Pausanias Analysis

For the Messenians, following the battle, matters began to turn difficult. They had become exhausted by the expense of money, which they spent from their cities for the guarding of fortresses, and their slaves were deserting to the Lacedaemonians. Moreover, an illness fell upon them which, though provoking alarm as if contagion had broken out, did not affect everyone. When they deliberated on their present circumstances, they resolved to abandon most of their inland settlements, withdrawing completely from the country, and to establish their residence on Mount Ithome.

There was also a small town there, which they say even Homer mentions in his catalogue: "and steep Ithome." Into this town they moved, enlarging the old circuit-wall to serve as a fortress sufficient to protect them all. And indeed, the site was otherwise naturally strong: for Ithome is not surpassed in height by any of the mountains within the Isthmus, and it was especially difficult of access.

And they decided also to send one of their people as a sacred envoy to Delphi. They therefore dispatched Tisis, son of Alcis, a man second to none in reputation, and renowned particularly for his talent in divination. As Tisis was returning from Delphi, men from the Lacedaemonian garrison stationed at Ampheia set an ambush for him. Once ambushed—since he refused to allow himself to be taken captive—he waited to defend himself and resisted bravely. They wounded him, until suddenly a voice came to them out of the unseen, saying clearly, "Release the bearer of the oracle."

And Tisis, as soon as he reached Ithome safely, immediately reported the oracle's answer to the king; shortly thereafter, due to his wounds, he died. Euphaes, having gathered the Messenians, disclosed to them the words of the oracle: "To the underworld powers, offer a pure maiden chosen by lot from the bloodline of the Aepytidae, making night sacrifices. But if you fail, thereafter you must sacrifice another, one voluntarily giving himself up to be slain."

When the god had made this clear, at once all the maidens of the race of the Aepytidae drew lots. Although the lot fell upon the daughter of Lykiskos, Epebolos the seer declared she should not be sacrificed, for she was not truly the child of Lykiskos. He revealed that Lykiskos' wife, unable herself to bear children, had introduced another's child as her own. While the seer was disclosing these matters concerning the girl, Lykiskos, who had meanwhile set off, fled with the maiden to Sparta.

When the Messenians became disheartened upon learning of Lykiskos' flight, Aristodemos, a man descended from the Aipytidai, who surpassed Lykiskos both in general renown and conspicuously in deeds of war, willingly offered his daughter for sacrifice. But fate, which conceals human affairs—especially earnest efforts—as effectually as river mud obscures a pebble it covers, then indeed imposed an obstacle of this sort upon Aristodemos, precisely as he was striving to accomplish the deliverance of Messenia.

A man among the Messenians—whose name they do not mention—happened to be in love with the daughter of Aristodemus, who at that time was already betrothed and soon to marry. At first this man entered into a dispute with Aristodemus, declaring that Aristodemus, having already given the pledge, was no longer master over his daughter, while he himself, having received the pledge, now had greater authority than the father over her. But as he saw that he was not successful in this claim, he turned to disgraceful talk:

He had intercourse with the girl and she became pregnant by him. In the end, Aristodemos was driven into such fury that, enraged by his anger, he killed his daughter. Afterwards, he cut her open and showed that her womb contained no child. Epibolos, who was present, urged the people to assign another to hand over his daughter, since the death of Aristodemos's daughter had been of no benefit to them. He explained that Aristodemos had murdered his own child, yet had not sacrificed her to the gods as the Pythian oracle had commanded.

After the seer had said these words, the multitude of the Messenians rushed forth intending to kill the suitor of the maiden, accusing him of having unjustly imputed pollution to Aristodemus and thereby having cast doubt on their hopes for deliverance. But this man was particularly dear to Euphaes. So Euphaes persuaded the Messenians that the oracle's fulfillment would come about through the death of the maiden, and that the actions already performed by Aristodemus were sufficient for their needs.

When he had said these things, all those from the family of the Aepytidae affirmed that he spoke the truth, for each of them was eager for the fear concerning his own daughter to be removed. So, persuaded by the counsel of the king, they dismissed the assembly, and from there turned towards sacrifices to the gods and to celebration of the festival.