John Malalas: from computation to narration

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2.1 Mythical times: the example of the Theban cycle (II14—17)
As regards mythical times, Book II of the Chronicle will be favored here. Indeed, apart
from Book V, entirely devoted to the Trojan War and Orestes’wandering, it’s in this
book that the narrative developments reach the most dramatic proportions. After the
evocation of the Egyptian dynasties, the founding of the kingdom of Argos, lo’s ad-
ventures and the settlement of her descendants in Egypt and the Near-East (ch. 6-7,
9), the second part of the book is devoted to Perseus’ feats (ch. 11-13) and the Theban
dynasty (ch. 14-17).
The chronological rooting is vague. Admittedly, in the middle of the book, Chap-
ter 10 offers a brief chronological summary and mentions the simultaneity of these
events with the times of Phalek (between Adam and Phalek, there were 3000 years):
the Theban dynasty does seem to predate Abraham’s time.23 But the link between
the Argives, Perseus and the Thebans is in fact ensured by Pikos-Zeus and his de-
scendants (II 6 : “In the time of Picus Zeus mentioned above (...)”; II11: “Picus Zeus,
mentioned above, in earlier times had, as well as Hermes and Herakles, another son
Perseus (...)”. Closing the parentheses of the chapters devoted to Perseus (II 11-13),
the chronicler comes back to lo’s heirs and resumes his story after Europa’s abduction
and Cadmus’ departure to look for his sister (II 7). The beginning of Chapter 14 briefly
makes the connection: “In earlier time mentioned above, Kadmos, the son of Agenor,
reached the land of Boiotia from Phoenice”).
The text devoted to the Theban dynasty is worthy of attention in many respects. It
is first remarkable because of its length (four long chapters) and the continuity of the
narration, which stretches from the foundation by Cadmus to the deaths of Eteocles
and Polynices, that is 369 years,24 with one single ellipse, at the beginning of ch. 17,
between the mention of Amphion and Zethus, and that of Oedipus. But it also shows
a fair amount of peculiarities, which may explain the length of the narrative.
After a very short evocation of the episode traditionally linked to Cadmus (im-
portation of the Phoenician letters, foundation of Cadmea, wedding with Harmonia),
Chapter 14 lingers over the character of Tiresias, whom it portrays in a much unusual
manner. This quite odd depiction bears none of the elements of the three most wi-
despread versions of the myth.25 Tiresias is not the old prophet, who is said to have
experienced both genders (because he had seen two snakes copulating and had killed
them) or to have seen Athena bathing (in Callimachus’ version) and who, blinded by
Hera or Athena, receives from Zeus, as compensation, the gifts of foresight and longe-
vity. He’s an alert young man, a hunter (θηροΛετής), an automatist philosopher who
“brought to the Hellenes the belief that all things move of their own accord and that

23 Cf. Jeffreys, “Chronological structures in Malalas’ chronicle”, p. 126.
24 This estimation of the timespan is attributed to Africanus (II17, p. 38,1. 5). Although it relies only on
Malalas’s testimony, this attribution has been approved by Gelzer and retained in the edition of
Africanus’s fragments (F 61, ed. Walraff, pp. 178-179).
25 See Brisson, Le mythe de Tiresias', Bernardi, “Tiresias le philosophe”.