had bidden him do. In the swamps of Lerna, he slew the nine-headed
Hydra, and dipped his arrows in its poisonous blood. In the forests of
Arcadia, he caught the brazen-footed stag sacred to Artemis. In the
snowy glens of Erymanthus, he hunted the fierce wild boar which had long
been the terror of men; and, having caught him in a net, he carried him
to Mycenae. In Elis he cleansed the stables of Augeas, turning the
waters of the river Alpheus into the stalls of his oxen. In the marshes
of Stymphalus, he put to flight the loathsome Harpies, and rested not
from following them until they were outside the borders of Hellas. In
the sunset land of the Hesperides, he plucked the golden apples which
hung ripe in the gardens of Here; and he slew the fiery dragon that kept
watch and ward around them. And, lastly, he went down into the dark
kingdom of Hades, and brought thence the mighty hound Cerberus, carrying
him in his strong arms into the very presence of Eurystheus. All these
deeds, and many more, did Heracles, because they were tasks set for him
by his master; but other things, even mightier than they, did he do
because of his love for suffering men.[1] At length, when the days of
his servitude to Eurystheus were ended, he came again to Hellas, and
dwelt a long time in Calydon with his old-time friend Oineus."
[1] See Note 11 at the end of this volume.
When Iphitus had thus spoken, he was silent for a time; and Odysseus,
seeing that he was busy with his own thoughts, asked him no questions.
Then, as if talking in a dream, he said,--
"Do you see this bow,--the bow of my father Eurytus? Much grief has it
brought upon our house; and yet it was not the bow, but my father's
overweening pride, that wrought the mischief, and caused me to go
sorrowing through life. Shall I finish my story by telling you how it
all ended?"
"Tell me all," answered Odysseus.
"My father Eurytus, as I have said, was the king of archers; for no man
could draw an arrow with so unerring aim as he, and no man could send it
straight to the mark with a more deadly force. Every thought of his
waking hours was upon his bow, and he aspired to excel even the archery
of Artemis and Apollo. At length he sent a challenge into every city of
Hellas: '_Whosoever will excel Eurytus in shooting with the bow and
arrows, let him come to OEchalia, and try his skill. The prize to be
given to him who succeeds is Iole, the fair daughter of Eurytus._'
"Then there came to the contest, great numbers of young men, the pride
of Hellas. But when they saw this wonderful bow of Eurytus, and tried
its strength, their hearts sank within them; and when they aimed their
shafts at the target, they shot far wide of the mark, and my father sent
them home ashamed and without the prize.
"'My dearest Iole,' he would often say, 'I am not afraid of losing you,
for there lives no man who knows the bow as well as I.'
"But by and by great Heracles heard of my father's boasts, and of the
prize which he had offered.
"'I will go down to OEchalia,' said he, 'and I will win the fair Iole
for my bride.'
"And when he came, my father remembered how he had taught him archery in
his youth; and he felt that in his old pupil he had at last found a
peer. Yet he would not cease his boasting. 'If the silver-bowed Apollo
should come to try his skill, I would not fear to contend even with
him.'
"Then the target was set up, so far away that it seemed as if one might
as well shoot at the sun.
"'Now, my good bow,' said my father, 'thou hast never failed me: do thou
serve me better to-day than ever before!'
"He drew the strong cord back, bending the bow to its utmost tension;
and then the swift arrow leaped from its place, and sped like a beam of
light straight towards the mark. But, before it reached its goal, the
strength which my father's arm had imparted to it began to fail; it
wavered in the air, its point turned downward, and it struck the ground
at the foot of the target.
"Then Heracles took up his bow, and carelessly aimed a shaft at the
distant mark. Like the lightning which Zeus hurls from the high clouds
straight down upon the head of some lordly oak, so flashed the unfailing
arrow through the intervening space, piercing the very centre of the
target.
"'Lo, now, Eurytus, my old-time friend,' said Heracles, 'thou seest that
I have won the victory over thee. Where now is the prize, even the
lovely Iole, that was promised to him who could shoot better than thou?'
"But my father's heart sank within him, and shame and grief took mighty
hold of him. And he sent Iole away in a swift-sailing ship, to the
farther shores of the sea, and would not give her to Heracles as he had
promised. Then the great hero turned him about in anger, and went back
to his home in Calydon, threatening vengeance upon the house of Eurytus.
