Editing Amphiaraus (section)

==Mythology==
Amphiaraus was a seer, and greatly honored in his time.  Both [[Zeus]] and [[Apollo]] favored him, and Zeus gave him his oracular talent. In the generation before the [[Trojan War]], Amphiaraus was one of the heroes present at the [[Calydonian boar hunt]]<ref>Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+1.8.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Amphiaraus 1.8.2]: "Atalanta was the first to shoot the boar in the back with an arrow, and Amphiaraus was the next to shoot it in the eye; but Meleager killed it by a stab in the flank...".</ref> and also counted as an [[Argonauts|Argonaut]].<ref>Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+1.9.16&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:boo=0:chapter=0&highlight=Amphiaraus 1.9.16]</ref>

The material of the tragic war of the [[Seven against Thebes]] was taken up from several points of view by each of the three great Greek tragic poets. Eriphyle persuaded Amphiaraus to take part in the raiding venture, against his better judgment, for he knew he would die.<ref>Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+3.6.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Amphiaraus 3.6.2]</ref> She had been persuaded by [[Polynices]], who offered her the [[necklace of Harmonia]], daughter of [[Aphrodite]], once part of the bride-price of [[Cadmus]], as a bribe for her advocacy.  Amphiaraus reluctantly agreed to join the doomed undertaking, but aware of his wife's corruption, asked his sons, [[Alcmaeon (mythology)|Alcmaeon]] and [[Amphilochus (brother of Alcmaeon)|Amphilochus]], to avenge his inevitable death by killing her, should he not return. He had foreseen the failure and for this reason did not agree to join first.<ref>Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010). {{Google books|tOgWfjNIxoMC|Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology.|page=57}}</ref> On the way to the battle, Amphiaraus repeatedly warned the other warriors that the expedition would fail,<ref>Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+3.6.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=0:chapter=0&highlight=Amphiaraus 3.6.2]</ref> and blamed [[Tydeus]] for starting it. For this, he would eventually prevent the dying Tydeus from being immortalized by [[Athena]], by giving him the still-living severed head of his foe [[Melanippus]], whose brains Tydeus devoured along with his last breath, revolting the goddess. (This scene, as rendered by [[Statius]], provided the model for [[Dante]]'s own seminal account of [[Ugolino della Gherardesca#Ugolino in Dante's Inferno|Ugolino]] gnawing on [[Ruggieri degli Ubaldini|Ruggieri's]] skull in Cantos XXXII and XXXIII of the [[Inferno (Dante)#Ninth Circle (Treachery)|Inferno]].) At some point, while the allies of Polyneices sat down to feast, an eagle swooped down and grabbed Amphiaraus's spear, taking it to a great height and then letting it drop on the earth. The spear was fixed in the soil, and transformed into a laurel tree.<ref name="plut">[[Plutarch]], ''[[Moralia|Parallel Lives]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/plutarch-moralia_greek_roman_parallel_stories/1936/pb_LCL305.267.xml?result=1&rskey=U2dKqp 6]</ref>

In the battle, Amphiaraus sought to flee from [[Periclymenus]], the "very famous"<ref>Karl Kerenyi (''The Heroes of the Greeks'', 1959, p. 300) noted that the name would also be a suitable epithet for [[Hades]].</ref> son of [[Poseidon]], who wanted to kill him, but Zeus threw his thunderbolt, and the earth opened to swallow and conceal Amphiaraus – right on the same spot the laurel had grown from his spear<ref name="plut"/> – and his chariot, before Periclymenus could stab him in the back and thereby disgrace his honor.<ref>[[Pindar]], ''Nemean Odes'' 9</ref> Thus becoming a [[chthonic|chthonic hero]], Amphiaraus was later propitiated and consulted at his sanctuary.

Alcmaeon killed his mother when Amphiaraus died. He was pursued by the [[Erinyes]] as he fled across Greece, eventually landing at the court of King [[Phegeus]], who gave him his daughter [[Alphesiboea of Psophis|Alphesiboea]] in marriage. Exhausted, Alcmaeon asked an [[oracle]] how to avoid the Erinyes and was told that he needed to stop where the sun was not shining when he killed his mother. That was the mouth of the river [[Achelous]], which had been silted up. Achelous himself, [[River god|god of that river]], promised him his daughter, [[Callirrhoe (daughter of Achelous)|Callirrhoe]] in marriage if Alcmaeon would retrieve the necklace and clothes which Eriphyle wore when she persuaded Amphiaraus to take part in the battle. Alcmaeon had given these jewels to Phegeus who, outraged, had his sons kill Alcmaeon when he discovered Alcmaeon's plan.