The mythology of ancient Greece and Italy

364 MYTHOLOGY OF GREECE.
The hero having now performed all his tasks, returned to
Thebes, where he gave Megara in marriage to Iolaos. Wish-
ing himself to marry again, and hearing that Eurytos, king of
CEchalia a , had declared that he would give his daughter Iola
to him who should overcome himself and his sons in shooting
with the bow, he went thither, and won the victory, but did
not obtain the promised prize. Iphitos, the eldest son, was
for giving his sister to Heracles ; but Eurytos and his other
sons refused, lest he should destroy her children, if she had
any, as he had done those of Megara. Shortly afterwards the
oxen of Eurytos being stolen by Autolycos, his suspicions fell
upon Heracles. Iphitos, who gave no credit to this charge,
betook himself to that hero, and besought him to join in
search of the lost oxen. Heracles promised to do so, and en-
tertained him ; but falling again into madness, he precipitated
Iphitos from the walls of Tiryns. In order to be purified of
this murder he went to Neleus, who being a friend of Eurytos
refused to comply with his desire. Heracles then went to
Amyclae, where he was purified by Deiphobos the son of
Hippolytos. But he fell notwithstanding into a severe malady
on account of the murder of Iphitos ; and going to Del-
phi to seek relief, he was refused a response by the Pythia.
In his rage at her denial he went to plunder the temple, and
taking the tripod was about establishing an oracle for him-
self. Apollo came to oppose him ; but Zeus hurled a thun-
derbolt between the combatants, and put an end to their
contest. Heracles now received a response, that his malady
would be removed if he let himself be sold for three years as
a slave, and gave the purchase-money to Eurytos as a compen-
sation for the loss of his son b .
a There were three places named (Echalia in Greece ; on the banks of the Pencios
in Thessaly, in Eubcea, in Messene. Each of these claimed Eurytos. Homer
(Od. viii. 22G ; xxi. 22. seq.) is in favour of the last : he says that Eurytos having
challenged Apollo at archery was killed by the god ;
and his son Iphitos, coming to
Heracles in quest of his mares and foals, was slain by him in violation of the rights
of hospitality. In the Catalogue (II. ii. 730.) the Thessalian (Echalia is the city
of Eurytos; while the ' Taking of (Echalia' and the iEgimios, as it would seem, are
in favour of that in Eubcea. They are followed by Sophocles, Apollodorus, and
the current of writers.
b Pherecydes ap. Sch. Od. xxi. 23. iEsch. Agam. 1048. Soph. Trach. 252. seq.