Adrastus in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Adrastus

36 passages from 7 ancient authors that tell of Adrastus, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Adrastus was the king of Argos in Greek mythology, who participated in the war of the Seven Against Thebes. His parents were Talaus and Lysimache. He ... For the story in one place, read our article on Adrastus.

Homer (1)

Homer, Iliad 6.1–118Helenus sends Hector to TroyThe Trojans give way before the Achaeans: Ajax kills Acamas and Diomedes kills Axylus, and Menelaus is about to spare Adrastus when Agamemnon kills him. Helenus tells Aeneas and Hector to hold the Trojans at the gates, and asks Hector to go to the city and have the older women offer a robe to Athena and vow twelve heifers if she will keep Diomedes from Troy. Hector rallies the host and leaves for Ilios.

Apollodorus (3)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.6.1–8The Seven against ThebesEteocles and Polynices quarrel over the throne of Thebes, and Polynices gathers an Argive army under Adrastus. Amphiaraus foresees disaster but is compelled to join by Eriphyle, who has accepted the necklace of Harmonia. At Nemea the infant Opheltes is killed by a serpent and the Nemean games are founded; at Thebes Menoeceus sacrifices himself on Tiresias's word, Capaneus is struck by lightning, and Eteocles and Polynices kill each other. Tydeus loses Athena's gift by eating Melanippus's brain, Amphiaraus is swallowed by the earth, and only Adrastus escapes.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.8.1–6Oeneus, Meleager and the Calydonian boarOeneus of Calydon is the first to receive a vine from Dionysus, and the Fates declare that his son Meleager will die when the brand on the hearth is burnt out, so Althaea hides it. When Oeneus forgets Artemis in his sacrifices she sends a boar, and a company of heroes is gathered; Atalanta wounds it first and Meleager kills it and gives her the hide. He kills his mother's brothers, the sons of Thestius, who took it from her, and Althaea burns the brand; a second version has him fall in a war against the Curetes. The section ends with Oeneus's later marriage, Tydeus (father of Diomedes) and the revenge of Diomedes on the sons of Agrius.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.7.1–7Creon, Antigone, the Epigoni and AlcmaeonCreon takes the kingdom and forbids the burial of the Argive dead; Antigone buries Polynices and is entombed alive, and Theseus's Athenians recover the dead for Adrastus. Ten years later the sons of the fallen, the Epigoni, take Thebes under Alcmaeon, and the Thebans flee after Tiresias's death. Alcmaeon kills his mother Eriphyle, is driven mad, marries Arsinoe and Callirrhoe, and is killed over Harmonia's necklace and robe; his sons by Callirrhoe avenge him and colonize Acarnania.

Pindar (4)

Pindar, Nemean Odes 9.1–55Nemean 9: for Chromius — Adrastus and the SevenPindar leads the Muses from Sicyon to the new city of Aetna to praise Chromius, victor in the chariot race. He tells how Adrastus, who had fled Argos, founded contests for Apollo at Sicyon, and how Zeus swallowed Amphiaraüs and his chariot in the earth at Thebes. He ends by praising Chromius' courage in battle at the river Helorus and his wealth.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 6.1–105Olympian 6: for Hagesias — Iamus, son of ApolloPindar likens the opening of his ode to the building of a hall on golden pillars and praises Hagesias of Syracuse, an Iamid and victor with the mule-car, recalling Adrastus' lament for Amphiaraüs. He tells how Euadne, loved by Apollo, hid her child Iamus among the violets, where bees' honey fed him, and how Apollo later gave him the gift of prophecy and an oracle at Olympia. He closes by sending Aeneas to praise Hera and Stymphalus, and with a prayer to Poseidon.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 10.1–90Nemean 10: for Theaeus — Castor and PolydeucesPindar praises Argos, the city of Danaüs and Hera, and its famous heroes, among them Proetus, and the victories of Theaeus in wrestling. He tells how Idas killed Castor in a quarrel over cattle, how Polydeuces prayed to Zeus to die with his brother, and how Zeus allowed them to share their fate by living alternately under the earth and on Olympus.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 7.1–51Isthmian 7: for Strepsiades — the glories of ThebesPindar asks Thebe which of her ancient glories pleased her most: the birth of Dionysus, the begetting of Heracles, the counsels of Teiresias, the horseman Iolaüs, the dragon-brood, the return of Adrastus to Argos, or the colony of the Aegeidae at Amyclae. He says that old glory sleeps unless it is sung, and praises Strepsiades of Thebes, victor in the pancratium, and his uncle who died in the van of the Theban army. He ends with a prayer to Apollo for a crown from Pytho.

