Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Greek Myths Bedtime Story - Cadmus and Europa

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Starting point is 00:00:46 please go to sleepcove.com slash support. That's sleepcove.com slash support. If you can't support the show right now, please subscribe with a bell to get alerts on all new free content Thank you Have you ever gazed in wonder at the Great Pyramid Have you marvelled at the golden face of Tudankhamun

Starting point is 00:01:16 Or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti If you have, you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast Every week we explore tales of this ancient culture The history of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of ancient Egypt. I'm at Christopher Fitton. Tonight I'm continuing some old Greek stories by James Bold. This story is called Cadmus and Euripa.

Starting point is 00:02:00 It's a story about the adventure of Cadmus, who chases Europa when she is kidnapped by a strange force. I really hope you enjoy this, so thanks to all the people who've been requesting more myths on the show. The whole book will shortly be on the Sleepcove Premium Feed as one long compilation of myths. Please go to sleepcove.com slash support to get access to our supporters feed. So please get comfortable and let's begin. Cadmus and Europa Chapter 1 The Bull

Starting point is 00:02:40 In Asia there lived a king who had two children a boy and a girl The boy's name was Cadmus And the girl's name was Europa The king's country

Starting point is 00:02:56 was a very small one He could stand on his house top and see the whole of it side of it, there were mountains, and on the other side was the sea. The king thought that it was the centre of the world, and he did not know much about other lands and people. Yet he was very happy in his own little kingdom, and very fond of his children, and he had good reason to be proud of them, for Cadmus grew up to be the bravest young man in the land, and Europa to be the fairest maiden that had ever been seen. But sad days came to them all at last. One morning, Europa went out into a field near the seashore to pick flowers. Her father's cattle were in the field, grazing among the sweet clover.

Starting point is 00:04:00 They were all very tame, and Europa knew every one of them by name. The herdsman was lying in the shade under a tree, trying to make music on a little flute of straw. Europa had played in the field a thousand times before, and no one had ever thought of any harm beforeing her. She noticed that there was a strange bull with a herd. He was very large and as white as snow. He had soft brown eyes, which somehow made him look very gentle and kind. At first he did not even look at Europa, but went here and there, eating the tender grass which grew among the clover. But when she had gathered her apron full of daisies and buttercups, he came slow.

Starting point is 00:05:02 towards her. She was not at all afraid of him. So she stopped to look at him. He was so handsome. He came close to her and rubbed her arm with his nose to say good morning. She stroked his head and neck and he seemed much. Then she made a wreath of daisies and hung it round his neck. He looked at her with his soft. kind eyes and seemed to thank her, and in a little while he laid down among the clover. Europa then made a smaller wreath and climbed upon his back to twine it round his horns, but all at once he sprang up and ran away so swiftly that Europa could not help herself. She did not dare to jump off while he was going so fast

Starting point is 00:06:06 And all that she could think to do was to hold fast to his neck And scream very loud Under the tree heard her scream and jumped up to see what was the matter He saw the bull running with her towards the shore He ran after them as fast as he could But it was of no use The bull leaped into the sea And swam swiftly away

Starting point is 00:06:36 With poor Europa on his bag Several other people had seen him And now they ran to tell the king Soon the whole town was alarmed Everybody ran out to the shore and looked All that could be seen Was something white moving very fast over the calm blue water

Starting point is 00:07:01 and soon it was out of sight. The king sent his fastest ship to try to overtake the bull. The sailors rode far out to sea much farther than any ship had ever gone before but no trace of Europa could be found. When they came back everybody felt there was no more hope

Starting point is 00:07:28 All the women and children in the town Wept for the lost Europa The king shut himself up in his house And did not eat nor drink for three days Then he called his son Cadmus And bade him to take a ship And go in search of his sister And he told him that

Starting point is 00:07:50 No matter what dangers might be in his way He must not come back until he was found Cadmus was glad to go. He chose twenty brave young men to go with him and set sail the very next day. It was a great undertaking, for they were to pass through an unknown sea, and they did not know what lands they would come to.

Starting point is 00:08:18 Indeed, it was feared that they would never come to any land at all. Ships did not dare to go far from the shore in those days. But Cadmus and his friends were not afraid. They were ready to face any danger. In a few days, they came to a large island called Cyprus. Cadmus went on shore and tried to talk with the strange people who live there. They were very kind to him, but they did not understand his language.