I besought my father that he would remember his word, and would call
Iole home again, and would send her to Heracles to be his bride. But he
would not hearken, for the great sorrow which weighed upon him. He
placed his matchless bow in my hands, and bade me keep it until I should
find a young hero worthy to bear it.
"'It has served me well,' he said, 'but I shall never need it more.'
Then he bowed his head upon his hands, and when I looked again the life
had gone from him. Some men say that Apollo, to punish him for his
boasting, slew him with one of his silent arrows; others say that
Heracles smote him because he refused to give to the victor the promised
prize, even fair Iole, the idol of his heart. But I know that it was
grief and shame, and neither Apollo nor Heracles, that brought death
upon him.
"As to Heracles, he dwelt a long time in Calydon, where he wooed and won
the princess Deianeira, the daughter of old Oineus; but the memory of
Iole, as she had been to him in the bright days of his youth, was never
blotted from his mind. And the people of Calydon loved him, because,
with all his greatness and his strength, he was the friend and helper of
the weak and needy. But one day, at a feast, he killed by accident a
little boy in the palace of Oineus, named Eunomos; and his heart was
filled with grief, and he took his wife Deianeira, and, leaving Calydon,
he journeyed aimlessly about until he came to Trachis in Thessaly.
There he built him a home, but his restless spirit would give him no
peace; and so, leaving Deianeira in Trachis, he came back towards
Argolis by way of the sea. Three moons ago, I met him in Tiryns. He
greeted me as a dear old friend, and kindly offered to help me in the
undertaking which I had then on foot; for robbers had driven from my
pastures twelve brood mares, the finest in all Hellas, and I was
searching for them.
"'Go you with your men into Messene,' said he, 'for doubtless you will
find that which you seek among the lawless men who own Orsilochus as
king. If you find them not, come again to Tiryns, and I will aid you in
further search, and will have them restored to you, even though Hermes,
or great Autolycus, be the thief.'
"So I left him, and came hither to Messene, and to the high-walled
towers of Pherae; and thus you know my errand which I have kept hidden
from Orsilochus. I have found no traces of the stolen mares; and so
to-morrow I shall return to Argolis and Tiryns where the great hero
waits for me."
Much more would godlike Iphitus have spoken; but now the sun had set,
and the two friends hastened back to the palace of Orsilochus.
"Never have I met a man whose friendship I prized more highly than
thine," said Odysseus, as they crossed the courtyard, and each was about
to retire to his chamber. "I pray that thou wilt take this sharp sword,
which was my father's, and this mighty spear, as tokens of the
beginnings of a loving friendship." And the young man put the noble
weapons into the old hero's hands.
"And do thou take in return an equal present," said Iphitus. "Here is
the matchless bow of Eurytus my father; it shall be thine, and shall be
to thee a worthy token of the love which I bear towards thee."
Odysseus took the bow. It was a bow of marvellous beauty, and its
strength was so great that no man, save its proud new owner, could
string it. It was indeed a matchless gift, and a treasure to be prized.
_*ADVENTURE XII.*_
*THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.*
Very early on the following day, Iphitus bade Orsilochus farewell, and
started on his journey back towards Tiryns; and Odysseus, to the
surprise of all, went with him, riding in the same chariot.
"I know that you want to go into Laconia," Iphitus had said. "Why not
go now? For I and my brave men will convoy you safely as far as
Lacedaemon; and when there, I will commend you to my old comrades,
Castor and Polydeuces, who dwell in the palace of their father, King
Tyndareus."
And Odysseus had gladly consented; for, although his host had pressed
him hard to stay longer, he was very anxious for many reasons to visit
Lacedaemon.
For two days the company travelled slowly eastward. They crossed the
mountain land which lies between Messene and Laconia, and came to the
plain, rich with wheat-fields, which lay beyond. And now the way was
easier, and the road led straight towards Lacedaemon.
At noon on the second day, they rested upon the banks of a little
stream; and, as the sun was hot, they sat a long time in the pleasant
shade of some trees which grew not far from the roadside. Some distance
down the valley they caught glimpses of the high towers of the city; and
now and then they heard the sound of busy workers within the walls, or
the shouts of the toilers in the neighboring fields. A ride of only a
few minutes would bring them to the gates of Lacedaemon. While they were
thus waiting and resting, an old minstrel, who had come out of the city,
joined them by the roadside, and began to entertain them. At first he
played sweetly upon his lyre, and sang songs, new and old, which he
thought would be pleasing to his listeners. Then he told them stories
of the times, now long past, when yet men lived in peaceful innocence,
unbeset with eating cares.
