Epigoni (epic) facts for kids

The Epigoni (say "Eh-PIG-oh-nee") was a very old Greek epic poem. It was like a sequel, or follow-up, to another famous poem called the Thebaid. Both poems were part of a group of stories known as the Theban cycle, which told tales about the ancient city of Thebes. Some people in ancient times thought Epigoni was just a part of the Thebaid, not a separate poem.

The Story of the Epigoni Poem

This ancient poem was quite long, with about 7,000 lines of poetry! It told the exciting story of the final battle for the city of Thebes. This battle was fought by a group of heroes known as the Epigoni. These "Epigoni" were actually the children of the heroes who had fought in the earlier war for Thebes, which was described in the Thebaid.

Only the very first line of the Epigoni poem is still known today. It says:

Now, Muses, let us begin to sing of younger men ...

Some old writings also suggest that the poem included myths about the death of Procris and the story of Teiresias's daughter, Manto.

Who Wrote the Epigoni?

For a long time, some people believed that the famous poet Homer wrote the Epigoni. However, the ancient historian Herodotus had doubts about this. He didn't think Homer was the author.

Other ancient texts suggest that a poet named "Antimachus" might have written it. This probably refers to Antimachus of Teos, who lived around the 8th century BC. There was also a later poet, Antimachus of Colophon, who lived in the 4th century BC. Some people accused him of using parts of the traditional Epigoni story in his own poem called Thebais.

The exciting story of the Epigoni was also later turned into a play. The famous Greek playwright Sophocles wrote a tragedy called Epigoni, based on the same myth.