Welcome to House of Cadmus
House of Cadmus is a destination for the literary minded. Bringing you posts including reviews, writing discussions, literary-inspired travel destinations, and book recommendations with a twist, House of Cadmus invites all readers and writers to join our community.
Why House of Cadmus?
In Greek mythology, before the days of Hercules, Cadmus was the first great hero and slayer of monsters. Grandson of Poseidon and son of King Agenor and Queen Telephassa of the Phoenician city Tyre, Cadmus was commanded by his father to rescue his sister, Europa, after she was abducted by Zeus. Unsuccessful in his search or unwilling to go against a god, Cadmus didn’t dedicate himself fully to finding his sister and instead spent time on the island of Samothrace. Upon deciding to rededicate himself to searching for Europa, he consulted the Oracle of Delphi for guidance. Instead of guiding him to his sister, the oracle advised him to abandon the search and instead follow a cow with a half-moon on her side and to build a city on the spot where the cow rested. After much daring and drama, Cadmus founded the city of Thebes.
Having killed a dragon under the protection of Ares, the god of war, in the process of trying to sacrifice the moon-marked cow to Athena, Cadmus was sentenced to serve Ares for eight years as penance. When the eight years’ service were finished, Cadmus, first king of Thebes, was married to the goddess Harmonia. It was at their wedding that Harmonia was gifted a necklace made by Hephaestus that brought misfortune to all who owned it. This, and the ill fate that clung to Cadmus for killing the sacred dragon, brought grievous difficulties upon his family and his city. Under the weight of this difficult life chased by the punishment of the gods, Cadmus, remarking that if the gods cared so much for the life of a serpent perhaps he ought to be one, wished to be made into a serpent himself. Immediately, he began growing scales. Seeing this change, Harmonia wished for the same fate as her husband and thus both were made into snakes.
Cadmus, son of Phoenician rulers and king of Thebes, among his many great mythological braveries and heroic deeds, is also credited with bringing the alphabet and writing from the Phoenicians to the Greeks and, through them, to the rest of the world.
And so, for the mythological hero who brought writing to the wider world, we’ve named our literary site.