November 17, 2024 • 13 mins
Ever wondered how a king's fear of a prophecy could lead to one of history's most chilling tales? In today's gripping episode, we unravel the saga of Astyages, the last king of Media, and the notorious feast that sealed his fate. Known for his ruthlessness, Astyages is a character straight out of a tragic drama, with a prophecy predicting his downfall at the hands of his own grandson, Cyrus. Listen closely as we unravel how his desperate attempts to thwart this foreseen fate inadvertently set the stage for a saga of betrayal and revenge, culminating in his general, Harpagus, unwittingly dining on his own flesh and blood.
But this isn't just a tale of ancient vengeance; it's a deep dive into the power dynamics and moral quandaries that have shaped our histories and our psyches. We explore the profound influence of dreams and prophecies in shaping human destiny, and the layers of human nature that drive such dramatic actions. Through intriguing storytelling, we encourage you to consider the hidden stories and lessons intertwined in historical narratives, urging a reflection on how these tales from the past continue to resonate with our present selves. Join us in this exploration of history as a mirror, revealing both the past's secrets and our own.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, are you ready for this?
We're going deep into ancienthistory, but, trust me, this is
not your typical boring historylesson.
No not at all.
We're talking betrayal.
We're talking prophecy and aseriously messed up dinner party
, buckle up.
Yeah, buckle up.
So today we're uncovering thestory of Estages.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The last king of media.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And this guy, let me tell you, did not have a great
reputation.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He reigned from 585 to 550 BC.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And his reign was, let's just say, marked by
ruthlessness.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Definitely, and the incident we're diving into today
really shows that.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
The extent of his cruelty, the power dynamics of
that time.
It's all there.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for this deep dive , we're looking at a blog post.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Titled A Stages and a Harpagus, a chilling feast of
revenge, according to Herodotus.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Catchy.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
From a blog called Not Top Secret.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
And they're using Herodotus' histories.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Which keep in mind, was written centuries after
these events actually happened.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
True, true, but it still gives us a really vivid
picture, even if it's a bitdramatized.
Who?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
knows Right, like maybe they spiced it up a bit Of
this, you know, ancient king.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So this Astages not exactly Mr Popularity, huh.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Not exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
What exactly did he do to get such a brutal
reputation?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Okay, so the main event, if you can call it that,
is this feast.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Oh, here we go.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Where Astages makes his general Harpagus eat his own
son.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Whoa makes his general Harpagus eat his own son
Whoa whoa whoa Hold on.
Yeah, his own son.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Without knowing it, of course.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
As revenge.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
As revenge.
It's a seriously chillingexample of what happens when
power and paranoia mix with athirst for vengeance.
Okay that's intense, it is.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Definitely not your average history lesson.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
It's like something out of a Greek tragedy or
something.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
But before we get to that horrifying main course,
what led to this insane act ofrevenge?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Why target his own general in such a gruesome way?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, what's the backstory here?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So it all started with a dream.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Ooh, a dream.
A nightmare actually Okay,getting spooky now.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Herodotus says that Astages dreamt that his daughter
Mandane would have a son whowould overthrow him Classic
nightmare Right, and this dreamcompletely freaked Astages out.
He became obsessed withstopping this prophecy.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I can imagine right A prophecy like that hanging over
your head.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Especially for a ruler known for being ruthless.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, exactly what could a king in that era even do
to prevent something like that?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
It's a good question.
Prophecies back then were a bigdeal.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
They were like set in stone.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Pretty much.
They influenced kings andeverything.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So Astages, trying to take control, decided to marry
Mandain off Okay To a guy namedCambyses of Amaki All right, who
he thought was harmless.
Herodotus describes him asquiet and thoughtful.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Not exactly the warrior king type, huh.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
No, not really.
And, by the way, on Tygen, thatwas an ancient region in Persia
.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Persia okay.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Important later on because it becomes like the
center of the Persian empire.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Gotcha.
So he's thinking, marry her offto this harmless guy.
Problem solved.
Exactly Control the situation,right Thinking marry her off to
this harmless guy.
Problem solved Exactly.
Control the situation, right,but I'm guessing it didn't quite
work out that way.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Not exactly.
