Great was the rejoicing of the Greeks at having at last brought the long
and terrible war to a successful end. They had lost heavily in men and
treasure, but they had defeated and destroyed the enemy, and taken
possession of all the wealth of the rich city of Troy. They now looked
forward with pleasure to the prospect of a safe return to their homes
and families, which they had not seen for ten years. But for some of
them, as we shall see, this happy hope was never realized.
The most unfortunate of them all was Agamemnon. He reached his kingdom
and city of Mycenæ in safety, but he was there cruelly murdered by
Æ-gisʹthus, a relative of his, whom his wife, Clytemnestra, had married
during his absence.
Ægisthus planned a snare.
He chose among the people twenty men,
The bravest, whom he stationed out of sight,
And gave command that others should prepare
A banquet. Then with chariots and with steeds,
And with a deadly purpose in his heart,
He went, and, meeting Agamemnon, bade
The shepherd of the people to the feast,
And slew him at the board.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV.
The Trojan princess, Cassandra, who accompanied Agamemnon to Mycenæ, had
warned him of his doom, but as usual her words were disregarded, and she
herself was slain at the same time as the ill-fated king. Agamemnon had
a son named O-resʹtes, who was then but a boy, and Ægisthus intended to
kill him also, but the youth's sister, E-lecʹtra, contrived to have him
sent secretly to the court of his uncle, Stroʹphi-us, king of Phoʹcis.
Here he was affectionately received and tenderly cared for. His constant
companion was his cousin, Pylʹa-des, the son of Strophius, and so strong
was their friendship for each other that it became famous in song and
story.
When Orestes reached the years of manhood, he resolved to punish the
murderers of his father. With this object he went to Mycenæ, taking with
him his friend and companion, Pylades; and having obtained admission to
the royal palace, he slew Ægisthus.
Seven years in rich Mycenæ he bore rule,
And on the eighth, to his destruction, came
The nobly-born Orestes, just returned
From Athens, and cut off that man of blood,
The crafty wretch Ægisthus, by whose hand
Fell his illustrious father.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book III.
As Clytemnestra had taken part in the murder of Agamemnon, Orestes slew
her also. This killing of his own mother provoked the anger of the gods,
and Orestes was commanded to go to the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi, to
learn there what punishment he should suffer for his crime. He obeyed,
and the oracle told him that he must bring to Greece a statue of Diana
which was then in the temple of that goddess in Taurica.
This was a dangerous enterprise, for the king of Taurica had a practice
of sacrificing in that very temple any foreigners found in his country.
Nevertheless Orestes undertook the task. He went to Taurica,
accompanied, as usual, by his ever faithful friend Pylades. No sooner
had they arrived than they were seized and carried before the king, and
condemned to be sacrificed. But Orestes discovered, to his surprise and
delight, that the priestess of the temple was his own sister, Iphigenia,
who, as will be remembered, had been carried away many years before by
Diana herself, when about to be sacrificed by the Greeks at Aulis. By
the help of Iphigenia, the two friends not only escaped from Taurica,
but carried off the statue, and Iphigenia returned with them to Greece.
Orestes succeeded to the throne of his father, and as king of Mycenæ he
lived and reigned many years in prosperity and happiness.
Menelaus returned to his kingdom of Sparta with his wife, Helen, but he
had many wanderings and adventures. He was detained by unfavorable winds
for some time on an island near the coast of Egypt, and he might never
have reached home but for the advice he received from Proʹteus, one of
the sea gods. It was no easy matter to get advice from Proteus. It was
very difficult to find him, and still more difficult to get him to
answer questions, for he had a habit of changing himself rapidly into
many different forms, and so escaping from those who came to consult
him. But Menelaus had the good fortune of meeting a water nymph named
I-doʹthe-a, a daughter of Proteus, and she directed him what to do.
There was a certain cave near the seaside, to which the Old Man of the
Sea, as Proteus was sometimes called, came every day at noon to sleep.
Idothea told Menelaus he would find the old man there, and that he must
seize him quickly in his arms, and hold him fast in spite of all his
changes, until he took the shape in which he had first appeared. Then he
would answer any question put to him.
"As soon
As ye behold him stretched at length, exert
Your utmost strength to hold him there, although
He strive and struggle to escape your hands;
For he will try all stratagems, and take
The form of every reptile on the earth,
And turn to water and to raging flame,--
Yet hold him firmly still, and all the more
Make fast the bands. When he again shall take
The form in which thou sawest him asleep,
Desist from force, and loose the bands that held
The ancient prophet. Ask of him what god
Afflicts thee thus, and by what means to cross
The fishy deep and find thy home again."
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV.
Menelaus followed these directions, taking with him three of his bravest
warriors, as Idothea also advised. They found Proteus, and rushing upon
him, they seized and held him firmly in their grip, though he tried hard
to escape.
First he took the shape
Of a maned lion, of a serpent next,
Then of a panther, then of a huge boar,
Then turned to flowing water, then became
A tall tree full of leaves. With resolute hearts
We held him fast, until the aged seer
Was weaned out, in spite of all his wiles.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV,
The Old Man of the Sea then told Menelaus that he must go to Egypt, to
the river there, and offer sacrifices to the gods, and that they would
send him forth upon his voyage home, which would be speedy and safe. The
Greek chief did as Proteus directed, and the prophecy was fulfilled. He
soon reached his Spartan home, where, with his famous queen, Helen, he
spent the remainder of his life in happiness.
Idomeneus, the warrior king of Crete, reached his island kingdom in
safety.
Idomeneus brought also back to Crete
All his companions who survived the war;
The sea took none of them.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book III.
But a sad event occurred on his arrival in the island. During his voyage
home there was a terrible storm, and Idomeneus much feared that his
fleet might be destroyed. He then made a vow that if his ships escaped,
he would sacrifice to Neptune the first living creature he met on
landing. Unfortunately this happened to be his own son, who came down to
the shore to receive and welcome his father. Idomeneus, though
overwhelmed with grief, nevertheless fulfilled his promise to the god,
but the Creʹtans were so incensed at the inhuman act that they banished
him from the island.
A flying rumor had been spread
That fierce Idomeneus from Crete was fled,
Expelled and exiled.