Starting point is 00:08:55 At last he made out by signs. to tell them who he was, and to ask them if they had seen his little sister Europa, or the white bull that had carried her away. They shook their heads and pointed to the west. Then the young men sailed on in their little ship. They came to many islands and stopped at everyone, to see if they could find any trace of Europa. but they heard no news of her at all.

Starting point is 00:09:32 At last they came to the country, we now called Greece. It was a new country then, and only a few people live there, and Cadmus soon learned to speak their language well. For a long time, he wandered from one little town to another, always telling the story of his lost sister. Chapter 2 The Pithia One day, an old man told Cadmus

Starting point is 00:10:05 that if he would go to Delphi and ask the Pithia, perhaps she could tell him all about Europa. Cadmus had never heard of Delphi or of Pithia, and he asked the old man what he meant. I will tell you, for the man, Delphi is a town built near the foot of Mount Parnassus at the very centre of the earth. It is the town of Apollo, the bringer of light. And there is a temple there, built close to the spot where Apollo killed a black serpent many, many years ago.

Starting point is 00:10:50 The temple is the most wonderful place in the world. In the middle of the floor there is a wide crepe or crevice And this crevice goes down, down into the rock Nobody knows how deep A strange odour comes up out of the crevice He is apt to fall over and lose his senses But who is the pithia that you spoke about? asked Cadmus I will tell you, said the old man,

Starting point is 00:11:29 but Pithia is a wise woman who lives in the temple. When anybody asks her a hard question, she takes a three-legged stool called a tripod and sets it over the crevice in the floor. Then she sits on the stool and breathes the strange odour and instead of losing her senses, as other people would do, she talks with Apollo, and Apollo tells her how to answer the question. Men from all parts of the world go there to ask about things which they would like to know. The temple is full of the most beautiful and costly gifts, which they have brought for the pithier.

Starting point is 00:12:21 Sometimes she answers them plainly, and sometimes she answers them in riddles. But what she says always comes true. So Cadmus went to Delphi to ask Viphya about his lost sister. The wise woman was very kind to him, and when he had given her a beautiful golden cup to pay her for her trouble, she sat down on the tripod and breathed the strange odour which came up through the crevice in the rock. Then her face grew eyes, looked, she seemed to be in great pain. But they said that she was talking with Apollo, Cadmus asked her,

Starting point is 00:13:21 to tell him what had become of Europa. She said that Jupiter, in the form of a white bull, had carried her away, and that it would be of no use to look for her anymore. But what shall I do? said Cadmus. My father told me not to turn back till I should find her. Your father is dead, said Bithy. and a strange king rules in his place. You must stay in Greece, for there is work here for you to do. What must I do? said Cadmus. Follow the white cow, said the Pythia, and on the hill, where she lies down, you must build a city.

Starting point is 00:14:13 Cadmus did not understand what she meant by this, but she would not speak another word. This must be one of her riddles, he said. Chapter 3, the dragon. When Cadmus went out of the temple, he saw a snow-white cow standing not far from the door. She seemed to be waiting for him, for she looked at him with her large, brown eyes. Cadmus thought of what the pithier had just told him, and so he followed her. All day and through a strange wild country, where no one lived, who had sailed with Cadmus from his old home, were with him. When the sun rose the next morning, they saw that they were on the

Starting point is 00:15:21 top of a beautiful hill, with woods on one side and a grassy meadow on the other. There the cow lay down. Here we will build our city, said Cadmus. Then the young man made a fire of dry sticks, and Cadmus killed the cow. They thought that if they should burn some of her flesh, the smell of it would go up to the sky and be pleasing to Jupiter and the mighty folk, who lived with them among the clouds. And in this way, they hoped to make friends with Jupiter, so that he would not hinder them in their work water to wash the flesh and their hands, and so one of the young men went down the hill to find some. He was gone so long, that the The other young man became an easy and went after him.