Even though he tried tomanipulate fate, Astyages was
still paranoid.
He couldn't shake that feeling.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He had another dream, another warning about Mandane's
child.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Double whammy.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And this time he decides to do something way more
drastic.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
This is where our poor General Harpagus comes in
right.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Unfortunately, yes.
Astyages calls Harpagus in andorders him to kill the baby.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Whoa.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Cyrus Mandane's newborn son.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
That's a tough order.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Brutal even for a king known for being ruthless.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, Harpagus was stuck between a rock and a hard
place.
So what could he do?
Obey a horrible order or defythe king, and probably die.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It was a lose-lose situation.
It must have been tearing himapart inside.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, talk about a moral dilemma.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Right.
So instead of killing the babyhimself, Harbigas came up with a
risky plan.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Okay, a plan.
What did he do?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
He found a shepherd named Mitrodates Mitrodates,
whose wife had just had astillborn baby.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And he told Mitridates to switch the baby.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
A classic baby swap.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Exactly Make Astyages think Cyrus was dead.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
It was a huge gamble.
It was, but he felt like he hadto do it.
So so did Astyages buy it, didthe baby swap work?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, did it buy Cyrus some time.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
For a while.
Yes, yeah.
Harpagus took the dead baby toAstyages said it was Cyrus
Mm-hmm.
Astyages believed him.
Cyrus ended up living safelywith Mithridates for 10 years.
10 years.
Grew up as a shepherd's son.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
No idea who he really was.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Or the danger he'd escape.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
That's incredible.
10 years is a long time to keepa secret like that.
It is Makes you wonder how noone figured it out, but I guess
the truth eventually came outright.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It did.
We don't know exactly how, butthe blog post says that when
Astyages found out, Cyrus wasalive.
He was furious.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Understandably, so I guess.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Right, he had been tricked.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
But he didn't hurt Cyrus, did he?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
No, he didn't.
For some reason, he sparedCyrus's life.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Interesting, but I bet he wasn't just going to
forget about it.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Oh no, he wanted revenge on Harpagus.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And that's where this infamous feast comes in.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Exactly, and this wasn't just any old dinner party
it was all about revenge.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Old calculated revenge.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Astyages wanted to make Harpagus suffer.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Psychologically too.
Absolutely so Astyages issetting up this horrific revenge
right.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
With this big banquet , invites Harpagus.
It's like he's trying to makeit look like he's forgiving him.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's important to remember back then, a feast
wasn't just about the food.
Oh, I know it was a wholesocial and political event.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, it was a big deal.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Carefully planned Astyages inviting Harpagus like
that he was playing a game.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Using this whole hospitality thing to hide what
he was really planning.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And this wasn't just any meal, right?
Yeah?
The blog post says Asicages hadhis own son killed and prepared
.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Served a harpagus.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, I mean we can't know for sure if that's exactly
what happened, Right, but itsays a lot about a stage.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
It does.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Fact or fiction, it shows just how cruel he was.
The symbol of absolute power,you know, no regard for human
life.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It's a truly disturbing thought.
So Parpagus shows up at thisfeast no idea about the
horrifying truth waiting for him.
Can you describe the scene?
What was it like there?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Herodotus doesn't give us a ton of detail about
the setting itself.
He mentions a few other menbeing there at the banquet.
We don't know who they were orif they knew what was really
going on.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
But picture it this opulent scene, lavish food and
drinks everywhere.
Okay, and Estes Age is justwatching Harpagus the whole time
.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Creepy.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Seeing how he reacts.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Must have been so unnerving for Harpagus.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah.
Even if he didn't know why,totally.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So he eats this meal.
Does he suspect anything?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Herodotus says that Harpagus, completely clueless,
actually complimented the meal.
No way, said it was delicious.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Oh, that's just awful .
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Knowing what we know now.
It's pretty chilling.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So how does Estidagus reveal the truth?
Is it like a big, a bigdramatic moment?
Est reveal the truth is a big,dramatic moment.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Astyages waits for the right moment.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Okay, so he's playing it cool.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah, he just casually asks Harpagus, did you
recognize the meat?
Oh wow, and Harpagus, of course, says no, and then bam Astyages
drops the bomb tells himexactly what he just ate.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I can't even imagine what must have been going
through Harpagus's head.