Euripides (16)

Euripides, Suppliants 87–161First episode: Theseus questions Adrastus about the expedition against ThebesTheseus hears the lamentation from the shrine and asks what it means. Aethra tells him that the mothers of the seven chiefs who fell at Thebes keep her prisoner with suppliant boughs. Theseus asks Adrastus, who is muffled in his cloak, to unveil his head and speak, and Adrastus tells how he led the expedition against Thebes, and Theseus says that he showed a preference for courage over discretion.
Euripides, Suppliants 731–777Third episode: Adrastus hears the end of the battleThe Chorus says that now it believes in the gods after this unexpected day. Adrastus asks why men boast of wisdom, since all depends on Zeus, and says that Argos was sure that it was unconquerable. The Messenger tells how Theseus, having beaten the Thebans, did not enter the city, since he had come to claim the dead and not to sack Thebes, and Adrastus says that it is vain to weep.
Euripides, Suppliants 778–836Kommos: the bodies of the seven chiefs are brought inThe Chorus says that there is joy for the city's fame and sorrow for the mothers at the sight of their dead sons' limbs. Adrastus calls on the mothers to raise a wail for the dead as they are carried in, and they answer him in a long lament.
Euripides, Suppliants 918–954Fourth episode: Theseus arranges the burialThe Chorus laments for the sons that they bore. Theseus says that the gods took Amphiaraus living, chariot and all, into the earth, and he will bury Capaneus apart as a consecrated corpse. He tells the mothers that they must not touch their sons' bodies, which are too marred to be seen, and that their bones will be given to them after the burning.
Euripides, Suppliants 1165–1234Exodos: Athena binds Argos to Athens by an oathTheseus tells Adrastus that he gives him these bones, and asks that Argos remember Athens' service, and Adrastus pledges eternal gratitude. Athena appears and tells Theseus that he should not give the bones back until the Argives have sworn an oath never to attack Athens, and tells him how the oath is to be sworn over a tripod of Heracles, and she foretells that the sons of the dead, the After-born, will avenge them and take Thebes.
Euripides, Phoenician Women 379–442First episode: Polyneices describes exile and his marriage at ArgosJocasta asks what exile is like, and Polyneices says that the exile cannot speak freely and lives on hope. He tells how Adrastus gave him a daughter in marriage, in answer to an oracle, and promised him an army. He asks her to end the quarrel by reconciling the brothers.
Euripides, Suppliants 465–513bSecond episode: the Herald forbids the burial of the deadThe Herald delivers the message of the people of Cadmus, forbidding Theseus to take Adrastus into the land and demanding that he be driven out, and that he should not bury the dead. He warns that war is a worse choice than peace, and that a wise man prefers quiet, and says that the Athenians would suffer from it. The Chorus and Adrastus answer him angrily.
Euripides, Suppliants 837–917Fourth episode: Adrastus praises the seven fallen chiefsTheseus says that he had meant to ask Adrastus about the battle, but that he can leave it, and asks him to tell him the character of each of the fallen. Adrastus describes them one by one, among them Capaneus struck by Zeus' bolt, Eteocles, Parthenopaeus, the son of Atalanta, and Tydeus, and says that they should be a model for the young.
Euripides, Suppliants 1–41Prologue: Aethra at Eleusis sends for TheseusAethra, the mother of Theseus, prays at the altar of Demeter at Eleusis, where she has come to sacrifice, and sees the Argive mothers sitting round her with suppliant boughs, with their king Adrastus lying on the ground. They are the mothers of the seven chieftains who fell before Thebes, and the victorious Thebans will not allow them to bury their sons. Aethra, bound by their boughs, has sent a herald to her son Theseus, asking him to come.
Euripides, Suppliants 162–251First episode: Adrastus begs Theseus for help and Theseus rebukes himAdrastus, blushing at throwing himself at the knees of Theseus, begs him to help bury the dead, saying that Athens is the only city that can pity them. Theseus answers that he has often argued whether men have more bad than good in them, that Adrastus has been ill-advised, in the sight of the gods, in his choice of allies and wars, and asks why he now seeks to drag Athens into the quarrel.
Euripides, Suppliants 253–285First episode: Adrastus and the Chorus appeal to TheseusAdrastus says that he did not come to make Theseus the judge of his misfortune, but to cure it, and that, if his fortunes prove him wrong, he does not come to be punished. The Chorus adds its plea, saying that the Argives and Athenians share ancestors, and begs Theseus not to betray the suppliants.
Euripides, Suppliants 334–364First episode: Theseus decides to put the case to the AtheniansTheseus says that his mother's words are just, and that he has the habit of punishing the wicked among Hellenes, and that he cannot refuse the toil, for what would men say if his mother, who fears most for his safety, urged him to it? He will first put the matter to the people of Athens, whom he made supreme by giving all an equal vote, and will take Adrastus to speak before them.

