Epic Cycle - The Center for Hellenic Studies (original) (raw)

The Epic Cycle

Translated by Gregory Nagy
Revised by Eugenia Lao

Proclus’ Summary of the Cypria, attributed to Stasinus of Cyprus

| {p.102} | 13 | Zeus, together with Themis, plans the Trojan | | | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | 14 | War. For Eris, while attending a feast of the gods | | | | | 15 | at the wedding of Peleus, instigates a feud [_neikos_] among Athena, | | | | | 16 | Hera, and Aphrodite about beauty. They, by | | | | | 17 | order of Zeus, are led by Hermes to Mount Ida for judgment by Alexandros. Alexandros | | | | | 18 | judges for Aphrodite, encouraged by a promise of Helen in marriage. | | | | | 19 | On the advice of Aphrodite, he has ships built. | | | | | 20 | Helenos prophesies to him about what is going to happen. | | | | | | | | | {p103} | 1 | Aphrodite tells Aeneas to sail with him. Then | | | | 2 | Kassandra foretells the events of the future. When he gets | | | | | 3 | to Lacedaemonia, Alexandros is entertained as a xenos by the sons of Tyndareus, | | | | | 4 | and afterwards by Menelaos at Sparta. | | | | | 5 | Alexandros gives Helen gifts during the feast. After | | | | | 6 | this Menelaos sails off to Crete, telling Helen to provide proper hospitality for their guests [_xenoi_] while he is away. | | | | | 8 | Aphrodite brings Helen and Alexandros together. | | | | | 9 | After their intercourse, they load up a great many valuables and | | | | | 10 | sail away by night. Hera sends a storm down upon them. | | | | | 11 | Landing at Sidon, Alexandros captures the city. | | | | | 12 | They sail to Ilion. Alexandros marries Helen. | | | | | 13 | In the meantime, Kastor and Polydeukes | | | | | 14 | are caught stealing the cattle of Idas and Lynkeus. Kastor | | | | | 15 | is killed by Idas, but Idas and Lynkeus are killed by | | | | | 16 | Polydeukes. And Zeus gives them both immortality on alternate days. | | | | | 17 | After this Iris goes and tells Menelaos | | | | | 18 | what has been happening at home. He returns and | | | | | 19 | plans an expedition against Ilion with his brother. | | | | | 20 | Menelaos goes to see Nestor. Nestor, in | | | | | 21 | a digression, tells him the story of how Epopeus seduced and | | | | | 22 | carried off the daughter of Lykos, and the story of Oidipous [Oedipus], and the | | | | | 23 | madness of Hēraklēs, and the story of Theseus and Ariadne. | | | | | 24 | Then they go through Hellas and gather the leaders together | | | | | 25 | Odysseus pretends to be insane because he does not | | | | | 26 | want to go to the war. But they find him out; on advice of Palamedes, | | | | | 27 | they kidnap his son Telemachus as a threat, thus forcing him to go. | | | | | | | | | | {p104} | 1 | After this the leaders come together at Aulis to sacrifice. The happenings | | | | 2 | concerning the snake and the sparrows are described. | | | | | 3 | Kalkhas foretells the future events for them. | | | | | 4 | They put to sea and land at Teuthrania, and they mistake it | | | | | 5 | for Ilion and destroy it. Telephos comes to its aid, | | | | | 6 | and kills Thersandros, son of Polyneikes; but he himself is wounded by Achilles. | | | | | 7 | As the Achaeans sail away from Mysia a storm comes on them and | | | | | 8 | their ships are scattered. Achilles lands at Skyros | | | | | 9 | and marries Deidameia, daughter of Lykomedes. Telephos, | | | | | 10 | guided by an oracle, comes to Argos. | | | | | 11 | Achilles heals him, in order that he become their guide for the voyage to Ilion. | | | | | 12 | The expedition gathers at Aulis for the second time. | | | | | 13 | Agamemnon kills a deer on the hunt and boasts that he surpasses | | | | | 14 | even Artemis. The goddess gets mēnis and holds them back | | | | | 15 | from the voyage by sending them bad weather. But Kalkhas explains | | | | | 16 | the mēnis of the goddess and tells them to sacrifice Iphigeneia to Artemis. | | | | | 17 | They summon her as if for a marriage to Achilles and | | | | | 18 | are about to sacrifice her. But Artemis snatches her away and | | | | | 19 | carries her to Tauris and makes her immortal, meanwhile placing a deer instead of the girl | | | | | 20 | on the altar. | | | | | 21 | Then they sail off to Tenedos. During a feast, | | | | | 22 | Philoctetes is stung by a snake and because of the bad smell | | | | | 23 | is left behind on Lemnos; and Achilles quarrels | | | | | 24 | with Agamemnon because he was invited too late. Then when they disembark at Ilion, | | | | | | | | | | {p105} | 1 | the Trojans prevent them and Protesilaos is killed by Hector. | | | | 2 | Then Achilles turns them back and kills Kyknos, | | | | | 3 | son of Poseidon. And they bring away the corpses and send an embassy | | | | | 4 | to the Trojans, demanding Helen and the valuables. | | | | | 5 | But since the Trojans do not comply, | | | | | 6 | they besiege them at once. Going into the countryside, the Achaeans destroy | | | | | 7 | the surrounding cities. After this Achilles | | | | | 8 | longs to have a look at Helen and | | | | | 9 | Aphrodite and Thetis arrange a place for them to meet. Then when the Achaeans are eager to return home, | | | | | 10 | Achilles holds them back. He drives off | | | | | 11 | the cattle of Aeneas and destroys Lyrnessos and Pedasos and | | | | | 12 | many of the surrounding cities and he kills Troilos. | | | | | 13 | Patroklos takes Lykaon to Lemnos and sells him and | | | | | 14 | from the ransom Achilles takes Brisēis as his prize and | | | | | 15 | Agamemnon, Khrysēis. Then there is the death of Palamedes | | | | | 16 | and Zeus’ plan to relieve the Trojans | | | | | 17 | by pulling Achilles out of the Achaean alliance and a catalogue | | | | | 18 | of all those who fought together against the Trojans. | | | | | | | | | | | | [The Iliad follows the Cypria and precedes the Aithiopis.] | | |

