Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Cadmus

Cadmus was the son of Agenor, king of Phoenicia, and brother of Europa.After Zeus took Europa away, King Agenor was in great pain. He hurriedly sent Cadmus and his three other sons Phonyx, Kirix and Phineus to go out to look for it, and told them that they could not find their sister. Do not come back.After Cadmus went out, he searched here and there, but he still couldn't find any news about his sister Europa.He was helpless and did not dare to return to his hometown, so he asked the sun god Phoebus Apollo to give an oracle to tell him where to settle down.Apollo quickly replied: "You will meet a cow in a lonely pasture. This cow has not put on the yoke. It will lead you straight on. Build a city there and call it Thebes."

Cadmus was about to leave the holy spring of Castellia, where Apollo gave him the oracle, when suddenly he saw a cow grazing on the green grass in front of him.He prayed to the sun god Phoebus, thanked him, and followed the cow.It led him across the shallow Kephissos, and stood on the bank.The cow raised her head and barked loudly.It turned its head again, looked at Cadmus and his entourage who were following, and then lay down contentedly in the soft green grass. Cadmus knelt on the ground in gratitude and kissed the strange land.Later, he wanted to present a sacrifice to Zeus, so he sent servants and ordered them to fetch water from the source of living water for the gods to drink.Nearby was an ancient forest that no woodcutter had ever cut with an axe. In the forest, a clear spring gushed out from among the rocks, and wound its way through the layers of undergrowth.The spring is crystal clear and sweet.

There is a poisonous dragon hidden in this forest. The purple-red dragon crown is shining, the eyes are red, as if blazing flames, and the body is huge. Three letters protrude from the mouth, like a trident, and there are three layers of sharp teeth in the mouth.The Phoenician servants went into the forest and were about to sink their jugs into the water to draw water, when the blue dragon suddenly stuck its head out of the hole and let out a terrible noise.The servants were so frightened that even the jug slipped from their hands, and the blood all over their bodies seemed to be frozen.The dragon coiled its scaly body into a ball, then curled up and thrust forward, its head held high, looking down menacingly at the trees.At last it charged at the Phoenicians, and scattered them all, some were bitten to death, some were strangled by it, some were suffocated by its stench, The rest were also poisoned to death by the poisonous saliva.

Cadmus could not think why his servants had been absent for so long and did not return, and at last he resolved to seek them out himself. He was clothed with a lion's skin, and in his hands he carried a spear and a javelin, and besides a brave heart stronger than any weapon.When Cadmus entered the woods, he saw a mass of corpses, all of which were his servants.He also saw the evil dragon spitting out blood-red scorpions as if victorious, and licking the corpses all over the place. "Poor friends!" Cadmus cried out in agony, "I will avenge you, or I will die with you!" As he said, he grabbed a big stone and threw it at the dragon. .Such a big stone can penetrate even city walls and towers.But the poisonous dragon was indifferent, its hard thick skin and scales protected it like iron armor.Cadmus threw another javelin with great force, and the point pierced deep into the dragon's gut.The dragon was in great pain, and violently turned its head, bit off the javelin on its back, and crushed it with its body, but the point of the spear remained in its body, and the dragon was seriously injured.Cadmus's fearless actions enraged the dragon, and its throat swelled rapidly, spitting out poisonous white foam.It rushed like an arrow, and Cadmus stepped back quickly, wrapped his body in the lion's skin, and thrust his spear into the dragon's mouth, and the dragon bit the spear.Cadmus pressed the spear with all his strength, and the dragon's teeth fell out.Finally, blood flowed from the dragon's neck, but the injury was not serious, and he could still avoid the attack.It was difficult for Cadmus to kill it all at once.Cadmus fought harder and harder.Finally, he held the sword, saw the opportunity, and stabbed the dragon's neck with a sword.The sword stabbed hard and heavily, not only piercing the dragon's neck, but also piercing into a big oak tree behind, nailing the dragon tightly to the tree, and the dragon was subdued.

Cadmus gazed for a long time at the stabbed dragon.When at last he wanted to leave, he saw Pallas Athena standing beside him, and bade him sow in the soft soil the teeth of the dragon, the seed of the future race.Cadmus obeyed the goddess, he made a wide trench in the ground, and then slowly sprinkled the dragon's teeth into the soil.Suddenly, the dirt below began to move.Cadmus saw first the tip of a spear protruding, and then a warrior's helmet emerging from the ground.The whole forest was shaking.Soon, shoulders, chest and limbs were exposed under the soil, and the last fully armed warrior stood up from the soil.Of course, there is more than one.After a while, a whole team of warriors grew out of the ground.

Cadmus was taken aback. He was about to start a new battle, and quickly put on a stance.But a warrior born out of the mud shouted to him: "Don't take arms against us, and don't take part in the war between our brothers!" As he said, he drew his sword and pointed it at a brother who had just grown out of the mud. He swung it away fiercely, and he was stabbed to the ground by others with a javelin. All of a sudden, a group of people started fighting, and the killing was inextricable.Mother Earth drinks the blood of her first born sons.In the end there were only five people left, and one of them, later named Echion, first responded to Athena's suggestion, laid down his arms, and was willing to reconcile, and the others also agreed.

Cadmus, a Phoenician prince, founded a new city with the help of five soldiers.According to the will of the sun god Phoebus, Cadmus called the city Thebes.In order to reward Cadmus, the gods married the beautiful girl Harmenia to him, attended the wedding and gave many gifts.Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, the mother of Harmenia, presented a costly necklace and an exquisite silk veil. Cadmus and Harmonia had a daughter Semele.Zeus loved Semele very much.Enticed by Hera, Semele asked Zeus to show his majesty.Because Zeus had promised to satisfy the girl's request, he dared not break his promise, so he rode a thunderbolt and approached the girl.Semele couldn't stand it anymore, and gave birth to a child for Zeus before he died. This is Dionysus, also known as Bacchus.Zeus gave the child to Semele's sister Ino to raise.Later, Ino took another son, Mericeltes, to avoid the pursuit of her husband Atamas, but unfortunately fell into the sea.The mother and son were rescued by Poseidon and became the god of the sea to rescue those in distress.Henceforth Ino was called Loyukothea, and her son Palemon.Later, Cadmus and Harmenia were old and mourning the misfortune of their children, so they went to Illyria together.

In the end, they turned into two big snakes and entered heaven after death.