Polynices
Polynices ( ancient Greek Πολυνείκης , Latinized Polynices or Polyneices ) is in Greek mythology, a son of Oedipus and Jocasta (also called Epicaste) or euryganeia . His siblings are Antigone , Ismene and Eteocles . Mostly Polyneikes is presented as the older of the brothers, but in Euripides he is the younger. Offended by his sons, Oedipus curses him and his brother.
The curse of Oedipus
In the Thebaïs , Oedipus curses his two sons for two offenses. The first time they served him a meal on the silver table of Kadmos and used a golden drinking vessel from the Laios, although he had forbidden them to do so, because both objects were reminiscent of his patricide. Another time they sent him the thigh of a sacrificial animal instead of the back piece, which was to be regarded as a disparagement, since as king he was entitled to the back piece. Both times he cursed his sons for it.
Another variant is passed down by Euripides in the Phoenissae . Here Oedipus curses his sons Eteocles and Polynices for keeping him imprisoned in the palace in order to hide the shame of their father's marriage to their own mother from the public.
Dispute over the rule of Thebes
Herodotus reports that the two brothers wanted to share the government. Everyone should rule for a year and then leave power to the other. Eteocles was the first to rule, but after the year thebes did not want to leave Thebes to his brother Polynices. So Polynices came to King Adrastus in Argos . He married Argeia , the daughter of Adrastus, and with her fathered Thersandros .
According to a version handed down by Pausanias , Polynices left Thebes while his father was still alive and went to Argos . After Oedipus' death he returned and got into an argument with his brother about the rule. Hesiod mentions in the women's catalog that Argeia attended the funeral service for Oedipus, which suggests that he follows the same (old) variant of the saga as Pausanias.
Campaign against Thebes
Adrastus had promised to help Polynices retake Thebes. So he wanted to gather an army. The seer Amphiaraos , however, foresaw that all but Adrastus would die, refused to take part in the campaign and thus frightened everyone else. From Iphis , the son of Alector , Polynices learned how to change Amphiaraos. He promised the Eriphyle , the wife of Amphiaraoh, the necklace of Harmonia , if she moved her husband to take part in the war.
Seven generals now marched with Amphiaraos against Thebes. The Thebans quickly gained the upper hand and the Argives fled. Eteocles and Polynices killed each other in a duel.
funeral
After Eteocles and Polynices were dead, Creon took control of Thebes. He forbade burying Polynices and everyone who had fallen with him in the battle against Thebes, and had their bodies guarded. Antigone, Polynices' sister, was caught trying to bury Polynices. Creon ordered that she should be buried alive even though she was engaged to his son Haimon. Antigone's sister Ismene then declared that she had helped Antigone and claimed the same fate for herself.
The blind prophet Teiresias proclaimed the gods' discontent with Creon's decision. This revoked his order and buried Polynices himself. Antigone had in the meantime killed himself so as not to be buried alive. Haimon killed himself, in anger at his father and in love for Antigone, whereupon his mother Eurydice committed suicide and Creon also blamed the son's death.
Remarks
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 3.55.
- ↑ Euripides, Phoenissae 68; see. also Diodorus 4,65,1.
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodor 3: 57–59.
- ↑ Herodotus , Histories 4,147.
- ^ Pausanias, Travels in Greece 9: 5, 12.
- ↑ Hesiod, Fragment 62 ed. Rzach.
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 3.60–74.
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 3.78.
literature
- Oswald Wolff : Polyneikes . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 3.2, Leipzig 1909, Col. 2661-2680 ( digitized version ).
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Oedipus |
King of Thebes 13th century BC Chr. (Fictional chronology) |
Creon |