Proclus’ Summary of the Aithiopis, attributed to Arctinus of Miletus

[The Aithiopis, in five scrolls, follows the Iliad.]

| | 22 | The Amazon Penthesileia arrives, | | | | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | 23 | as an ally of the Trojans. She is the daughter of Arēs and Thracian | | | | | 24 | by birth. In the middle of her aristeiā [= greatest epic moments], Achilles kills her, and the Trojans | | | | | 25 | arrange for her funeral. And Achilles kills Thersites, who reviled | | | | | 26 | him with abusive words for conceiving a passionate love for Penthesileia, | | | | | 27 | so he said. From this a quarrel arises | | | | | 28 | among the Achaeans about Thersites’ murder. After this, Achilles | | | | | 29 | sails to Lesbos, sacrifices to Apollo, Artemis, | | | | | | | | | | {p106} | 1 | and Leto and is purified of the murder by Odysseus. Now Memnon, | | | | 2 | son of Eos [Dawn], who owns armor made by Hephaistos, comes | | | | | 3 | to the aid of the Trojans. Thetis tells her son about the outcome of events concerning | | | | | 4 | Memnon. When a battle occurs, Antilokhos | | | | | 5 | is killed by Memnon but then Achilles kills Memnon. | | | | | 6 | At this, Eos asks from Zeus the dispensation of immortality for him [Memnon], | | | | | 7 | and it is granted. But Achilles, while routing the Trojans and | | | | | 8 | rushing into the citadel, is killed by Paris and | | | | | 9 | Apollo. When a heated battle starts over the corpse, | | | | | 10 | Aias [Ajax] picks it up and carries it off to the ships while Odysseus | | | | | 11 | fights off the Trojans. Then they hold funeral rites for Antilokhos | | | | | 12 | and lay out Achilles’ corpse; Thetis | | | | | 13 | comes with the Muses and her sisters and makes a lament [_thrēnos_] for her son. | | | | | 14 | After that, Thetis snatches him off the pyre and carries her | | | | | 15 | son over to the White Island [_Leukē_]. Meanwhile the Achaeans | | | | | 16 | make [for Achilles] a tomb [_taphos_] and hold funeral games. | | | | | 17 | and a quarrel breaks out between Odysseus and Aias [Ajax] over the armor of Achilles. | | |

Proclus’ Summary of the Little Iliad, attributed to Lesches of Lesbos

[The Little Iliad, in four scrolls, follows the Aithiopis.]

| | 20 | There is the judgment for the armor, | | | | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | 21 | and Odysseus wins by the machinations of Athena, | | | | | 22 | but Aias [Ajax] goes mad | | | | | 23 | and defiles the herds of the Achaeans and kills himself. After this Odysseus | | | | | 24 | goes on an ambush and captures Helenos, and as a result of Helenos’ prophecy about the city’s conquest | | | | | 25 | Diomedes fetches Philoctetes from Lemnos. | | | | | 26 | Philoctetes is healed by Makhaon; he fights in single combat with Alexandros and | | | | | 27 | kills him. The corpse is mutilated by Menelaos, | | | | | 28 | but the Trojans carry it off and hold funeral rites. After this Deiphobos | | | | | 29 | marries Helen. Odysseus fetches Neoptolemos from Skyros; | | | | | 30 | he gives him his father’s armor, and Achilles | | | | | 31 | appears as a spirit to Neoptolemos. Eurypylos the son of Telephos | | | | | | | | | | {p107} | 1 | comes to the aid of the Trojans as an ally, and while he is having his best epic moments [_aristeiā_] | | | | 2 | Neoptolemos kills him. Troy is under siege. Epeios | | | | | 3 | constructs the wooden horse, under direction of Athena. | | | | | 4 | Odysseus, disfiguring himself, | | | | | 5 | goes into Ilion as a spy. He is recognized by Helen; | | | | | 6 | jointly, they plan the capture of the city. Odysseus kills several | | | | | 7 | Trojans and returns to the ships. And after this [= after Odysseus infiltrates Troy in a previous adventure] he [= Odysseus] along with | | | | | 8 | Diomedes takes out [_ek-komizein_] the Palladium from Ilion. Then | | | | | 9 | after putting the best men [_aristoi_] into the wooden horse and | | | | | 10 | burning their tents, the rest of the Greeks | | | | | 11 | sail away to Tenedos. The Trojans conclude that they have been released from the siege. | | | | | 12 | They accept the wooden horse into the city, | | | | | 13 | pulling down part of the wall, and they feast as if they had conquered | | | | | 14 | the Greeks. | | |

