Pausanias Analysis

Heracles gained no distinguished advantage while waging war against Augeas; for the sons of Actor, excelling both in courage and in the vigor of youth, continually routed the forces allied with Heracles, until such time as the Corinthians proclaimed the Isthmian truce. When the sons of Actor came as spectators to attend the games, Heracles ambushed and killed them at Cleonae. Since the perpetrator of this crime remained unknown, their mother Moline made every possible effort to discover who had actually committed the murder of her sons.

When the Eleans learned of this, they demanded satisfaction from the Argives for the murder, since at that time Heracles happened to be dwelling in Tiryns. As the Argives refused to grant them justice, the Eleans next urged the Corinthians to exclude the entire Argive people from participating in the Isthmian contests. When this effort also failed, it is said that Molione pronounced a curse upon her fellow-citizens if they refused to abstain from the Isthmian games. Even to the present day, the Eleans observe this curse of Molione, and none of them who practice athletics are permitted to enter the Isthmian competitions.

There are two other traditions differing from that already mentioned. One of these accounts says that Cypselus, tyrant of the Corinthians, dedicated a golden statue to Zeus at Olympia; but as Cypselus died before inscribing his own name upon the offering, the Corinthians asked permission of the Eleans to inscribe publicly upon the offering the name of their city. When this permission was refused, the Corinthians became angry with the Eleans and declared beforehand that they were barred from the Isthmian Games. How, then, could the Corinthians themselves have had access to the Olympic Games, if indeed they excluded the Eleans unwillingly from the Isthmian festival?

Another of the accounts says that Philanthus and Lampus were sons of Prolaus, born to a notable Eleian man and his wife Lysippe. When these two came to compete in the boys' pankration at the Isthmian Games—one intended to wrestle—they were strangled or otherwise murdered by their rivals before they entered the competition. Thus arose the curse pronounced by Lysippe upon the Eleians, if ever they should unwillingly abstain from the Isthmian Games. This story too clearly shows itself to be absurd.

For the Elean, Timon, won victories in the pentathlon at the Greek games, and he has a statue in Olympia as well as an elegiac couplet. This elegy records how many crowns Timon won, and indeed describes also the reason why he did not participate in an Isthmian victory. The elegiac couplet includes this verse: "But a quarrel over the deadly fate of the Molionidae prevented the man from going to the land of Sisyphus." Let this suffice regarding this topic.