THEBES & THE OEDIPUS CYCLE: HOURS OF EPIC STORY TELLING
We're taking a break today from geopolitics as we travel to a much overlooked city by tourists and travelers, but significant for Greek culture and archeology: the city of Thebes. We have a look at its founding, its mythology, which includes the harrowing Bronze Age story of King Oedipus and the curse on the Mycenaean House of Cadmus. We also go back to 'the hot Theban summer' when the hosts of the epic podcast "The Great Tales" (playlist) devoted weeks of story telling to the various works about the accursed dynasty and ignoble family by various authors from Aeschylus and Sophocles to Statius and an anonymous Breton bard in France.
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So who cast this curse on the House of Cadmus? Thebes was founded by Cadmus, a Phoenician prince who slew a dragon sacred to Ares, the god of war. This act incurred the wrath of Ares. He cursed Cadmus, leading to a long line of tragedies for him and his descendants. Cadmus and his wife Harmonia were turned into snakes.
The curse extended through generations, affecting key figures in the Oedipus story. Laius, the father of Oedipus, was indirectly cursed by Pelops, the king of Pisa, after Laius mistreated Pelops' son, Chrisipus, who then committed suicide. Pelops cursed Laius to never have a son, and if he did, the son would kill him.
This prophecy was fulfilled when Oedipus, unknowingly, killed his father Laius and later married his mother, Jocasta, who was a descendant of Cadmus. The curse thus continued through Oedipus, whose tragic fate and eventual self-blinding symbolized the inescapable nature of divine retribution.
The earliest history of Thebes dates back to the Neolithic period, with evidence suggesting the site was inhabited as early as the 3rd millennium BC. Archaeological findings indicate that the area was occupied during both the early and late Bronze Ages, with fortified buildings, stone-paved courtyards, and mud-brick walls from around 3000 BC.
The settlement became more densely populated from 1700 BC onward, reaching its peak during the critical Mycenaean period in the 14th century BC, marked by palatial structures, wall paintings, workshops, and stone-built aqueducts.
The site's significance is further confirmed by the discovery of clay tablets with Linear B script, indicating its role as a major administrative and trading center.
Which brings us to 'the hot Theban summer' and the epic story telling of the hosts of "The Great Tales", Father Andrew Stephen Damick and Deacon Seraphim.
If you enjoy the stories of the classical play wrights, wile away the cold of the winter season with your favorite blend and hours of riveting Oedipus story telling ahead.
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