sets up temple complex Epidaurus in the Peloponnesus to serve as a healing sanctuary honouring the gods.