The Founding of Thebes

In the ancient land of Phoenicia, King Agenor ruled over a prosperous kingdom by the eastern Mediterranean sea. He had four children whom he loved dearly: three sons named Cadmus, Phoenix, and Cilix, and a daughter of extraordinary beauty named Europa. Europa was so lovely that her beauty was spoken of throughout the known world, with her golden hair that caught sunlight like spun silk and eyes as blue as the deepest ocean.

One morning, as Europa played with her companions in a meadow filled with spring flowers near the seashore, Zeus, the king of the gods, looked down from Mount Olympus and was instantly captivated by her beauty. Unable to resist, Zeus transformed himself into a magnificent white bull with horns like polished ivory and eyes that sparkled with divine intelligence.

The bull appeared among Europa’s companions, so gentle and beautiful that Europa was enchanted. She adorned its horns with flower garlands and, trustingly, climbed upon its back. The moment she was secure, Zeus revealed his true nature by leaping into the sea and swimming away with Europa to the distant island of Crete, where she would become the mother of kings.

When King Agenor discovered that his beloved daughter had disappeared, he was consumed with grief and determination. He summoned his three sons to the great hall of his palace.

“My sons,” he declared, his voice heavy with sorrow and resolve, “your sister Europa has vanished without a trace. I cannot rest until she is found and returned safely to our family. You must go forth into the world and search for her. Do not return until you have found her, or until you have discovered her fate.”

The three brothers accepted their father’s command without question. Phoenix traveled west, Cilix went north, and Cadmus, the eldest and wisest, chose to journey northwest into the unknown lands beyond the great sea.

For months and years, Cadmus wandered through foreign lands, asking every person he met if they had seen his beautiful sister. He searched through bustling markets, quiet villages, and remote mountain settlements. He followed every rumor and investigated every story, but Europa seemed to have vanished from the earth itself.

Finally, exhausted and despairing, Cadmus arrived at the ancient Oracle of Delphi, where Apollo’s priestess delivered prophecies to those who sought divine guidance. The sacred temple stood on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, shrouded in mysterious vapors that rose from deep cracks in the earth.

“Great Pythia,” Cadmus said, bowing before the Oracle, “I have searched the world for my sister Europa, but cannot find her. Please, reveal to me where she might be found.”

The Pythia, seated on her sacred tripod above the vaporous chasm, breathed deeply of the intoxicating fumes and entered her prophetic trance. When she spoke, her voice seemed to come from the very depths of the earth:

“Cadmus of Phoenicia, your search for Europa must end, for she dwells now in a realm beyond mortal reach. But the gods have a greater destiny in store for you. Leave this place and follow the path that leads west. You will encounter a heifer that has never known the yoke of labor. Follow this cow wherever she may wander, and where she finally lies down to rest, there you must build a great city that will become mighty among the nations of men.”

Though his heart ached to abandon the search for Europa, Cadmus knew better than to ignore the words of Apollo’s Oracle. He left Delphi and traveled westward until, just as the Pythia had foretold, he encountered a beautiful heifer with a hide marked by a distinctive white crescent moon on her forehead. The cow had never been used for farm work, her hide unblemished by yoke or plow.

The heifer began walking steadily westward, and Cadmus followed, accompanied by a small group of loyal companions who had joined him during his travels. For days they journeyed across hills and valleys, through forests and streams, always following the purposeful path of the sacred cow.

Finally, the heifer reached a pleasant valley in the land that would later be called Boeotia. There, beside a clear spring surrounded by ancient oak trees, she lay down and would go no further. Cadmus knew that this was the place where the gods intended him to build his city.

“Here,” he announced to his companions, “we will establish our new home. But first, we must make a proper sacrifice to the gods to ensure their blessing on our endeavor.”

Cadmus decided to sacrifice the heifer to Athena, goddess of wisdom and cities, hoping to gain her favor for the founding of his settlement. But the sacrifice required pure water from the nearby spring.

“Go to the spring,” Cadmus instructed his companions, “and bring back water for the sacred ritual.”

His men approached the spring, but as they bent to fill their vessels, a tremendous roar echoed through the valley. From a cave beside the spring emerged an enormous dragon, as large as a great tree and covered in scales that gleamed like bronze armor. Its eyes burned like molten gold, and venom dripped from fangs as long as sword blades. This was no ordinary serpent, but a child of Ares, the god of war, left to guard this sacred place.

The dragon attacked Cadmus’s companions with supernatural fury, breathing poisonous vapors and crushing them in its massive coils. Within moments, all of his faithful friends lay dead beside the spring.

