Member-only story
Ovid’s Mythic Biographies: Cadmus
The Tragedy of Thebes’ Founder
Whilst many characters in Ovid’s Metamorphoses only feature briefly, some figures appear multiple times in the poem, with each moment a distinct phase of their life that can then be blended together to create an extended narrative. Cadmus is just such a character. His story begins at the start of Book III and ends in Book IV, but there is a lot to unpack.
Cadmus Finds a City (III.1–130)
Just before we meet Cadmus, Ovid tells the story of Europa:
It turns out that Cadmus is none other than Europa’s brother, and his father Agenor orders him to find his missing sister, telling him not to return home without her.
Jupiter (Zeus) has taken Europa far from her home, and after much searching, Cadmus realises that he has no hope of finding her but knows that he cannot return home; he is in exile. Lacking Google, Cadmus seeks the next best thing: the Oracle at Delphi.
