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030 - Legends The Epigoni Alcmaeon and the Necklace and The Heraclidae · Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty eight of Myths and Legends. This is a
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M.
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  Speaker 1: Barons the Epigony. Ten years after these events, the sons
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  Speaker 1: of the slain heroes, who were called epigony or descendants,
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  Speaker 1: resolved to avenge the death of their fathers, and with
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  Speaker 1: this object entered upon a new expedition against the city
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  Speaker 1: of Thebes. By the advice of the Delphic Oracle, the
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  Speaker 1: command was entrusted to Alchemion, the son of Amphiarus, but
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  Speaker 1: remembering the injunction of his father, he hesitated to accept
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  Speaker 1: this post before executing vengeance on his mother, Aerophile Thrsander. However,
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  Speaker 1: the son of Polyneses, adopting similar tactics to those of
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  Speaker 1: his father, bribed Aerphile with the beautiful vale of Harmonia,
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  Speaker 1: bequeathed to him by Polyneses, to induce her son Alcmon
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  Speaker 1: and his brother Amphilochus to join in the second war
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  Speaker 1: against Thebes. Now, the mother of Alcmeon was gifted with
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  Speaker 1: that rare fascination which renders its possessor irresistible to all
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  Speaker 1: whom he chanced to come within its influence. Nor was
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  Speaker 1: her own son able to withstand her blandishments. Yielding therefore
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  Speaker 1: to her wily representations, he accepted the command of the troops, and,
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  Speaker 1: at the head of a large and powerful army, advanced
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  Speaker 1: upon Thebes. Before the gates of the city, Alcmeon encountered
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  Speaker 1: the Thebans under the command of Laudamas, the son of Etiocles.
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  Speaker 1: A fierce battle ensued, in which the Theban leader, after
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  Speaker 1: performing prodigies of valor, perished by the hand of Balcmon.
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  Speaker 1: After losing their chief and the flower of their army,
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  Speaker 1: the Thebans retreated behind the city walls, and the nay
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  Speaker 1: now pressed them hard on every side. In their distress,
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  Speaker 1: they appealed to the blind old seer Tyresius, who was
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  Speaker 1: over one hundred years old, with trembling lips and in
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  Speaker 1: broken accents. He informed them that they could only save
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  Speaker 1: their lives by abandoning their native city with their wives
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  Speaker 1: and families. Upon this, they dispatched ambassadors into the enemy's camp,
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  Speaker 1: and whilst these were protracting negotiations. During the night, the Thebans,
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  Speaker 1: with their wives and children, evacuated the city. Next morning,
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  Speaker 1: the Argives entered thieves and plundered it, placing Thursander, the
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  Speaker 1: son of Polyneses, who was a descendant of Cadmus, on
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  Speaker 1: the throne which his father had so vainly contested Elcmon
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  Speaker 1: and the necklace. When Alcmeon returned from his expedition against
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  Speaker 1: the Thebans, he determined to fulfill the last injunction of
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  Speaker 1: his father and Phiarus, who had desired him to be
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  Speaker 1: revenged on his mother Aerophile or her perfidy in accepting
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  Speaker 1: a bribe to betray him. This resolution was further strengthened
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  Speaker 1: by the discovery that his unprincipled mother had urged him
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  Speaker 1: also to join the expedition in return for the much
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  Speaker 1: coveted veil of Harmonia. He therefore put her to death,
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  Speaker 1: and taking with him the ill fated necklace and veil,
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  Speaker 1: abandoned forever the home of his fathers. But the gods,
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  Speaker 1: who could not suffer so unnatural a crime to go unpunished,
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  Speaker 1: afflicted him with madness and sent one of the furies
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  Speaker 1: to pursue him. Unceasingly. In this unhappy condition, he wandered
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  Speaker 1: about from place to place, until at last, having reached
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  Speaker 1: Sophis in Arcadia, Vegus, king of the country, not only
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  Speaker 1: purified him of his crime, but also bestowed upon him
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  Speaker 1: the hand of his daughter Arsenaux, to whom Alcmion presented
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  Speaker 1: the necklace and veil which had already been the cause
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  Speaker 1: of so much unhappiness. Though now released from his mental affliction,
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  Speaker 1: the curse which hung over him would not entirely removed,
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  Speaker 1: and on his account, the country of his adoption was
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  Speaker 1: visited with a severe drought. On consulting the Article of Delphi,
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  Speaker 1: he was informed that any land which offered him shelter
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  Speaker 1: would be cursed by the gods, and that the malediction
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  Speaker 1: would continue to follow him till he came to a
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  Speaker 1: country which was not in existence at the time. He