Proclus’ Summary of the Iliou Persis, attributed to Arctinus of Miletus

[The Iliou Persis (Destruction of Ilion), in two scrolls, follows the Little Iliad.]

| | 16 | After the preceding [= four scrolls of the Little Iliad, by Lesches of Lesbos], there follow two scrolls of the Iliou Persis, by Arctinus | | | | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | 17 | of Miletus, containing the following. With regard to the things concerning the Horse, the | | | | | 18 | Trojans, suspicious about the horse, stand around wondering what they should | | | | | 19 | do. Some think it should be pushed off a cliff, while others | | | | | 20 | think it should be burned down, and still others say that it should be dedicated as sacred [_hieros_] to Athena. | | | | | 21 | In the end, the opinion of the third group wins out. They turn | | | | | 22 | to merriment, feasting as if they had been freed from the war. | | | | | 23 | At this point two serpents appear and | | | | | 24 | destroy Laocoön and one of his sons. At the sight of | | | | | 25 | this marvel, Aeneas and his followers get upset and withdraw | | | | | 26 | to Mount Ida. Sinon lights signal fires for the Achaeans. | | | | | 27 | He had previously entered the city, using a pretext. And they [= the Achaeans], some of them sailing from Tenedos | | | | | 28 | [toward Troy] and others of them emerging from the Wooden Horse, fall upon | | | | | 29 | their enemies. They kill many, and the city | | | | | 30 | is taken by force. Neoptolemos kills | | | | | 31 | Priam, who has taken refuge at the altar of Zeus Herkeios. | | | | | | | | | | {p108} | 1 | Menelaos finds Helen and takes her back down to the ships, after | | | | 2 | slaughtering Deiphobos. Ajax son of Oïleus takes Kassandra by | | | | | 3 | force, dragging her away from the wooden statue [_xoanon_] of Athena. At the sight | | | | | 4 | of this, the Achaeans get angry and decide to stone | | | | | 5 | Ajax to death, but he takes refuge at the altar of Athena, and so | | | | | 6 | is preserved from his impending destruction. Then | | | | | 7 | the Achaeans put the city to the torch. They slaughter Polyxena on the | | | | | 8 | tomb [_taphos_] of Achilles. Odysseus kills Astyanax, | | | | | 9 | and Neoptolemos takes Andromache as his prize. The rest | | | | | 10 | of the spoils are distributed. Demophon and Akamas find Aithra | | | | | 11 | and take her with them. Then the Greeks sail off [from Troy], | | | | | 12 | and Athena begins to plan destruction for them at sea. | | |

Proclus’ Summary of the Nostoi, attributed to Agias of Trozen

[The Nostoi (Songs of Homecoming), in five books, follows the Iliou Persis.]

| | 16 | Athena causes a quarrel between Agamemnon and | | | | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | 17 | Menelaos about the voyage from Troy. Agamemnon | | | | | 18 | then stays on to appease the anger of Athena. | | | | | 19 | Diomedes and Nestor set sail and arrive back home safely. | | | | | 20 | After them, Menelaos sets sail. With five ships | | | | | 21 | he reaches Egypt, the rest having been lost in a storm | | | | | 22 | at sea. Meanwhile, those who followed Kalkhas and Leonteus and | | | | | 23 | Polypoites travel by land to Kolophon, and | | | | | 24 | they arrange a funeral for Teiresias, who died there. As for those who followed Agamemnon, | | | | | 25 | the image [_eidōlon_] of Achilles appeared to them as they were sailing off, and it tried | | | | | 26 | to prevent them from going on by prophesying future events. Then | | | | | 27 | the storm at the rocks called Kapherides is described, and the destruction of Ajax | | | | | 28 | the Locrian. Neoptolemos, warned by Thetis, | | | | | 29 | makes his journey by land, and, | | | | | 30 | coming to Thrace, meets Odysseus at Maroneia, and | | | | | 31 | then finishes the rest of his journey, after arranging a funeral for Phoinix [Phoenix], who dies along the way. He himself | | | | | | | | | | {p109} | 1 | arrives in the land of the Molossoi and is recognized by Peleus. Then | | | | 2 | comes the murder of Agamemnon by Aigisthos [Aegisthus] and Klytaimestra [Clytemnestra] and | | | | | 3 | the vengeance of Orestes and | | | | | 4 | the safe return of Menelaos. | | |

2016-08-02