"If only I could sing like Orpheus..."

Oedipus at Colonus was Sophocles's last play. Written in 406 BCE, when he was pushing ninety, it wasn't performed until 401, five years after his death. By that time, Athens had suffered much: catastrophic defeat in the Peloponnesian War, the tyranny of a Spartan-backed junta, a brief but fierce civil war, and the restoration of a fragile democracy. I've always wondered how the audience of 401 responded to a play that ended with a promise that their city would always remain safe, protected by the bones and numinous spirit of Oedipus.

It's also the longest extant tragedy, unfolding at a stately, almost grave pace. Sophocles isn't concerned to shock the audience: there are no suicides here, no revelations of incest, no self-mutilations. Instead, he creates an atmosphere of slowly mounting awe, as it becomes clearer and clearer that Oedipus, near death, has entered a liminal state in which he can no longer strictly be called human. The climax removes him entirely from the realm of mortals: only Theseus is privy to the exact circumstances of his death -- even we, the audience, are left in uncertainty by the messenger's speech. Is it a tragic ending, in the sense we now apply to that word? A happy ending? Can it even be evaluated in conventional terms of emotion? I don't know.

When I was in Greece, I attended a performance of Oedipus at Colonus staged at the ancient stone theater of Epidaurus. This theater, one of the best preserved in mainland Greece, has marvelous acoustics: you can stand in the orchestra, speak at normal volume, and be heard clearly by someone in the highest tier of seats. The repertory company that put on the play, which had been translated into modern Greek, wore masks and long, flowing robes, much as their ancient counterparts would have done.

Marble bust of the god Dionysus. While most deities in the Hellenic pantheon have fixed iconographic representations (e.g. Zeus is always bearded, while Apollo never is), Dionysus is represented by a variety of iconographic types, ranging from a beardless, androgynous youth (as here) to a mature man with a heavy beard and bull's horns. This likely represents the god's fluid nature and frequent transgression of boundaries (including gender boundaries, as a male deity whose devotees were predominantly female).

This bust was executed by an unknown artist in the 2nd century AD/CE (Roman Imperial period) and was found at Knossos, Crete. It is now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Crete.

Summer, Sir William Reynolds-Stephens (AM/ENG) - 1891 Dimensions uncertain - Mural at the Royal Academy of Art refreshment room - Present location is uncertain

Interest in greek mythology rises anew with the new number of retellings and adaptions...and misconceptions all around...

Claims like "that never happened" or "that's the roman version" are around a lot...but even if you wanted to learn more, where would you even start looking? Where do you begin your research for your next fic, or next discussion? Well...That's for you!

Here is the Post as DOCs to share outside of tumblr (gets updated)

Here's a list of source names, links to access them, maps, family trees & more

Where to access the texts:

ToposText

Database, interlinks all names and places, has almost all sources translated, can find all name mentions of place or character in the sources, has a map with the places

Perseus Collection Greek and Roman Materials (and Scaife Viewer)

Digital Library, nearly all main greek and roman sources, including OG language text and dictionary for those languages (is instable at times, try coming back a few hours/days later and it should be up again)

Theoi Greek Mythology

Database, has summary posts for individual heroes, creatures, gods and events, as well as many translations, has a search function

List of Ancient Sources

Homer's Iliad (8th BC)

Homer's Odyssey (8th BC)

Epic Cycle (and Theban Cycle) fragments (8-6th BC)

Homeric Hymns (7th BC)

Orphic Hymns (2nd BC/2nd AD)

Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica (3rd AD)

Tryphiodorus’s Taking of Ilium (3rd AD)

Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica (3rd BC)

Nonnus’ Dionysiaca (5th AD)

Hesiod’s Theogony, Works and Days, Catalogue of Women (8th BC)

Statius’s Thebaid, Achilleid (1st AD)

(More under cut)

Deidamia

Bred at his court, Achilles had an intrigue with Deidamia, daughter of Lycomedes, and a son Pyrrhuswas born to him, who was afterwards called Neoptolemus.

Apollodorus, Library - 3.13.8 

Achilles married Deidameia, daughter of Lykomedes, and there was born to them Neoptolemos, who was named this because of Achilles' youth when he rushed forward into war.

Philostratus, Heroica - 732

Earlier, however, when he was living with the young women, he had seduced Deidameia, Lycomedes’ daughter. She bore him Pyrrhos, who later was named Neoptolemos.