"And now," he said, "since you are about to enter Lacedaemon, and will
spend the night within the kingly halls of great Tyndareus, you must
needs hear of the beauty and the courage and the wealth for which this
city is far famed among all the states of Hellas. The riches of which
we boast cannot be measured like gold and precious stones; our wealth
lies in the courage and true-heartedness of our men, and in the beauty
and devotedness of our women."
And then he told them of the four wonderful children whom King Tyndareus
and his wife Leda had reared in the pleasant halls of
Lacedaemon,--Castor and Polydeuces, the devoted brothers; and the
sisters, proud Clytemnestra, and Helen the beautiful. He told how
Castor and Polydeuces were famed among all the heroes of Greece; how
they had sailed with Jason on the Argo; how they had hunted the wild
boar in the woods of Calydon; and how they had fought under the banner
of Peleus when he stormed the town of Iolcos, and drove the false
Acastus from his kingdom. He told how Helen, while yet a mere child,
had been stolen from her home and her parents, and carried by Theseus of
Athens to far-distant Attica; and how her brothers Castor and Polydeuces
had rescued her, and brought her back to her loving friends in
Lacedaemon. He told how the two brothers excelled in all the arts of
war, and in feats of courage and skill; how Castor was renowned at home
and abroad as a tamer of horses, and how Polydeuces was without a peer
as a boxer and as a skilful wielder of the sword. And he told how the
beauty of Helen had brought hosts of suitors from every quarter of the
world; and how her father, old Tyndareus, was all the time beset with
courtiers, princes, and heroes, the noblest of the earth,--all
beseeching him for the hand of the matchless fair one.
No one knows how long the old man would have kept on talking, had not
Iphitus bade him cease. "We have heard already, a thousand times, the
tales that you tell us," he said. "Waste no more time with vain words
which are on the tongue of every news-monger in Argolis; but make haste
back to the city, and say to Castor and Polydeuces that Iphitus, who
erstwhile was their comrade on the Argo, waits outside the gates of
Lacedaemon."
The minstrel bowed, and said, "It is not for me to act the part of a
herald for a stranger. But do you send one of your young men into the
city, and I will gladly go with him into the broad palace of the king,
where he may announce your coming."
Then Iphitus called to one of the young men in his company, and bade him
go before them to the palace, to herald their coming; and the old
minstrel went with him.
Now when the sun was beginning to sink behind the heights of lofty
Taygetes, the company arose from their resting-place by the roadside,
and began to move slowly towards the city. At the same time, two
horsemen came out through the gate, and rode rapidly up the valley to
meet them. Iphitus waved his long-plumed helmet in the air, and shouted
aloud. "There they come," he cried,--"the twin heroes! as noble and as
handsome, and seemingly as young, as when we sailed together on the
Argo."
It seemed but a moment until the horsemen approached and drew rein
before them. They were tall and comely youths, exceedingly fair, and so
alike that no man could tell which one was Castor or which Polydeuces.
Their armor was of gold, and glowed in the light of the setting sun like
watch-fires on the mountain-tops. Their steeds were white as snow, with
long manes that glimmered and shone like the silvery beams of the moon
on a still summer's evening.
"All hail, our old-time comrade!" they cried. "Welcome to the halls of
Lacedaemon! We bid you welcome in the name of our aged father, King
Tyndareus."
Then they turned, and led the way to the lofty palace gates.
As Odysseus and his aged friend dismounted from their car, a score of
ready squires came out to serve them. Some loosed the horses from the
yoke, and led them to the stables, and fed them plentifully with oats
and white-barley grains; others tilted the car against the wall of the
outer court, so that no careless passer-by would run against or injure
it; and still others carried the arms of the heroes into the spacious
hall, and leaned them with care against the grooved columns.
Then Castor and Polydeuces, the glorious twins, led the heroes into the
broad hall of King Tyndareus. Odysseus gazed about him with wondering
eyes, for he had never seen so great magnificence. Walls of polished
marble ran this way and that from the brazen threshold; the doors were
of carved oak inlaid with gold, and the door-posts were of shining
silver. Within were seats and sumptuous couches ranged against the wall,
from the entrance even to the inner chambers; and upon them were spread
light coverings, woven and embroidered by the deft hands of women. And
so great was the sheen of brass, of gold and silver, and of precious
gems, within this hall, that the light gleamed from floor to ceiling,
like the beams of the sun or the round full moon.[1]
[1] See Note 12 at the end of this volume.