4 more passages of Euripides that name Adrastus

Diodorus Siculus (1)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.64.1–4.66.6Oedipus, the Seven against Thebes and the EpigoniLaïus is killed by his unknown son Oedipus, who solves the riddle of the Sphinx and, unknowingly marrying his mother, has two sons and two daughters; the sons quarrel over the throne. Polyneices gathers an army against Thebes and Eriphyle, bribed with the necklace of Harmonia, sends Amphiaraüs to his death; the Seven fail, and the Athenians force the Thebans to give up the dead. At the seer Teiresias' advice the Thebans leave the city for Tilphossaeum, and the Epigoni take and sack it, dedicating Teiresias' daughter Daphne to Delphi, where she is also called Sibylla.

Pausanias (10)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.25.1–13Thelpusa: Demeter Fury, Poseidon and the horse ArionPausanias follows the road from Psophis to Thelpusa and the course of the Ladon, noting the sanctuary of Eleusinian Demeter and the temples of Aesculapius and the Twelve Gods. At Onceum he describes Demeter Fury and Lusia, with the story that Demeter, turned into a mare, was taken by Poseidon in the form of a horse and bore the horse Arion, and he cites the Iliad, the Thebaid and Antimachus on Arion and Adrastus. He also mentions the sanctuary of the Boy Aesculapius and the tomb of Trygon, and the confluence of the Ladon with the Alpheus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.6.1–7Sicyon: Epopeus and Antiope, and the later kings of SicyonPausanias relates how Epopeus carried off Antiope, daughter of Nycteus, and how Lycus and Lamedon settled the quarrel, with Antiope giving birth to Zethus and Amphion at Eleutherae. He continues the Sicyonian kings, including Sicyon himself, Polybus and Adrastus, Phaestus, Zeuxippus, Hippolytus under Agamemnon and Lacestades, whose rule was shared with the Dorian Phalces.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.9.1–5Thebes: the Seven against Thebes and the EpigoniPausanias calls the Argive war against Thebes the most memorable war of Greek against Greek in the heroic age. Adrastus brought contingents from Arcadia and Messenia, the Thebans won at the Ismenian sanctuary and all the Argives but Adrastus perished, from which the saying Cadmean victory arose. Pausanias then describes the second expedition by the Epigoni under Thersander, the battle at Glisas and the siege and capture of Thebes. He names the Thebaid as the epic of the war and says it is the poem he esteems most after the Iliad and Odyssey.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.5.1–16Thebes: Cadmus, Amphion and Zethus, Oedipus and the early kingsPausanias gives the early history of Thebes: the Ectenians under Ogygus, then Hyantians and Aonians, then Cadmus, who founded the Cadmea, and the Sparti. He traces the line of Polydorus, Labdacus and Laius, and Amphion and Zethus, who added the lower city. He argues from Homer that Oedipus' children were by Euryganea and not Jocasta, and ends with Polynices and Eteocles, the second expedition of the Argives and the later kings.