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  Speaker 1: had murdered his mother, Bereat of Hope, and resolved no
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  Speaker 1: longer to cast the shadow of his dark fate over
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  Speaker 1: those he loved, Alcmion took a tender leave of his
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  Speaker 1: wife and little son, and became once more an outcast
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  Speaker 1: and wanderer. Arrived after a long and painful pilgrimage at
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  Speaker 1: the river Aclus, he discovered, to his unspeakable joy, a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful and fertile island which had but lately emerged from
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  Speaker 1: beneath the water. Here he took up his abode, and
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  Speaker 1: in this haven of rest he was at length freed
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  Speaker 1: from his sufferings and finally purified of his crime by
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  Speaker 1: the river god Aclus. But in his new found home,
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  Speaker 1: where prosperity smiled upon him, Alcmon soon forgot the loving
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  Speaker 1: wife and child he had left behind, and wooed Calio,
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  Speaker 1: the beautiful daughter of the river god, who became united
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  Speaker 1: to him in marriage. For many years, Alcmeon and Caliero
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  Speaker 1: lived happily together, and two sons were born to them.
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  Speaker 1: But unfortunately for the peace of her husband, the daughter
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  Speaker 1: of Achylus had heard of the celebrated necklace and veil
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  Speaker 1: of Harmonia and became seized with a violent desire to
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  Speaker 1: become the possessor of these precious treasures. Now, the necklace
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  Speaker 1: and veil were in the safe keeping of Arsenal, But
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  Speaker 1: as Alcmeon had carefully concealed the fact of his former
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  Speaker 1: marriage from his young wife, he informed her when no
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  Speaker 1: longer able to combat her importunities, that he had concealed
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  Speaker 1: them in a cave in his native country, and promised
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  Speaker 1: to hasten thither and procure them for her. He accordingly
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  Speaker 1: took leave of Calo and his children and proceeded to Sophis,
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  Speaker 1: where he presented himself before his deserted wife and her father,
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  Speaker 1: King Fegus. To them, he excused his absence by the
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  Speaker 1: fact of his having suffered from a fresh attack of madness,
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  Speaker 1: and added that an oracle had foretold him that his
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  Speaker 1: malady would only be cured when he had deposited the
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  Speaker 1: necklace and veil of Harmonia in the Temple of Apollo
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  Speaker 1: at Delphi. Arsenod, deceived by his artful representations, unhesitatingly restored
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  Speaker 1: to him his bridal gifts, whereupon Alcmion set out on
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  Speaker 1: his homeward journey, well satisfied with the successful issue of
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  Speaker 1: his expedition, but the fatal necklace and veil were doomed
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  Speaker 1: to bring ruin and disaster to all who possessed them.
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  Speaker 1: During his sojourn at the court of King Phegus, one
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  Speaker 1: of the servants who had accompanied Alcmaeon betrayed the secret
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  Speaker 1: of his union with the daughter of the river god.
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  Speaker 1: And when the king informed his sons of his treacherous conduct,
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  Speaker 1: they determined to avenge the wrongs of their sister Arseno.
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  Speaker 1: They accordingly concealed themselves at a point of the row
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  Speaker 1: which Alcmion was compelled to pass, and as he neared
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  Speaker 1: the spot, they suddenly emerged from their place of ambush,
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  Speaker 1: fell upon him, and despatched him. When Arseno, who still
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  Speaker 1: loved her faithless husband, heard of the murder, she bitterly
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  Speaker 1: reproached her brothers for the crime which they had perpetrated,
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  Speaker 1: at which they were so incensed that they placed her
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  Speaker 1: in a chest and conveyed her to Agapenor, son of Anzius,
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  Speaker 1: at Tigia. Here they accused her of the murder for
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  Speaker 1: which they themselves were guilty, and she suffered a painful death. Caliero,
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  Speaker 1: on learning the sad fate of Alcmion, implored Zeus that
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  Speaker 1: her infant sons might grow at once the manhood and
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  Speaker 1: avenge the death of their father. The ruler of Olympus
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  Speaker 1: heard the petition of the bereaved wife, and in answer
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  Speaker 1: to her prayer, the children of yesterday became transformed into
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  Speaker 1: bearded men full of strength and courage, and thirsting for revenge,
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  Speaker 1: hastening to Tigia. They there encountered the sons of Figus,
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  Speaker 1: who were about to repair to Delphi in order to
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  Speaker 1: deposit the necklace and veil in the sanctuary of Apollo,
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  Speaker 1: And before the brothers had time to defend themselves, the
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  Speaker 1: stalwart sons of Calot rushed upon them and slew them.