The aged king was pleased to see the heroes; for Iphitus and he had been
lifelong friends, firm and true, through every turn of fortune. And
when he learned the name and parentage of young Odysseus, he took him by
the hand, and bade him welcome for the sake of his father, good Laertes.
The first words of greeting having been spoken, Odysseus, still
wondering, went down into the polished baths. There, when he had
bathed, he clothed himself in princely garments; and he threw a soft,
rich cloak about his shoulders, and made himself ready to stand in the
presence of beauty, nobility, and courage. Then Polydeuces led him back
into the great hall.
But a change had taken place while he was gone. The king was no longer
alone. There stood around him, or sat upon couches, all the noblest
young heroes of Hellas. The king's son-in-law, tall Agamemnon of
Mycenae, stood behind the throne; and near him was his handsome brother
Menelaus. Among all the princes then at Lacedaemon, these two sons of
Atreus were accounted worthiest; for not only did they excel in strength
and wisdom, but they were heirs to the kingdom of Argolis, and the
lordship over men. Next to them stood Ajax the son of Telamon; he was
nephew to old King Peleus, who had wedded the sea-nymph in the
cave-halls of Mount Pelion; and among the younger heroes there was none
who equalled him in bravery.
Reclining on a couch at the king's left hand was another prince of the
same name,--Ajax, the son of Oileus. He had come from distant Locris,
where he was noted as the swiftest runner and the most skilful spearsman
in all Hellas. He was neither so tall nor so handsome as the son of
Telamon; but the very glance of his eye and the curl of his lip, made
men admire and love him.
Below him stood Diomede of Tiryns, who, though still a mere youth, was a
very lion in war. His father, brave Tydeus, had met his death while
fighting with the Thebans; but he had long ago avenged him.
Idomeneus, a prince of Crete, known far and wide for his skill in
wielding the spear, was next, a man already past the prime of life. And
beyond him in order were other princes: Philoctetes of Meliboea, famous
for his archery; Machaon, son of Asclepius, from OEchalia, the home of
Iphitus; Antilochus of Pylos, late the companion of Odysseus; Nireus of
Syma, famed only for his comeliness; and Menestheus of Athens, who, in
the management of men and horses and the ordering of battle, had not a
peer on earth.
All these were in the hall of King Tyndareus; and they received Odysseus
with words of seeming kindness, although a shade of jealousy was plainly
seen upon their faces. While they were speaking, a minstrel entered,
and began to play deftly upon his lyre; and, as he played and sung, two
dancers sprang upon the floor, and whirled in giddy mazes about the
hall. Then from their high-roofed chamber, where the air was full of
sweet perfumes, came three women to listen to the music. Helen, like in
form to Artemis the huntress-queen, led the rest; and when Odysseus saw
her, he remembered no more the golden splendor which had dazzled his
eyes when first he stood upon the threshold of the palace, for every
thing else paled in the light of Helen's unspeakable beauty. Next to
her came Clytemnestra, who, a few years before, had been wedded to
Agamemnon of Mycenae. She was fair, but not beautiful; and the glance
which fell from her eye sent a thrill of pain to the heart of the young
hero. The two sisters were followed by their cousin, sweet Penelope,
who, blushing like the morning, kept her eyes modestly upon the ground,
and looked not once towards the company of princely strangers. And, as
she stood leaning against a lofty column, Odysseus wondered within
himself whether he admired more the glorious beauty of Helen, or the
retiring sweetness of Penelope.
_*ADVENTURE XIII.*_
*A RACE FOR A WIFE.*
Days and weeks passed by, and still Odysseus tarried as a guest at the
court of King Tyndareus. His friend Iphitus had gone on to Tiryns to
meet the hero Heracles, and had left with him his blessing and the bow
of Eurytus. But the young princes who had come to Lacedaemon to woo the
beautiful Helen remained in the palace, and each had vowed in the secret
of his heart that he would not depart until he had won the matchless
lady for his bride. Each had offered to the king gifts of countless
value,--gold and jewels, fine horses, and well-wrought armor; and each
had prayed him that he would himself set the bride-price for his
daughter, and bestow her on whom he would, even on the man who pleased
him best. But the king, for reasons of his own, would give them no
answer.