When his companions failed to return, Cadmus went to investigate. The sight that greeted him filled his heart with both grief and rage. The bodies of his loyal friends lay scattered around the spring, and the massive dragon coiled triumphantly above them, its golden eyes fixed on Cadmus with malevolent intelligence.

“Monster!” Cadmus cried, drawing his sword. “You have slain my friends, but you will not prevent me from fulfilling the will of the gods!”

The dragon lunged at Cadmus with incredible speed, but the prince was quick and clever. He dodged the creature’s first strike and looked for an opportunity to attack. The battle raged for hours, with the dragon using its enormous size and venomous breath, while Cadmus relied on his speed, skill, and determination.

Finally, Cadmus managed to position himself beside a large oak tree. When the dragon lunged again, Cadmus leaped aside at the last moment, and the creature’s massive head struck the tree trunk with tremendous force. In that instant of confusion, Cadmus drove his spear deep into the dragon’s throat, piercing its heart.

The great serpent thrashed and roared as it died, its death cries echoing across the valley like thunder. When it finally lay still, Cadmus stood victorious but alone, surrounded by the bodies of his friends and the enormous corpse of the dragon.

As Cadmus mourned his fallen companions, a voice spoke from the air above him. It was Athena, the grey-eyed goddess of wisdom.

“Well fought, brave Cadmus,” she said. “But your trials are not yet complete. Take the teeth from the dragon’s mouth and sow them in the earth like seeds. What grows from them will help you build your city.”

Though the task seemed strange, Cadmus obeyed the goddess. He pried the sharp teeth from the dragon’s massive jaws and planted them in the fertile soil around the spring, covering them with earth as a farmer would plant grain.

Almost immediately, the planted teeth began to sprout. But instead of plants, armed warriors emerged from the soil—fully grown men clad in bronze armor and carrying spears and shields. These were the Spartoi, the “Sown Men,” born from the dragon’s teeth and the earth itself.

The warriors looked around with fierce eyes, ready for battle but uncertain whom to fight. Cadmus quickly realized that if they turned on him, he would surely die. Thinking quickly, he picked up a large stone and hurled it into the midst of the warriors.

“Who threw that?” shouted one of the Spartoi, suspecting his nearest neighbor.

“Not I!” replied another, drawing his sword defensively.

The warriors, bred for conflict, immediately began to suspect and attack each other. A great battle erupted among the Spartoi, with each warrior fighting several others simultaneously. The clash of bronze on bronze rang through the valley as the earth-born soldiers fought with supernatural strength and fury.

When the battle ended, only five of the Spartoi remained alive. These survivors, having proven themselves in combat, approached Cadmus and knelt before him.

“We are yours to command, Lord Cadmus,” said their leader, a noble warrior named Echion. “We fought to prove our worth, and now we offer our service to help you build the great city that the gods have ordained.”

The other survivors were named Udaeus, Chthonius, Hyperenor, and Pelorus. These five became Cadmus’s trusted lieutenants and the founding fathers of the great families of Thebes.

With his new companions, Cadmus began construction of his city on the hill overlooking the valley. He named it Thebes, after the sacred cow (called “thebe” in the ancient tongue) that had led him to this destined place. The city grew rapidly, attracting settlers from many lands who had heard of the wise and just king who had conquered a dragon and founded his city with the help of earth-born warriors.

As Thebes prospered, the gods looked favorably upon Cadmus. Zeus himself arranged for the prince to marry Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, bringing together the forces of war and love. Their wedding was attended by all the Olympian gods, and they were blessed with children who would become legendary figures in their own right.

Years later, Cadmus learned the truth about his sister Europa from the gods themselves. She had indeed been carried away by Zeus to Crete, where she became the mother of King Minos and lived a life of honor and happiness. Though Cadmus never saw Europa again, he found peace in knowing that she was safe and blessed by the gods.

The dragon’s teeth that remained unplanted were given by Athena to King Aeetes of Colchis, where they would later play a role in the quest of Jason and the Argonauts. But that is another story.

Under Cadmus’s wise rule, Thebes became one of the greatest cities in Greece, known for its strong walls, noble citizens, and devotion to the gods. The descendants of the Spartoi became the founding families of Theban nobility, and the city that began with a dragon’s death became a beacon of civilization and culture.

And so it was that Prince Cadmus of Phoenicia, who began his journey searching for his lost sister, found instead his true destiny as the founder of mighty Thebes, proving that sometimes the gods’ plans for us are greater than our own dreams and desires.

The spring where the dragon died became sacred to Ares, and the city of Thebes that rose from that violent beginning would endure for many centuries, playing a crucial role in the great stories of Greek heroes and legends yet to come.