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  Speaker 1: They then proceeded to Sophis, where they killed King Phegus
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  Speaker 1: and his wife, after which they returned to their mother
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  Speaker 1: with the necklace and veil, which, by the command of
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  Speaker 1: her father Achylus, were deposited as sacred offerings in the
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  Speaker 1: Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The Heraclidae, after the apotheosis
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  Speaker 1: of Heracles his children, were so cruelly persecuted by Eurystheus
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  Speaker 1: that they fled for protection to King Sykes at Trachine,
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  Speaker 1: accompanied by the aged Iolus, the nephew and lifelong friend
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  Speaker 1: of their father, who constituted himself their guide and protector.
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  Speaker 1: But on Eurystheus demanding surrender of the fugitives, the Heraclidae,
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  Speaker 1: knowing that the small force at the disposal of King
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  Speaker 1: Sykes would be all altogether inadequate to protect them against
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  Speaker 1: the powerful King of Argos, abandoned his territory and sought
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  Speaker 1: refuge at Athens, where they were hospitably received by King Demophun,
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  Speaker 1: the son of the great hero Theseus. He warmly espoused
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  Speaker 1: their cause and determined to protect them at all costs
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  Speaker 1: against Eurystheus, who had despatched the numerous force in pursuit
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  Speaker 1: of them. When the Athenians had made all necessary preparations
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  Speaker 1: to repel the invaders, an oracle announced that the sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: of a maiden of noble birth was necessary to insure
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  Speaker 1: to them victory. Whereupon Macaria, the beautiful daughter of Heracles
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  Speaker 1: and Deanea, magnanimously offered herself as a sacrifice, and, surrounded
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  Speaker 1: by the noblest matrons and maidens of Athens, voluntarily devoted
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  Speaker 1: herself to death. While these events were transpiring in Athens, Hylas,
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  Speaker 1: the eldest son of Heracles and Deaneira, had advanced with
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  Speaker 1: a large army to the assistance of his brothers, and
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  Speaker 1: having sent a messenger to the king announcing his arrival, Demaphun,
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  Speaker 1: with his army, joined his forces in the thick of battle,
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  Speaker 1: which ensued Iolas following a sudden impulse, borrowed the chariot
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  Speaker 1: of Hylas and earnestly entreated Zeus, and heb to restore
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  Speaker 1: to him for this one day only the vigor and
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  Speaker 1: strength of his youth. His prayer was heard, a thick
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  Speaker 1: cloud descended from heaven and enveloped the chariot, and when
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  Speaker 1: it disappeared, Iolas, in the full plenitude of manly vigor,
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  Speaker 1: stood revealed before the astonished gaze of the combatants. He
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  Speaker 1: then led on his valiant band of warriors, and soon
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  Speaker 1: the enemy was in headlong flight, and Eurystheus, who was
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  Speaker 1: taken prisoner, was put to death by the command of
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  Speaker 1: King Damaphun. After greatly acknowledging the timely aid of the Athenians, Hylas,
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  Speaker 1: accompanied by the faithful Iolas and his brothers, took leave
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  Speaker 1: of King Demophoon and proceeded to invade the Peloponnesus, which
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  Speaker 1: they regarded as their lawful patrimony, for according to the
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  Speaker 1: will of Zeus, it should have been the rightful possession
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  Speaker 1: of their father, the great hero Heracles, had not Hera
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  Speaker 1: maliciously defeated his plans by causing his cousin Eurystheus to
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  Speaker 1: precede him into the world. For the space of twelve months,
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  Speaker 1: the Heraclidae contrived to maintain themselves in the Peloponnesus, but
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  Speaker 1: at the expiration of that time, a pestilence broke out,
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  Speaker 1: which spread over the entire peninsula and compelled the Heraclidae
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  Speaker 1: to evacuate the country and returned to Attica, where for
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  Speaker 1: a time they settled. After the lapse of three years,
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  Speaker 1: Hylas resolved on making another effort to obtain his paternal inheritance.
