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Chapter 0003 A Complex Meeting With Oedipus
Chapter 0003 A Complex Meeting With Oedipus
Chapter 0003 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
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 Sheshi-
Abraham 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
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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
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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
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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
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.
“Good morning father. That is quite a compliment considering how many sons you must
“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
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.”
“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
“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
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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?”
“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
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.
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“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
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
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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
With that he put his hand on my shoulder and I felt this powerful energy go through me.
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.
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“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.