9Afterwards, when what was unknown was revealed, Iocaste hanged herself in a noose, and Oedipus put out his eyes and was driven from Thebes, cursing his sons,* who watched him being expelled from the city without coming to his aid. Arriving with Antigone at Colonos* in Attica, where the sanctuary of the Eumenides* lies, he sat down there as a suppliant and received a friendly reception from Theseus, and died not long afterwards.
7. The Theban Wars
Eteocles and the exile of Polyneices to Argos
1Eteocles and Polyneices came to an agreement over the
6
throne, deciding that each of them should rule in alternate years. Some say that Polyneices was the first to rule, and that after a year he surrendered the throne to Eteocles; while according to others, Eteocles was the first to rule, and refused to give up the throne.* In any case, Polyneices was exiled from Thebes and arrived in Argos, bringing with him the necklace and robe [of Harmonia]. Argos was ruled at that time by Adrastos, son of Talaos;* and as Polyneices was approaching his palace by night, he became involved in a fight with Tydeus, son of Oineus, who had fled there from Calydon.* In response to the sudden outbreak of shouting, Adrastos came out and separated the pair; and calling to mind the advice of a diviner who told him to yoke his daughters to a boar and a lion, he chose the two of them as their husbands, because one of them had the front half of a boar on his shield and the other that of a lion.* So Tydeus married Deipyle and Polyneices, Argeia; and Adrastos promised to restore both of them to their native lands. He was eager to march against Thebes initially, and gathered together the leading warriors.
Prelude in Argos: Amphiaraos and Eriphyle
2But Amphiaraos, son of Oicles, who was a diviner and foresaw that all who took part in the expedition except for Adrastos were destined to be killed, was reluctant to join the expedition himself and tried to dissuade the others. Polyneices went to Iphis,* son of Alector, and asked to be told how Amphiaraos could be compelled to take part; and he replied that this could be brought to pass if Eriphyle gained possession of the necklace. Although Eriphyle had been told by Amphiaraos not to accept gifts from Polyneices, he gave her the necklace and asked her to persuade Amphiaraos to join the expedition. This lay within her power, because earlier, when [a conflict had] arisen between Amphiaraos and Adrastos,* Amphiaraos had sworn at its conclusion that if he had any future disagreements with Adrastos, he would allow Eriphyle to decide* between them. So now, when there was to be a campaign against Thebes and it was supported by Adrastos but opposed by Amphiaraos, Eriphyle, on receiving the necklace, persuaded her husband to march with Adrastos. Joining the expedition under compulsion, Amphiaraos left orders for his sons telling them to kill their mother when they came of age and mount a campaign against Thebes.
The advance against Thebes and stationing of the champions
3When he had assembled [an army] under seven leaders,* Adrastos hastened to war against Thebes. The leaders were the following: Adrastos, son of Talaos; Amphiaraos, son of Oicles; Capaneus, son of Hipponoos; Hippomedon, son of Aristo-machos or according to some, of Talaos; all of these came from Argos, but Polyneices, son of Oedipus, came from Thebes, while Tydeus, son of Oineus, was an Aetolian, and Parthenopaios, son of Melanion, an Arcadian. In some sources, however, Tydeus and Polyneices are not counted amongst the seven, and Eteoclos, son of Iphis, and Mecisteus are listed instead.
4When they arrived at Nemea, which was then under the rule of Lycourgos,* they went in search of water; and Hypsipyle showed them the way to a spring, leaving behind a young child, Opheltes. This was a son of Eurydice and Lycourgos who was being reared by Hypsipyle; for when the Lemnian women had discovered that [her father] Thoas had been spared,* they had killed him and sold Hypsipyle abroad, and for that reason she was serving with Lycourgos as a purchased slave. As she was pointing the way to the spring, the child who had been left behind was killed by a snake; and when Adrastos and his companions reappeared, they killed the snake and buried the child. Amphiaraos told them that this was a sign foretelling what would happen in the future: so they named the child Archemoros*And in his honour, they founded the Isthmian Games. The horse race was won by Adrastos, the foot-race by Eteoclos, the boxing by Tydeus, the jumping and discus-throwing by Amphiaraos, the javelin-throwing by Laodocos, the wrestling by Polyneices, and the archery by Parthenopaios.
5On their arrival at Cithairon, they sent Tydeus ahead to give notice to Eteocles that he should surrender the kingdom to Polyneices in accordance with their agreement. When Eteocles paid no attention, Tydeus, wanting to test out the Thebans, challenged them to single combat and was victorious every time. The Thebans for their part armed fifty men and set an ambush for him on his departure; but he killed all of them, except for Maion, and made his way back to the camp.*
6The Argives took up their arms and advanced towards the walls.* There were seven gates,* and Adrastos stationed himself in front of the Homoloidian Gate, Capaneus in front of the Ogygian, Amphiaraos in front of the Proitidian, Hippomedon in front of the Oncaidian, Polyneices in front of the Hypsistan, Parthenopaios in front of the Electran, and Tydeus in front of the Crenidian. Eteocles, on his side, armed the Thebans and appointed an equivalent number of leaders, stationing each of them opposite his counterpart. And he consulted the diviners to discover how they could prevail over the enemy.
Excursus: the earlier history of Teiresias
7 Now there lived amongst the Thebans a diviner, Teiresias, son of Everes and the nymph Chariclo. He was a descendant of Oudaios, one of the Spartoi, and had lost the use of his eyes; on how he came to be blind and gained his prophetic powers, conflicting stories are told. Some say that he was blinded by the gods because he divulged to the human race what they wanted to keep concealed. Or according to Pherecydes, he was blinded by Athene; for Athene and Chariclo were close friends [and it came about that he] saw the goddess completely naked,* and she covered his eyes with her hands, depriving him of his sight. When Chariclo begged her to restore the use of his eyes, she lacked the power to do so, but purified his ears instead, giving him a complete understanding of the language of birds.* She also gave him a cornel-wood staff, thus enabling him, while he carried it, to walk like those who can see. Hesiod says,* however, that he caught sight of some snakes coupling near Mount Cyllene, and when he injured the snakes, he was changed from a man to a woman; but when he saw the same snakes coupling on a further occasion, he became a man again. And for this reason, when Zeus and Hera were having an argument as to whether men or women gain more pleasure from love-making, they consulted Teiresias. He said that judging the act of love on a scale of ten, men get one part of the pleasure and women nine parts.* On that account, Hera turned him blind, but Zeus granted him the gift of prophecy;† and he lived to a considerable age.*