D Scholia to the Iliad - 19.326

 "He says 'female' about the body": for it is reported to the younger ones that Achilles, hearing that Hector was brave and fearing him, pretended to be a girl and went to live in Skyros with the children of Lycomedes, where he also slept with Deidameia.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 277

2. Iphigenia

After the passage of time, Artemis transferred Iphigenia to what is called the White Island [Leuke] to be with Achilles and changed her into an ageless immortal deity, calling her Orsilochia instead of Iphigenia. She became the companion of Achilles.

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses - 27

He calls Iphigenia the "first-born mother" because, according to some, Pyrrhus was born from her and Achilles.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 183

Otherwise, this is the meaning: Achilles, her lover, seeking her, will live for a long time on the so-called White Island, also known as Spilos — this island is near the mouths of the rivers of the Celtic lake — longing for his bride, whom once a deer saved from the swords.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 186

The Achilles' racecourse was named for such a reason: When Iphigenia was about to be sacrificed in Aulis to Artemis, Artemis snatched her away and sent her to Scythia. Then Achilles fell in love with her and pursued her to a certain place. And from there it was called Achilles' racecourse.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 192

3. Briseis

Any decent man, a man with sense, loves his own, cares for his own as deeply as I, I loved that woman with all my heart, though I won her like a trophy with my spear... But now that he's torn my honor from my hands, robbed me, lied to me don't let him try me now. I know him too well-he'll never win me over!

Homer’s Iliad

but Achilles slept in the innermost part of the well-builded hut, and by his side lay fair-cheeked Briseis.

Homer’s Iliad

4. Penthesileia

Those who do not know say that Achilles, after killing Penthesilea, fell in love with her after her death, whose eyes Thersites secretly gouged out.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 999

Then he would have felt desire for a lifeless corpse, as Achilles did — seeing a new Penthesileia on the ground, he would have kissed the cold lips of the girl, prostrate in the dust, had he not feared the weight of the threat of Deriades.

Nonnus, Dionysiaca - 35.20 5. Polyxena

When Achilles by chance turned his gaze on Polyxena, he was struck by the beauty of the girl. The longer he remained there, the deeper his passion grew.

Dictys Cretensis, Trojan War Chronicle - 3.2

Accordingly, Achilles promised that he would bring the whole war to an end if Polyxena were given to him. 

Dictys Cretensis, Trojan War Chronicle - 3.3

When Polyxene came out with Hecuba to the sanctuary, Achilles admired her when he saw her.

Malalas, Chronography Bks 1-7, 10-18 - 5.130

The sacrifice of Polyxena on his tomb and Achilles' passion for her, which you hear from the poets, happened like this: Achilles loved Polyxena and was negotiating this marriage for himself with the understanding that he would make the Achaeans withdraw from Ilion. Polyxena also loved Achilles; they had seen one another during the ransom negotiations for Hektor.

Philostratus, Heroica - 737

6. Helen

Otherwise: this is told in two ways. For some say that Achilles, having mingled with Helen in a dream, desired to see her, having erotic feelings from the dream, and asked her to come to the wall, so that he could see her; so the Trojans, being persuaded, brought her to the wall, and he, seeing her, felt even more love for her. Others say that, seeing her for the first time on the wall, he was seized with love and asked his mother to help him to have intercourse with her.

Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem - 174

Helen was wedded to Achilles, and had bidden him sail to Stesichorus at Himera

Pausanias, Description of Greece - 3.19.13

It was there, my guest, and he tells the following sorts of stories about it. He says that it is one of the islands in the Pontus [=Black Sea] more toward its inhospitable side, which those sailing into the mouth of the Pontus put on their left. It is about thirty stades long, but not more than four stades wide; the trees growing on it are poplars and elms, some stand without order, but others already stand in good order around the sanctuary…There Achilles and Helen first saw and embraced one another, and Poseidon himself and Amphitritê hosted their wedding feast, along with all the Nereids and as many rivers and water-spirits as flow into the Sea of Maiôtis and the Pontus…Then Achilles and Helen are said to drink together and to be engaged in singing. They celebrate in song their desire for one another, Homer’s epics on the Trojan War, and Homer himself. Achilles still praises the gift of poetry which came to him from Calliope, and he pursues it more seriously, since he has ceased from military activities.

Philostratus, Heroica - 54.2–54.12

7. Medea

It is said that after death Achilles consorts with Medea in the Isles of the Blest.

Apollodorus, Library (epitome) - e5.5

Otherwise, the story about "Achilles' wife" is as follows: they say that Achilles, after death, married Medea, the daughter of Aietes.