What was his reaction?
You going?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
through Harpagus's head.
What was his reaction?
You'd expect him to freak out,right yeah.
But Herodotus says Harpagusstayed calm, didn't get angry,
didn't cry.
Wow, the blog says he made nosign of distress.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
He just held it all in.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
And he simply says that whatever the king did was
right.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
That's insane.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I know right.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
But I bet deep down he was going through.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Oh, absolutely that kind of trauma it stays with you
.
Yeah, I mean it's clear thatthis experience really messed
Harpagus up.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Even though he kept his cool, he must have been
burning for revenge.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
I can't blame him.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So this leads us to the next chapter, harpagus
teaming up with Cyrus, the verykid he saved Right.
It seems this awful feastreally set the stage for
Estiages' downfall.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
It did.
Years later, when Cyrusrebelled against Estiages,
Harpagus was a key player.
His desire for revenge was ahuge motivator.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So the feast was like a turning point.
Yeah, a catalyst for Estiages'downfall.
It's like poetic justice almost.
The guy Estiages tried topunish so brutally ended up
being instrumental in hisoverthrow.
So what happened to Stages?
Did he get what he deserved?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Well, actually the story takes another unexpected
turn.
Okay, Even though Harpaguswanted revenge, Cyrus, after he
defeated a Stages, actuallyspared his life.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
He did.
Yeah, that's surprising.
After everything Stages did,you'd think Cyrus would want him
to suffer.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You would, wouldn't you?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Why did he show mercy ?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Herodotus suggests that Cyrus was convinced by his
advisors, the Magi, that theprophecy had already been
fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Oh, interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Symbolically at least , because Cyrus had lived as a
commoner for so long they sawthat as him already overthrowing
his stages.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So the prophecy came true, just not in the way
everyone expected.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So instead of being executed, his stages got to live
out his days in Cyrus's court.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
A constant reminder of everything he'd lost.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Maybe that was a worse punishment than death.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Living every day with the consequences of his actions
.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It's definitely a thought-provoking.
Ending Makes you wonder ifCyrus was being truly merciful
or if he wanted Astyages tosuffer psychologically.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
It does, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
It's like Astyages tried to cheat fate, but he
ended up causing his owndownfall.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
And it raises another question about revenge.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Do you think Harpagus , seeing as the ages lose
everything, seeing this neworder under Cyrus, do you think
he felt any closure?
Or was he still haunted by thatfeast?
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Yeah, it makes you think what was Harpagus thinking
, seeing the guy who did that tohim SD Ages, basically a nobody
.
Now Was he satisfied, or is itmore complicated than that?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
I think it's probably pretty complicated.
Historians have been thinkingabout this for ages.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
This story, it's not just history.
It's about like the humancondition.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
The big themes that never go away.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Like what.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Power, how it corrupts people, fate free will,
revenge and what it does to you.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We're still dealing with that stuff today.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Exactly.
It's a reminder that power, ifyou don't use it right, can
really mess you up.
Yeah, even the smartest people.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Styges, he was so scared of that prophecy.
Yeah, he ended up causing thevery thing he was trying to
avoid.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
And Harpagus he got caught in the middle of all that
had to make an impossiblechoice.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And that choice changed everything.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
It shows how even a little lie, a little deception
can have huge consequences.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
This whole crazy story started with a dream, a
dream that Astyages thought wasa prophecy.
It makes you think aboutprophecies, right, like how much
power do they really have?
Can we change our fate, or arewe just along for the ride?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's a question for the ages right.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Philosophers, theologians.
They've been arguing about thatforever.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
But with the Astyages it seems like believing in that
prophecy yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It made it come true, because he was so afraid.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
His fear and what he did because of it led to the
exact thing he was trying tostop.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So how we see things, how we understand them, that
can really affect what happensto us, like what if Astyages had
reacted differently to thedream?
What if he wasn't so scared,maybe thought about it more?
Could he have changed his fate?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's an interesting thought, this story.
It's like it makes us thinkabout what we believe Right, how
that affects our choices, youknow, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Maybe the real lesson here isn't about the gross
stuff the feast, Maybe it'sabout the bigger picture.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, power, Power perception, what we do when
we're scared.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
That's deep.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
It is.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Well, we've gone deep into this chilling story,
estiges Harpagus.
