Chapter 0003 A Complex Meeting With Oedipus

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Chapter 3 A complex meeting with Oedipus As King Theseus, I became a legend in my own time. It was that legend that led another king to seek me out after his fortunes had gone terribly wrong. I had heard of Oedipus whose legend was an old one even in my day. He supposedly was the man who killed his father and married his mother unknowingly. He then blinded himself and had been cared for many years by his daughters.

I heard another legend, spoken to me as truth from the mouth of Moses who told it to me at Chiron’s school. This Oedipus was actually a close relative of Pharoah SheshiAbraham who was also known as Salotis or Lot for short. He was high priest in Thebes and was indeed married to his mother, not that unusual for these people, and had two daughters and two sons by her. The sons were given the governorship of two very prosperous towns named Sodom and Gomorrah. They turned against their father as well as Pharoah Sheshi and were consorting with dark powers to overthrow Abraham’s rule. Lot took his family to try and change them, but while he was there Abraham got word to him that there was about to be a major catastrophe. He begged his sons to flee with him, but instead they chose to grab and rape and sodomize their own mother and he and their sisters were forced to watch. But there was a huge explosion and in the confusion he was able to escape with the girls. He also apparently tried to carry his wife out, but he didn’t have the strength and she just stood there in the square like a statue as he was swept away by the rushing crowd. They rushed out of the city and made it to the hills. The daughters ran well ahead of Lot and by the time he caught up with him the fumes and heat from the

2 explosions had not only swallowed the cities but had taken Lot’s eyesight as well. He returned to Thebes where he was honored for a time as a prophet, but soon the Priests there were unwilling to hear his blasphemies against their Bull worshipping and during the time of Pharoah Yakoboam he was sent to Greece where other members of the Hyksos family had already settled. His daughters whom he married and had already raised two sons with chose to go with him. The sons were given their own kingdoms nearby Egypt so they stayed. He and his daughters were given a city in Greece, which they named Thebes and they ruled there for a few years. But soon he had a falling out with his relatives and his two new sons he had sired and was once again forced to wander the land without a home. Again his daughter-wives remained faithful to their father and went with him. He retained his ability as a prophet and knew that he had a mission yet to accomplish. For that reason, according to Moses, he was granted a very long life and it was rumored that he was still alive in the hills of Greece. It was also rumored that whoever offered him sanctuary and a good burial would receive the blessings of the gods. To that end, he apparently sought me out. And to that end, the people of Thebes wanted him back.

Oedipus came to me to die and gave me life in exchange. It was in a cave so many of my —

transformations seem to come in caves where he asked to speak to me alone. But the meeting was quite by accident, or was it? Here’s how it came about.

My years in Athens went by quickly and were a mixed blessing. I loved seeing my people prosper, but I also loved adventuring. After Pirithous and I had been reunited it was like

3 our time in Chiron’s school. He was like my little brother constantly wanting me to come out and play with him. Admittedly, he didn’t have to do too much to convince me. The more time I spent away from Athens on my adventures, the more distance that came between my city and me. I learned too late that rulership is like a marriage. It requires incredible time and attention to make it work. And like a marriage, my wife was beginning to be very jealous of my adventuring. And when I, after one of my adventures brought home a foreign woman, Hippolyta, to share my throne, I sealed my fate as Ruler of Athens. Hippolyta was never accepted, and although no one would say it to my face, I knew there were very few in Athens besides me and our son Hippolytus who mourned her passing. This knowledge was really the final separation between Athens and I although I did not realize it for several years more. Meanwhile I continued to be the provider and breadwinner for the city bringing home many treasures from my journeys.

Shortly after Hippolyta’s death, I found myself withdrawing from my royal duties even more and questioning so many things in my life. I doted on our son Hippolytus and I also spent a great deal of time with many friends from the bull dances as well as King Pirithous. We had just completed a successful hunt and I woke with the memory of a strange dream.

“Thanks for the fire Pirithous. It’s a brisk morning.”

“You’re welcome my brother.”

4 “And here is my favorite son. Good morning Hippolytus.”

“Good morning father. That is quite a compliment considering how many sons you must have throughout the countryside.”

“Why you ungrateful pup.” With that we wrestled and laughed. I realized that it would not be much longer before I could no longer hold my own with this man. He had my strength and his mother’s looks. A dangerous combination as would be made painfully clear in the not too distant future.

Soon we settled down and the others joined us around the fire.

“I had a strange dream last night.” I told the assembled group. “I dreamt that a great wave came upon the land and carried us to Poseidon’s temple at Collonus. We managed to ride the wave, but at Collonus I was pulled under and drawn into a cave. The cave was filled with light and an old man pulled me out of the water and I became blind. He touched my eyes and I could see. I realized that the light was coming from him, but I also saw that he was blind and full of pain. The voice of Poseidon filled the cave saying that I should listen and learn what this man has to say. I then realized that I was asleep and I woke up and suddenly I was in this place of golden radiance. Then I woke up for real.”

“Any idea what it means father?”

5 “Not really, but it seems that I will learn the answer at Collonus.”

“That is only a day’s journey from here,” said Pirithous, “It sounds like we have our marching orders.”