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.30.1–4Athens: the Academy, tomb of Plato and ColonusAt the Academy are an altar of Love and, in the city, an altar of Love Returned, with the story of Meles and Timagoras. Pausanias describes the altar of Prometheus and the torch race, the altars of the Muses, Hermes, Athena and Hercules, an olive plant, and Plato’s tomb with Socrates’ dream of the swan. Nearby are the tower of Timon and Colonus Hippius, with its altar of Horse Poseidon and shrine of Pirithous, Theseus, Oedipus and Adrastus, burnt by Antigonus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.43.1–8Megara: shrines of heroes, the Aesymnium, Dionysus and Aphrodite, and the grave of CoroebusPausanias lists Megarian shrines and tombs: Iphigenia, Adrastus, Artemis, the Prytaneum burials, the rock Anaclethra, the Aesymnium Council House and the tombs of Pyrgo and Iphinoe. He describes the sanctuary of Dionysus and the temples of Aphrodite and Fortune with works by Praxiteles, Scopas and Lysippus, and tells the story of Coroebus, who killed Punishment sent by Apollo and founded Tripodisci.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.11.1–8Sicyon to Titane: sanctuaries around the city and Asclepius at TitaneOutside Sicyon Pausanias describes the temple of Athena built by Epopeus, the sanctuaries of Hera, Demeter and Carnean Apollo, the grove Pyraea with Protecting Demeter, and the grove of the Eumenides. He then climbs to Titane, where Titan is said to have lived, and describes the sanctuary of Asclepius founded by Alexanor, with its veiled images of Asclepius and Health, the cults of Alexanor and Euamerion, and the offerings and colonnade.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.20.1–10Argos: Gracious Zeus, the Seven against Thebes and TelesillaAt Argos Pausanias describes the statue of Gracious Zeus by Polyclitus, set up after the Argives destroyed the thousand-man regiment of Bryas, then the relief of Cleobis and Biton and sanctuaries of Nemean Zeus and Fortune. He lists the statues of the Seven against Thebes and the later captors of Thebes, the tombs of Danaus and Cephisus’ shrine, and the theatre group of Perilaus and Othryadas. He ends with the sanctuary of Aphrodite and the story of Telesilla and the women who repelled Cleomenes.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.23.1–8Argos: Hollow Street, the Asclepieum and disputed Argive tombsAlong Hollow Street are a temple of Dionysus, brought from Euboea, the house of Adrastus, and shrines of Amphiaraus, Eriphyle, Asclepius and Baton. Pausanias disputes Argive claims to hold the tombs of Hyrnetho, Deianira and Helenus and the Palladium, noting that the Palladium went to Italy and Deianira died near Trachis. He also describes the underground chamber of Acrisius’ daughter, the tomb of Crotopus, and the temple of Cretan Dionysus, where Ariadne’s coffin was said to be found.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.10.1–8Delphi: offerings of the Athenians and Argives, and the Tarentine offerings and founding of TarentumPausanias describes the Athenian offering from the spoils of Marathon, with the statues of Athena, Apollo, Miltiades and the tribal heroes by Phidias, and the Argive offerings of the Seven against Thebes and the Epigoni and of the descendants of Danaus. He then describes the bronze horses and captive women of the Tarentines, and tells how Phalanthus understood the oracle of rain under a clear sky when his wife Aethra wept, and took Tarentum.

Epic Cycle (1)

Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 3.1–4.4Thebaid and EpigoniThe Thebaid fragments tell how Polyneices set a silver table before Oedipus and how Oedipus called down a curse on his sons when he saw the haunch, and how Adrastus fled Thebes with Areion. The Epigoni is quoted for the Teumesian fox and for Manto, the daughter of Teiresias, who was sent to Delphi.