Starting point is 00:16:25 Cadmus waited for them till the fire had burned alone. He waited and waited till the sun was high in the sky, and he called and shouted, but no one answered him. At last he took his sword in his hand and went down to see what was the matter. He followed the path, which his friends had taken and soon came to a fine stream of cold water at the foot of a hill. He saw something move among the bushes which grew near it. It was a fierce dragon waiting to spring upon him.

Starting point is 00:17:09 There was blood on the grass and leaves, and it was not hard to guess what had become of the two young men. The beast sprang at Cadmus, and he tried to seize him with his sharp claws. But Cadmus leaped quickly aside and struck it in the neck with his long sword. Soon the dragon fell to the ground dead. Cadmus had seen many fearful sighs, but nothing so dreadful as this beast. He had never been in a great day. danger before. He sat on the ground and trembled, build a city, the city. While Cadmus was still weeping, he was surprised to hear someone calling him. He stood up and looked

Starting point is 00:18:18 around. On the hillside before him was a tall woman who had a helmet on her head and a shield in her hand. Her eyes were grey, and her face, though not beautiful, was very noble. Cadmus knew it once that she was Athena, the queen of the air, and she gives wisdom to men. She told Cadmus that he must take out the teeth of the dragon and sow them in the ground. He thought this would be a strange kind of seed. But she said, said that if he would to do this, he would soon have men enough to help him build his city. And before he could say a word, she had gone out of his sight. The dragon had a great many teeth, so many that when Cadmus had taken them out,

Starting point is 00:19:21 they filled his helmet heaping full. The next thing was to find a good place to see. sew them. Just as he turned away from the stream, he saw a yoke of oxen standing a little way off. He went to them and found that they were hitched to a plow. What more could he want? The ground in the meadow was soft and black, and he drove the plough up and down, making long furrows as he went. and he dropped the teeth one by one into the furrows and covered them over with rich soil when he had sown all of them in this way

Starting point is 00:20:10 he sat down on the hillside and watched to see what would happen in a little while the soil in the furrows began to stir something brighter grew up it was a brass helmet Their helmets pushed their way up. Faces of men were seen underneath. Then their shoulders, before Cadmus could think, a thousand warriors leaped out of the furrows and shook off the black earth was closed.

Starting point is 00:21:06 And everyone had a long spear in his right hand and a shield in his left. Cadmus was frightened when he saw the strange. crop which had grown up from the dragon's teeth. The man looked so fierce that he feared they would kill him if they saw him. He hid himself behind his plow and then began to throw stones at them. The warriors did not know where the stones came from, but each thought that his neighbour had struck him. Soon they began to fight among themselves. Man after man was killed, and in a little while only five men were left alive.

Starting point is 00:21:58 Then Cadmus ran towards them and called out, Hold, stop fighting, you are my men, and must come with me. We will build a city here. These men obeyed him. They followed Cadmus to the top of the hill And they were such good workmen That in a few days They built a house on the spot where the cow had lain down

Starting point is 00:22:28 After that they built other houses And people came to live in them They called the town Cadmere After Cadmus Who was its first king But when the place had grown to be a large city It was known by the name the Thieves. Cadmus was a wise king. The mighty folk who lived with Jupiter amid the clouds

Starting point is 00:22:54 were well pleased with him and helped him in more ways than one. After a while he married Harmonia, the beautiful daughter of Mars. All the mighty ones were at the wedding and Athena gave the bride a wonderful necklace about which you may learn something more at another time. But the greatest thing that Cadmus did is yet to be told. He was the first schoolmaster of the Greeks and taught them the letters which were used in his own country across the sea. They called the first of these letters Alpha and the second better than speak of the alphabet to this day. and when Greeks had learned the alphabet from Cadmus they soon began to read and write and to make beautiful and useful books

Starting point is 00:23:56 as for the maiden Europa she was carried safe over the sea to a distant shore in the new strange land to which she was taken I cannot tell but she never heard of friends or home again Whether it was really Jupiter in the form of a bull that carried her away, nobody knows. It all happened so long ago that there may have been some mistakes about the story. I should not think it's strange if it were a sea-robber who stole her from her home and a swift ship with white sails that bore her away.

Starting point is 00:24:47 One thing I am very sure. She was loved so well by all who knew her that the great unknown country to which she was taken has been called after her name ever since. Europe.

Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Greek Myths Bedtime Story - Cadmus and Europa

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