Epigoni
The Epigoni of Greek mythology survive in a single unforgettable verse: "Now, Muses, let us begin to sing of younger men." Every other line of the epic written for them is gone. Their name comes from the ancient Greek word for "offspring." It marks them as a second generation carrying what their fathers left unfinished. The fathers, known as the Seven against Thebes, had fought the first Theban war and died there. Who led these sons when they chose to march on Thebes? Why did the oracle at Delphi have a say in that choice? And what did two of antiquity's most diligent mythographers disagree about when they tried to record what happened?
Polynices had been promised a share of the Theban throne. His brother Eteocles held it and refused to give it up as agreed. That refusal drew Polynices into an alliance with a band of Argive heroes, together forming the coalition known as the Seven against Thebes. The ancient mythographer Apollodorus recorded who each hero's sons were. Alcmaeon and his brother Amphilochus were both sons of Amphiaraus. Diomedes was the son of Tydeus. Aegialeus was the son of Adrastus. Euryalus was the son of Mecisteus. Promachus was the son of Parthenopaeus. Sthenelus was the son of Capaneus. Thersander was the son of Polynices himself.
The geographer Pausanias added to this roster, naming Polydorus as the son of Hippomedon and listing Adrastus and Timeas as further sons of Polynices. Hyginus added Biantes and Tlesimenes as sons of Parthenopaeus. Which of these men would lead the return to Thebes was not a choice they made on their own.
The Delphic oracle named Alcmaeon as the leader whose command would bring the Epigoni victory. Apollodorus records that the Epigoni chose him on the strength of that prophecy. In battle, Aegialeus was killed by Laodamas, the son of Eteocles. Alcmaeon then killed Laodamas in return. The Thebans were defeated. The seer Teiresias counseled the Thebans to abandon their city, and they fled.
Pausanias told the story differently. In his account, Thersander was the campaign's leader. Laodamas did not fall in battle but fled Thebes with his people. Thersander then became king of Thebes. Sophocles himself found the Epigoni's story worth a tragedy of his own.
The early Greek epic poem also called Epigoni was classified by Alexandrian critics as a sequel to the Thebaid. That grouping placed it within the Theban cycle of ancient epics. Some scholars in antiquity questioned whether it was a separate poem at all. They considered it the final section of the Thebaid rather than an independent work.
Sophocles' tragedy, also called Epigoni, is lost, but lines from it survived because ancient commentators and lexica quoted them. Statues of the Epigoni stood at Argos and at Delphi. Then, in 2005, scholars found an additional fragment of several lines from Sophocles' tragedy. The written record of the Epigoni, as of 2005, was not yet finished.
Common questions
Who were the Epigoni in Greek mythology?
The Epigoni were the sons of the Seven against Thebes, Argive heroes who were killed in the first Theban war. Their name comes from the ancient Greek word for "offspring." Ten years after the first war ended, they marched on Thebes and succeeded where the Seven had failed.
What caused the war of the Epigoni?
The war of the Epigoni was fought to avenge the deaths of their fathers. The deeper cause traced to a broken agreement: Eteocles, king of Thebes, refused to share the throne with his brother Polynices, sparking the first Theban war and the deaths that followed.
Who led the Epigoni in the second Theban war?
Ancient sources disagree on this point. Apollodorus states that the Delphic oracle designated Alcmaeon, son of Amphiaraus, as the leader whose command would bring victory. Pausanias names Thersander, son of Polynices, as the leader and records that Thersander became king of Thebes after the city fell.
Did Sophocles write a play about the Epigoni?
Sophocles wrote a tragedy called Epigoni, though the play itself is lost. A few lines survived because ancient commentators and lexica quoted them. In 2005, scholars identified an additional fragment of several lines, extending what had previously been known.
Where were statues of the Epigoni located in ancient Greece?
Statues of the Epigoni stood at Argos and at Delphi.
What was the ancient Greek epic poem called Epigoni?
Epigoni was an early Greek epic poem about the second Theban war, serving as a sequel to the Thebaid. Alexandrian critics grouped it within the Theban cycle, though some ancient scholars considered it the final section of the Thebaid rather than a separate work. Only its first line survives: "Now, Muses, let us begin to sing of younger men."
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