Myth Madness: A Mythology Podcast

Greek mythology is full of terrible tales, and the story of the brothers Atreus and Thyestes includes murder, adultery, incest and cannibalism. These two cursed sons of Pelops were exiled from their homeland. Later, they fought against each other for control of Mycenae. Tragedy and nastiness ensued.

When the Seven Against Thebes were killed, they left behind children – Epigoni/Epigonoi. Athena assigned these Sons of the Seven the task of destroying Thebes and avenging their fathers.

Some, like Thersander, Aegialeus, and Diomedes were enthusiastic in building an army. Alcmaeon, the son of the champion Amphiaraus was not. Alcmaeon also blamed his mother Eriphyle for the death of his father and was at first torn between two conflicting duties.

After the war was over, the Sons of the Seven had more adventures. Some rose to kingship. Alcmaeon struggled with the wrath of the gods.

The battle between Eteocles and Polynices is over and the sons of Oedipus are dead. The fate of Oedipus’s daughters – Antigone and Ismene – is a less epic more personal tragedy story and is told in a handful of plays by the Greek playwright Sophocles. One of those tells how the willful Antigone felt she was duty-bound to ensure her brother Polynices got a proper burial. This brought her into tragic conflict with Thebes’ new regent, the powerful nobleman Creon. 

This episode retells stories from two plays by Sophocles

• Oedipus at Colonus
• Antigone

Eteocles and Polynices were the sons of Oedipus and like their father they were cursed. In their case, they were doomed to kill each other. Eteocles and Polynices fought over their father’s throne and Polynices was eventually exiled from Thebes. He gained the support of Adrastus, the king of Argos; and a collection of un-heroic scoundrels, including  the unpredictable Tydeus and the seer Amphiaraus. Together, they led a great army against Thebes with the intent of making Polynices king.

Oedipus is probably the one Greek hero who has broken free from Greek mythology and become something else entirely. That of course is all thanks to psychologist Sigmund Freud. Many people today are familiar with the hero, who is cursed with killing his father and sleeping with his mother. But the wider tradition of Greek myth about Oedipus is much more complex. Stretching at least as far back as the 8^th century BC, Oedipus is another of the famous beast-slayers of Greek mythology. Additionally, the story of Oedipus’s curse actually concerns 4 different generations of the Theban royal family. Taken together, it is called the Theban Cycle. This episode focuses on Oedipus and his father Laius.

The great hero twins Castor and Polydeukes (Roman Pollux) were known as the Dioscuri which means “Sons of Zeus”. Considered by the ancient Greeks to be two of the greatest heroes, there are surprisingly not a whole lot of stories starring them that survive to today. However, there are a few important incidents, which are covered in this episode. Beyond the Dioscuri, Greek mythology features several examples of other hero twins with interesting similarities to the Dioscuri.

In Greek mythology, centaurs were dangerous. Numerous heroes got into fights with them and there was even a centaur war. In it, the half-horse creatures fought against an equally fierce human tribe called the Lapiths, led by a hero named Pirithous. Pirithous is an interesting character in Greek mythology. He is not well known today, but its clear he was important to the ancient Greeks. This episode covers:

• The mythical origins of the centaurs and Lapiths
• How trouble at Pirithous’s wedding led to a war between the two groups
• Pirithous’ ill-fated friendship with Theseus

Theseus was one of the heroic monster-slayers of ancient Greece. This episode covers his most famous deed – the slaying of the Minotaur. As a punishment for the Athenian king’s involvement in the murder of his son, Minos of Crete demanded a tribute of 7 young men and 7 young women every nine years to feed the Minotaur. Theseus was one of these youths. He went to Crete, and with help from the princess Ariadne, killed the Minotaur. After returning to Athens, Theseus ascended the throne and went on to have other adventures.

Theseus was one of the heroic monster-slayers of ancient Greece. This episode covers his beginnings. The Athenian king Aegeus was childless and worried about his hold on the throne. The fairly unhelpful advice he got from the Oracle of Delphi brought him to the palace of his friend Pittheus. What followed was the pregnancy of Pittheus’ daughter Aethra, and the birth of Theseus. When Theseus grew up, he set out to meet his father, and met some dangerous characters along the way.

Peleus is a Greek hero who is not well known today but was important during ancient times. He was an Argonaut searching for the Golden Fleece, and a hunter for the Calydonian Boar. Peleus enjoyed a special relationship with the centaur Chiron, and the fondness of the Olympian gods. His most important myth was his marriage to the goddess Thetis.