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  Speaker 1: Before setting out on the expedition, however, he consulted the
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  Speaker 1: oracle of Delphi, and the response was that he must
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  Speaker 1: wait for the third fruit before the enterprise would prove
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  Speaker 1: so successful. Interpreting this ambiguous reply to signify the third summer,
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  Speaker 1: Hylas controlled his impatience for three years. When, having collected
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  Speaker 1: a powerful army, he once more entered the Peloponnesus. At
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  Speaker 1: the Isthmus of Corinth, he was opposed by a truce,
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  Speaker 1: the son of Pelops, who, at the death of Eurystheus,
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  Speaker 1: had inherited the kingdom. In order to save bloodshed, Hylas
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  Speaker 1: offered to decide his claims by a single combat, the
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  Speaker 1: conditions being that if he were victorious, he and his
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  Speaker 1: brothers should obtain undisputed possession of their rights, but if defeated,
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  Speaker 1: the Heraclidae were to desist for fifty years from attempting
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  Speaker 1: to press their claim. The challenge was accepted by Echemon,
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  Speaker 1: king of Tigea, and Hylas lost his life in the encounter,
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  Speaker 1: whereupon the sons of Heracles, in virtue of their agreement,
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  Speaker 1: abandoned the Peloponnesus and retired to Marathon. Hylas was succeeded
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  Speaker 1: by his son Cleodaeus, who, at the expiration of the
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  Speaker 1: appointed time, collected a large army and invaded the Peloponnesus.
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  Speaker 1: But he was not more successful than his father had been,
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  Speaker 1: and perished there with all his forces. Twenty years later,
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  Speaker 1: his son Aristomacus consulted an oracle which promised him victory
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  Speaker 1: if he went by way of the defile. The Heraclidae
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  Speaker 1: once more set out, but were again defeated, and Aristomacus
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  Speaker 1: shared the fate of his father and grandfather and fell
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  Speaker 1: on the field of battle. When, at the expiration of
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  Speaker 1: thirty years, the sons of Aristomacus Temenus Cresphontis and Aristodemus
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  Speaker 1: again consulted the oracle. The answer was still the same,
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  Speaker 1: but this time the following explanation accompanied the response. The
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  Speaker 1: third fruit signified the third generation to which they themselves belonged,
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  Speaker 1: and not the third fruit of the earth, and by
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  Speaker 1: the defile was indicated not the Isthmus of Corinth, but
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  Speaker 1: the straits on the right of the Isthma. Temenus lost
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  Speaker 1: no time in collecting an army and building ships of war,
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  Speaker 1: but just as all was ready and the fleet about
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  Speaker 1: to sail, Aristodemus, the youngest of the brothers, was struck
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  Speaker 1: by lightning. To add to their misfortunes, Hippolytes, a descendant
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  Speaker 1: of Heracles, who had joined in the expedition, killed the soothsayer,
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  Speaker 1: whom he mistook for a spy, and the gods, in
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  Speaker 1: their displeasure, sent violent tempests, by means of which the
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  Speaker 1: entire fleet was destroyed, whilst famine and pestilence decimated the
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  Speaker 1: ranks of the army. The oracle, on being again consulted,
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  Speaker 1: advised that Hippolytes, being the offenders, should be banished from
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  Speaker 1: the country for ten years, and that the command of
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  Speaker 1: the troops should be delegated to a man having three eyes.
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  Speaker 1: A search was at once instituted by the Heraclidae for
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  Speaker 1: a man answering to this description, who was found at
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  Speaker 1: length in the person of Oxilus, a descendant of the
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  Speaker 1: Aetolian race of kings. In obedience to them command of
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  Speaker 1: the oracle, Hippolytes was banished, an army and fleet once
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  Speaker 1: more equipped, and Oxilus elected commander in chief, and now
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  Speaker 1: success at length crowned the efforts of the long suffering
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  Speaker 1: descendants of the great hero. They obtained possession of the Peloponneses,
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  Speaker 1: which was divided among them by lot. Argos fell to Temenus,
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  Speaker 1: Lacedaemon to Aristodemus, and Mesne to Cresphontes. In gratitude for
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  Speaker 1: the services of their able leader Oxilus, the kingdom of
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  Speaker 1: Ellis was conferred upon him by the Heraclidae. End of
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  Speaker 1: section twenty eight. Recording by Anthony Wilson