Everyone agreed and it took us a short time to pack up the camp and begin this new adventure. We all seemed to sense urgency to our mission and the distance shortened quickly as we spurred our horses on to greater and greater speed. Before the sun went down, we came upon the temple of Poseidon at Collonus. And we came upon a menacing situation. There in front of us were twenty or so soldiers surrounding an old man and two young women. Without thinking the six of us leapt from our horses and attacked the soldiers. They fought well, but they were no match for my heroes. I quickly maneuvered myself and our new friends into a position that I could defend them clearing a path towards the temple wall and placing them against it as I continued to fight any that dared to approach. It didn’t take long. Only a few were left and they begged for mercy.

“Please let us be,” cried one of them. I could tell now he was their captain. “We are here on the orders of the King of Thebes to bring these three to justice.”

“You are not on Theban soil but Athenian, and I am the justice here.” You tell your King Creon that Theseus, King of Athens will not allow any who come to him for sanctuary be taken without offending me.” At this I turned to my three charges with a wink and I asked, “You did come to me for sanctuary did you not?” One of the young women smiled

6 and answered “Most certainly sire.” For the first time I got a look at the old man and I shuddered. Had it not been for my dream, I don’t know that I would have been so quick to defend this man. He had the look of one whom the gods have been pleased to punish. I continued to Creon’s Captain. “Does the King of Thebes wish to offend me?”

“No your highness. Most certainly not.”

“Go then you and your men with you and tell him that Oedipus and his daughters are guests on my land and given my full protection.” I knew once I looked at him who this stranger was, even though I had never seen him before. Who could not know of this great man brought low by great pride. I was somewhat arrogant believing that I could never be brought low by such a pride. Little did I know. The men gathered their dead and wounded and headed off. Then Oedipus addressed me as one very familiar with the formalities of state.

“Great King Theseus, destroyer of empires and architect of greater ones; lover of life and liver of life; seeker of justice, truth and mercy. I am your humble servant Oedipus who was blind when I could see and sighted in my blindness. I have much to speak to you about in private if you would grant me audience.”

I answered in the same manner as my heart went out to this King who had done so much good for his people, but now was despised and rejected by them.

7 “Oedipus, your greatness and your pain are known to me. I am honored that you have chosen me to share these last days for I know that even as you have been humbled by the gods, you have been exalted for the gods love those whom they would chasten. You have called me to Collonus and to this cave and I have come. Let us walk on and speak where only the rocks may hear us.”

And so we did. I led him in not knowing that for the next few hours or days he would be leading me.

Soon we stopped, and I helped him find a boulder to sit on and I sat across from him. His visage chilled me and I knew I was in the presence of a man who was much more than a man.

I told him to speak his mind freely and assured him that any request he would make of me would be granted. He told me his wishes for his burial and the provisions he asked for his daughters. He also spoke of his sons and the kingdom they would inherit from their uncle. He knew that there would be trouble and simply asked me to judge wisely my part in that confusion sure to follow. When this business was concluded, he breathed deeply three times and in his breaths I felt the ebb and flow of eternity. He then began.

“I bring you a mantle Theseus. You are chosen to be the Merlanu. It has ever been your destiny as it was mine to carry it to you. I must speak to you of many things that will at first seem incredible to you, but I promise that before I am done, you will know the truth

8 of it. You have heard the stories of Atlantis, and you have met those whom we call gods. You have been rightly called a child of one of these, as I will explain. You know also that these gods are from this same Atlantis. But there are many stories you do not know. It is time for you to awaken from your sleep.”

With that he put his hand on my shoulder and I felt this powerful energy go through me. And then everything went black. When I awakened I felt strangely different. It was as if there was another person inside of me. I had the sense that I was awakening from a very long sleep. I knew that I was intimately connected to the god Poseidon, but whether or not I was his son remained to be proven. Still I felt as though I knew many secrets that circled at the outer fringes of my memory. I knew that I was given a mantle of responsibility, and I knew that the mantle was a part of an order called The Merlanu. I didn’t know whether it had been hours or days or years that had passed, but there next to me was Oedipus.

“Theseus, you have been given a great deal of information in the form of a vision. You have been given memories from Poseidon that you must have to accomplish the mission you are destined for. Those memories are now a part of you, but you will only call them to mind in stages to keep you from more immediate accomplishments. You still have much to accomplish in your kingdom. You are still getting over the loss of Hippolyta, I know, but your tragedies are not over. In the not too distant future, you will lose Hippolyta again and then you will find her. That journey will lead you to a final understanding and you will then be ready to fully assume your role as The Merlanu.

9 Never be satisfied with only solving riddles. Seek truth.”

“And what of you Oedipus?”

“My path is set and this journey is completed. Send my daughters to attend me. They will know what to do. When they are done, they will come out again to you, and you must give them safe passage back to Thebes. Your road is still opening to you.”

I had so many questions that this vision left unanswered. I wanted to know more about the elves and the other races I had glimpsed. I wanted to know about the gods and I wanted to know more about me. If I was chosen or created by Poseidon, then what next? Oedipus could not answer these questions, but he assured me that I would soon come to these answers.

I did as he asked and the daughters came out around midday and said that there father was no more. I allowed that cave to be his burial ground for now. I suspected there would be some action in the future to bring him to Thebes, but for now, he rested peacefully on Athenian soil.