The Divided Kingdom of Argos

The ancient land of Argos, renowned for its noble steeds and warrior kings, witnessed generations of rulers who governed with wisdom or strength. Among them stood Adrastus, celebrated as both the wisest and mightiest, beloved by his people for his fatherly care. His lineage traced back to Bias, brother of the great seer Melampus – a connection that would shape the destiny of Argos for generations.

The brothers Melampus and Bias had ruled Argos in perfect harmony, their joint reign unmarred by discord. Yet upon their deaths, their descendants plunged the kingdom into generations of bitter rivalry. The throne passed back and forth between the two houses until Adrastus inherited power from his father Talaus. His reign proved short-lived when Amphiaraus, a descendant of Melampus, drove him into exile.

Exile and Cunning Diplomacy

Forced from his homeland, Adrastus found refuge in Sicyon, where his father-in-law Polybus ruled. Fate intervened when Polybus died without male heirs, leaving Adrastus to govern Sicyon for three peaceful years. Yet his heart remained fixed on reclaiming Argos, though military action seemed impossible against Amphiaraus’s superior forces and divine gifts of prophecy inherited from Melampus.

The turning point came through feminine wiles rather than martial might. Adrastus’s beautiful sister Eriphyle had accompanied him into exile, leaving Amphiaraus lovesick in Argos. After three years of pining, the prophet-king sent an offer: Eriphyle’s hand in marriage in exchange for half of Argos. Adrastus, recognizing his advantage, invited Amphiaraus to Sicyon where the sight of the now even more radiant Eriphyle would ensure his compliance.

The Fateful Oath

At their meeting, Eriphyle proposed a cunning condition – that she would mediate any future disputes between the kings. In the sacred grove of Sicyon, before the altar of the Eumenides (the “Kindly Ones” whose vengeance fell upon oath-breakers), the two kings swore a bloody pact. They sacrificed a black ram, standing between its divided quarters as they vowed: “Should I break this oath, may I be torn apart like this sacrifice.”

Blinded by love, the normally prescient Amphiaraus failed to recognize this as Adrastus’s political maneuver. The marriage secured, Amphiaraus joyfully returned to Argos with his bride, willingly surrendering his throne. For ten peaceful years, the former rivals governed in harmony, with Adrastus growing to respect his brother-in-law’s prophetic gifts and loyalty.

The Lion and the Bear

When Adrastus sought Apollo’s guidance about marrying his two daughters, the oracle cryptically advised: “Give one daughter to a lion, the other to a bear.” That evening at the city gates, the king encountered two quarreling warriors – one bearing a lion-crested shield (Tydeus, exiled son of Oeneus of Calydon), the other a bear-emblazoned shield (Polynices, exiled son of Oedipus of Thebes).

Recognizing the fulfillment of the prophecy, Adrastus welcomed both princes. Polynices recounted how his brother Eteocles had usurped their agreed-upon alternating rule of Thebes. Moved by their noble bearing and tragic stories, Adrastus offered his daughters in marriage – Argeia to Polynices and Deipyle to Tydeus – binding these exiles to Argos’s fate.

The Gathering Storm

This marital alliance set in motion one of Greek mythology’s most tragic episodes. Bound by family ties and the princes’ grievances, Adrastus would eventually lead the ill-fated expedition of the Seven Against Thebes to restore Polynices to his throne. The story explores timeless themes: the cyclical nature of violence, the limits of prophecy (even Amphiaraus couldn’t foresee his own fate), and how personal passions shape political destinies.

The tale also reveals ancient Greek values about hospitality (xenia), the sacred nature of oaths, and the complex interplay between human agency and divine will. Adrastus’s initial cunning gives way to genuine familial bonds, while Amphiaraus’s prophetic wisdom proves useless against the machinations of love – a poignant commentary on the human condition.

Legacy of the Argive Kings

The story of Adrastus and the Seven Against Thebes became foundational in Greek literature, inspiring epic poems, tragic dramas (notably Aeschylus’s “Seven Against Thebes”), and artistic representations. It established archetypes that would echo through Western literature: the wise ruler undone by circumstance, the prophet who cannot save himself, the beautiful woman who becomes a political pawn, and the exiled prince seeking restoration.

Modern readers might see in Adrastus a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of political marriages, or in Amphiaraus a warning about the limits of specialized knowledge. The narrative’s exploration of exile, identity, and the search for home remains strikingly relevant in our age of displacement and political upheaval.

The tragic arc from initial harmony through division, temporary reconciliation, and ultimate destruction reflects the Greek understanding of human fortunes – where even the wisest rulers and most powerful prophets remain subject to the whims of fate and the consequences of their choices.