Theban cycle
The Theban Cycle ( Greek Θηβαϊκός Κύκλος ) or Theban cycle of legends is a collection of four lost epics of ancient Greek literature that the mythical history of the city of Thebes in Boeotia reported. It was written in dactylic hexameters and probably between 750 and 500 BC. Written down in BC.
In the 9th century, the scholar and clergyman Photius considered the Theban cycle to be part of the Epic cycle in his library , but modern scholars usually do not.
The stories of this Theban circle treated traditional topics, many of which of the two Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey , are known. The most famous stories in the cycle were those of Oidipous (Oedipus) and of the "Seven against Thebes", both of which were exploited by the Greek tragedy (Sophocles, Aeschylus).
The epics of the Theban sagas were as follows:
- Oidipodeia , attributed to the Kinaithon of Sparta : tells the story of Oidipous' solution to the riddle of the Sphinx and, presumably, his incestuous marriage to his mother Iokaste .
- Thebais of uncertain authorship, but in antiquity sometimesascribed to Homer : reports the story of the war between the sons of Oidipous, Eteocles and Polynices, as well as of Polynices' unsuccessful campaign against the city of Thebes with six other commanders (the "Seven against Thebes") where Eteocles and Polynices killed each other.
- Epigones ("descendants"),ascribedeither to Antimachos of Teos or to Homerin antiquity: a continuation of the Thebais, which tells the story of the next generation of heroes who attacked Thebes, this time successfully.
- Alkmaionis , by an unknown poet: told the story of Alkmaion's killing of his mother Eriphyle because shehad arrangedthe death of his father Amphiaraos (which is reported in the Thebais ).
See also
Web links
- Editions of the fragments of Greek epics in the French Wikipedia