All this time, Odysseus held himself aloof from the crowd of wooers, and
kept his own counsel; and, though all believed that he too was smitten
with love for the peerless Helen, yet in his heart the blue-eyed
Penelope reigned queen. One day as he sat alone with Tyndareus in his
chamber, he saw that the king was sorely troubled; and he began in his
own way to find out the cause of his distress.
[Illustration: ODYSSEUS ADVISES KING TYNDAREUS CONCERNING HELEN'S
SUITORS.]
"Surely, O king!" he said, "you are the happiest of men. For here you
have, in Lacedaemon, every thing that can delight the eye, or please the
heart. Wherever you may turn, there you see wealth and beauty; and it is
all yours, to do with as you like. Your sons are the bravest in the
world; your daughters are the fairest; your palace is the most
beautiful; your kingdom is the strongest. There is certainly nothing to
be wished for that is not already yours."
"And yet," answered Tyndareus, with a sigh, "I am the most miserable of
mortals. I would rather be a witless swineherd in the oak forests,
living in a hut, and feeding upon roots and wild fruits, than dwell in
this palace, beset with cares like those which daily weigh me down."
"I cannot understand you," said Odysseus. "You are at peace with all
the world; your children are all with you; you have no lack of comfort.
There is nothing more for you to desire. How, indeed, can care come in
through these golden doors, and sit upon your brow, and weigh you down
with heaviness?"
"I will tell you," answered the king, "for I know that I can trust your
good judgment. Here in my palace are all the noblest princes of Hellas
suing for the hand of Helen, whom the gods have cursed with more than
mortal beauty. Each has offered me a price, and each expects to win
her. I dare not withhold her long; for then all will become angered,
and my kingdom as well as my daughter will be the prey of him who is the
strongest. I dare not give her to one of them, for then the other nine
and twenty will make cause against me and bring ruin to Lacedaemon. On
this side grin the heads of Scylla, all black with death; on that side
dread Charybdis roars; and there is no middle way. Why, oh, why did not
the immortals bless my daughter by giving her a homely face?"
Then Odysseus drew nearer to the king, and spoke in lower tones. "I
pray you, do not despair," he said. "There is a safe way out of all this
trouble. If you will only trust me, I will lead the whole matter to a
happy issue."
"How, how?" eagerly asked the king.
"I will tell you," said Odysseus. "But you must first listen to a plea
that I have to make. To you alone it is known that I am not a suitor
for the hand of Helen, but that my hopes are all for coy Penelope. Speak
to her father, your brother Icarius, and help me win her for my own, and
I will settle this matter between you and the princely lovers of fair
Helen in a manner pleasing to every one."
"It shall be as you wish!" cried the king, taking heart. "I will trust
the management of this business to you, and may the wise Pallas Athene
prosper you!"
The next morning shrewd Odysseus arose, and clothed himself in princely
fashion; and, after the morning meal had been eaten, he bade the heralds
call the suitors into the council chamber. And the heralds called the
gathering; and the young heroes quickly came, one after another, until
nine and twenty sat within the chamber where the elders of Lacedaemon
were wont to meet. Then Odysseus stood on the raised platform, close to
the door; and Pallas Athene, unseen by the dull eyes of mortals, stood
beside him, and whispered words of wisdom in his ear.
"Noble men of Hellas," said Odysseus, "I pray that you will hearken to
the words which I shall speak, and that you will duly weigh them in your
minds. We have all come to Lacedaemon with one wish and one
intent,--and that is, to win the most beautiful woman in the world. We
have offered, each one for himself, a bride-price worthy of the bride;
yet the king, for reasons which you ought to understand, is slow in
bestowing her upon any of us. And so weeks and even months have passed,
and we are still here, devouring the substance of our kind host, and yet
as far as ever from the prize which we desire. Now, it behooves us to
bring this matter to an end; for otherwise we all shall suffer loss by
being too long absent from our homes."
The princely suitors listened kindly to his words and all nodded their
assent. Then he went on:--
"Upon how many of you, now, has the peerless Helen smiled as if in
admiration?"
Every man among them raised his hand in answer.
"Who, among you all, believes that fair Helen would prefer him, above
every other, for a husband?"
Every man arose, and, glancing proudly around him, answered "I!"
"I have, then, a plan to offer," said Odysseus. "Let us leave the choice
to Helen. And, in order that each may the better show whether there be
aught of nobility in him, let us go forth straightway, and make trial of
all the games in which any one of us excels. And when the games are
ended, let glorious Helen come and choose him whom she will wed."