AN OFFER YOU CAN'T RETRACT: XERXES' NOD AND MASISTES' WIFE (HERODOTUS 9.111.1

摘要

Near the end of his Histories, Herodotus recounts a tragic turn of events in thenroyal house of the Persian king, Xerxes (9.108–13). Xerxes’ younger brother bynDarius I and Atossa was Masistes; Xerxes fell in love with this man’s wife, andnwhen he could not win her, wed his son, the future Darius II, to her daughternby Masistes, Artaynte, thinking with practically New Comic logic that this wouldnadvance his cause. Yet Xerxes fell in love with Artaynte instead, and they had annaffair. Having pledged and sworn (9.109.2) to give her whatever she asked for, henhad, despite grave misgivings, to honour her request for a special robe woven bynhis own wife, Amestris. When Amestris learned that Artaynte was wearing the robenshe herself had woven, and so realized her husband’s adultery, Amestris swore tonavenge herself, not on her husband, nor even on the equally guilty Artaynte, but,n‘supposing her mother to have been the cause’ (9.110.1), on that innocent woman.nAmestris bided her time until Xerxes’ birthday, when the custom was that he asnking gave gifts to all who asked. She then requested that he hand over his sisterin-nlaw for her to mutilate to death. Unwilling, but compelled by custom, Xerxesn‘nodded down’ (κατανεύει, 9.111.1) in the time-honoured gesture of assent.