MENOECEUS (theban prince)

When Polyneices and his army arrived from Argos, Menoeceus killed himself in front of the city gates to obey an oracle from Delphi.^2,1 He was identified as the latest born of the serpent-brood who must die for victory, a cruel offering demanded to secure victory for Thebes.⁵ Creon learned that Menoeceus was the specific victim required by the oracle, and the news of this demand spread rapidly throughout the city.⁵

Before his death, he was slaying the Danaans while the huge gate was unbarred, with heaps of dead piled around him as he fought.³ Every dart he threw found its mark during the combat, and he was described as greathearted while crowding the defensive walls.^3,6 In another account, he killed Argipus with his sword while the latter was holding a tree in the river.⁷

Menoeceus was seen falling from a tower while bleeding from his chest, and the sight of his condition caused his father intense grief and anger.⁸ Creon sought out and physically grabbed Menoeceus during the scene, lamenting that his son's death embittered his own future joys.^8,4 Perieres served as a charioteer to Menoeceus.⁹

Menoeceus was cremated on a pyre constructed from Greek war trophies and weapons, his body laid upon the massed trophies of the enemy like a conqueror.⁴ Creon sacrificed Pelasgian captives and bridled steeds over his burning body, urging Thebes to build altars and lofty temples for his son.⁴ His sacrifice made him beloved by the people, and a pomegranate tree grows on his tomb, which is located near the Neistan gate at Thebes.^10,2 The grave is positioned near the site of the duel between Oedipus's sons, and Menoeceus is invoked as a witness to Creon's oath regarding the burial of the Argives.^11,12