Epic Cycle · Summaries and Fragments Ἐπικοῦ Κύκλου ἀποσπάσματα

Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 1.1–2.3: Titanomachy and Oedipodea

The Epic Cycle begins with the union of Heaven and Earth, who make three hundred-handed sons and three Cyclopes. The fragments of the War of the Titans name Aether, Aegaeon and Zeus dancing, and the Oedipodea fragments say that Oedipus' sons were born of Euryganeia, not Iocasta, and that the Sphinx killed Haemon.

English only: this edition has no Greek text for this passage.Lines 1.1–2.3 · 276 words · click a number to copy its link

The Epic Cycle begins with the fabled union of Heaven and Earth, by which they make three hundred-handed sons and-three Cyclopes to be born to him.

According to the writer of the War of the Titans Heaven was the son of Aether.

Eumelus says that Aegaeon was the son of Earth and Sea and, having his dwelling in the sea, was an ally of the Titans.

The poet of the War of the Titans, whether Eumelus of Corinth or Arctinus, writes thus in his second book: “Upon the shield were dumb fish afloat, with golden faces, swimming and sporting through the heavenly water.”

Eumelus somewhere introduces Zeus dancing: he says—“ In the midst of them danced the Father of men and gods.”

The author of the War of the Giants says that Cronos took the shape of a horse and lay with Philyra, the daughter Ocean. Through this cause Cheiron was born a centaur: his wife was Chariclo.

Theolytus says that he (Heracles) sailed across the sea in a cauldron+; but the first to give this story is the author of the War of the Titans.

The author of the War of the Titans says that the apples (of the Hesperides) were guarded. .

... the Story of Oedipus by Cinaethon in six thousand six hundred verses.

Judging by Homer I do not believe that Oedipus had children by Iocasta: his sons were born of Euryganeia as the writer of the Epic called the Story of Oedipus clearly shows.

The authors of the Story of Oedipus (say) of the Sphinx: “ But furthermore (she killed) noble Haemon, the dear son of blameless Creon, the comeliest and loveliest of boys.”

People and places in this passage

English translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White (1914). Original text: Hugh G. Evelyn-White (transl.), Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica, Loeb Classical Library, London: William Heinemann; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1914 (English only; the facing Greek is not reproduced).

Text layer: Public domain (translator died 1924); text recovered by OCR from the Internet Archive scan. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.

Summaries and Fragments 1.1–2.3: Titanomachy and Oedipodea