-The life of Herakles- even graver crime in Greek eyes,if it had not been for the prompt action of Athena, who stunned him by hurling a stone at him;this stone,which was known as the sopbronister (i.e.stone of wisdom or restraint),could be seen in the city in historical times.29 Megara is mentioned in the Odyssey among the famous women of earlier times who were seen by Odysseus in the Underworld;the poet tells us nothing about her except that she was a daughter of Kreon and the wife of Herakles.30 This story of the murder of her chil- dren was recounted by Stesichorus in the first half of the sixth century BC.31 In referring to the cult of the eight dead sons of Herakles at the Elektran gates of Thebes,Pindar calls them bronze-armoured (or -armed,chaleoarai),32 which would imply that they were grown up at the time of their death.The poet or his source may have altered the story to make it less shameful for Herakles,by representing his victims as having been more than defence- less children. According to Apollodorus,Kreon offered his younger daughter to Iphikles at the same time as he offered Megara to Herakles;but Iphikles had already fathered his only signifi- cant son,Iolaos,by a previous wife,Automedousa,daughter of Alkathoos.33 In his surviving play on the episode,the Madness of Herakles,Euripides provides a peculiar account apparently of his own devising.While Herakles was away fetching Kerberos from Hades as his final labour,a certain Lykos (who was descended from the famous Lykos whose Theban career will be described in Chapter 9)killed Kreon to seize power at Thebes;and Megara found herself under threat,and sought refuge at the altar of Zeus with her children. On returning to find that Lykos had been planning to burn them to death,Herakles came to their rescue and killed the usurper;but was then driven mad by Hera,who sent Lyssa(Manic Fury personified)against him,causing him to slaughter his wife and children.Having heard rumours that Herakles was under threat from Lykos,Theseus arrived at Thebes after the hero had returned to his senses,and invited him back to Athens to be purified. Herakles is instructed to perform twelve labours for Eurystheus When Herakles recovered his sanity and realized what he had done,he went into voluntary exile,first visiting his former host Thespios,who agreed to purify him in accordance with the formal demands of Greek religion;and he then went to Delphi to ask where he should settle in the future.The Pythian priestess told him to go to Tiryns in the Argolid,where he was to live for ten years while he performed a series of labours that would be imposed on him by Eurystheus,king of Mycenae; and at the same time,she was able to give him the more welcome message that he would win immortality as the fruit of his toils and humiliations.34 Or in the version offered by Nicolaus of Damascus,Eurystheus invited him to come to Tiryns when he went into exile,and he accepted the offer,remembering that Amphitryon had once received an oracle saying that Herakles would have to serve Eurystheus and would win glory as a result.35 Or in Diodorus'account,Eurystheus had summoned him to perform the labours before his madness,but he had paid no attention until Zeus had let him know by some means that he would have to do so;he had then consulted the Delphic oracle,which gave him the same message as in the initial account above;and while he was still pondering on the matter (for he was under- standably depressed at the thought that he would be subjected to a man who was 253even graver crime in Greek eyes, if it had not been for the prompt action of Athena, who stunned him by hurling a stone at him; this stone, which was known as the so¯ phroniste¯r (i.e. stone of wisdom or restraint), could be seen in the city in historical times.29 Megara is mentioned in the Odyssey among the famous women of earlier times who were seen by Odysseus in the Underworld; the poet tells us nothing about her except that she was a daughter of Kreon and the wife of Herakles.30 This story of the murder of her chil￾dren was recounted by Stesichorus in the first half of the sixth century BC. 31 In referring to the cult of the eight dead sons of Herakles at the Elektran gates of Thebes, Pindar calls them bronze-armoured (or -armed, chalkoarai),32 which would imply that they were grown up at the time of their death. The poet or his source may have altered the story to make it less shameful for Herakles, by representing his victims as having been more than defence￾less children. According to Apollodorus, Kreon offered his younger daughter to Iphikles at the same time as he offered Megara to Herakles; but Iphikles had already fathered his only signifi- cant son, Iolaos, by a previous wife, Automedousa, daughter of Alkathoos.33 In his surviving play on the episode, the Madness of Herakles, Euripides provides a peculiar account apparently of his own devising. While Herakles was away fetching Kerberos from Hades as his final labour, a certain Lykos (who was descended from the famous Lykos whose Theban career will be described in Chapter 9) killed Kreon to seize power at Thebes; and Megara found herself under threat, and sought refuge at the altar of Zeus with her children. On returning to find that Lykos had been planning to burn them to death, Herakles came to their rescue and killed the usurper; but was then driven mad by Hera, who sent Lyssa (Manic Fury personified) against him, causing him to slaughter his wife and children. Having heard rumours that Herakles was under threat from Lykos, Theseus arrived at Thebes after the hero had returned to his senses, and invited him back to Athens to be purified. Herakles is instructed to perform twelve labours for Eurystheus When Herakles recovered his sanity and realized what he had done, he went into voluntary exile, first visiting his former host Thespios, who agreed to purify him in accordance with the formal demands of Greek religion; and he then went to Delphi to ask where he should settle in the future. The Pythian priestess told him to go to Tiryns in the Argolid, where he was to live for ten years while he performed a series of labours that would be imposed on him by Eurystheus, king of Mycenae; and at the same time, she was able to give him the more welcome message that he would win immortality as the fruit of his toils and humiliations.34 Or in the version offered by Nicolaus of Damascus, Eurystheus invited him to come to Tiryns when he went into exile, and he accepted the offer, remembering that Amphitryon had once received an oracle saying that Herakles would have to serve Eurystheus and would win glory as a result.35 Or in Diodorus’ account, Eurystheus had summoned him to perform the labours before his madness, but he had paid no attention until Zeus had let him know by some means that he would have to do so; he had then consulted the Delphic oracle, which gave him the same message as in the initial account above; and while he was still pondering on the matter (for he was under￾standably depressed at the thought that he would be subjected to a man who was 1111 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11110 11 12 13 14 11115 16 17 18 19 11120 21 22 23 24 25111 26 27 28 29 11130 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 11140 41 42 43 44 45 11146 — The life of Herakles — 253