It's a story that really getsto you.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It makes you think Definitely About human nature,
about fate, about all thecomplicated stuff we still deal
with today.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And it all started with a dream.
Who knew dreams could be sopowerful?
I'm going to be thinking aboutthis one for a while.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think we all will.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So next time you hear about some historical event,
remember there's always more tothis story.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Always a deeper meaning.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
It's like peeking behind the curtain seeing the
real people, the real drama.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Maybe learning something about ourselves along
the way.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
That's what this deep dive is all about.
Thanks for joining us and we'llsee you next time for another
deep dive into history.
All right, are you ready for this?
We're going deep into ancienthistory, but, trust me, this is
not your typical boring historylesson.
No not at all.
We're talking betrayal.
We're talking prophecy and aseriously messed up dinner party
, buckle up.
Yeah, buckle up.
So today we're uncovering thestory of Estages.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The last king of media.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And this guy, let me tell you, did not have a great
reputation.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He reigned from 585 to 550 BC.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And his reign was, let's just say, marked by
ruthlessness.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Definitely, and the incident we're diving into today
really shows that.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
The extent of his cruelty, the power dynamics of
that time.
It's all there.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for this deep dive , we're looking at a blog post.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Titled A Stages and a Harpagus, a chilling feast of
revenge, according to Herodotus.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Catchy.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
From a blog called Not Top Secret.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
And they're using Herodotus' histories.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Which keep in mind, was written centuries after
these events actually happened.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
True, true, but it still gives us a really vivid
picture, even if it's a bitdramatized.
Who?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
knows Right, like maybe they spiced it up a bit Of
this, you know, ancient king.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So this Astages not exactly Mr Popularity, huh.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Not exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
What exactly did he do to get such a brutal
reputation?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Okay, so the main event, if you can call it that,
is this feast.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Oh, here we go.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Where Astages makes his general Harpagus eat his own
son.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Whoa makes his general Harpagus eat his own son
Whoa whoa whoa Hold on.
Yeah, his own son.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Without knowing it, of course.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
As revenge.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
As revenge.
It's a seriously chillingexample of what happens when
power and paranoia mix with athirst for vengeance.
Okay that's intense, it is.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Definitely not your average history lesson.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
It's like something out of a Greek tragedy or
something.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
But before we get to that horrifying main course,
what led to this insane act ofrevenge?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Why target his own general in such a gruesome way?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, what's the backstory here?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So it all started with a dream.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Ooh, a dream.
A nightmare actually Okay,getting spooky now.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Herodotus says that Astages dreamt that his daughter
Mandane would have a son whowould overthrow him Classic
nightmare Right, and this dreamcompletely freaked Astages out.
He became obsessed withstopping this prophecy.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I can imagine right A prophecy like that hanging over
your head.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Especially for a ruler known for being ruthless.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, exactly what could a king in that era even do
to prevent something like that?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
It's a good question.
Prophecies back then were a bigdeal.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
They were like set in stone.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Pretty much.
They influenced kings andeverything.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So Astages, trying to take control, decided to marry
Mandain off Okay To a guy namedCambyses of Amaki All right, who
he thought was harmless.
Herodotus describes him asquiet and thoughtful.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Not exactly the warrior king type, huh.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
No, not really.
And, by the way, on Tygen, thatwas an ancient region in Persia
.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Persia okay.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Important later on because it becomes like the
center of the Persian empire.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Gotcha.
So he's thinking, marry her offto this harmless guy.
Problem solved.
Exactly Control the situation,right Thinking marry her off to
this harmless guy.
Problem solved Exactly.
Control the situation, right,but I'm guessing it didn't quite
work out that way.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Not exactly.
Even though he tried tomanipulate fate, Astyages was
still paranoid.
He couldn't shake that feeling.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He had another dream, another warning about Mandane's
child.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Double whammy.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And this time he decides to do something way more
drastic.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
This is where our poor General Harpagus comes in
right.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Unfortunately, yes.
Astyages calls Harpagus in andorders him to kill the baby.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Whoa.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Cyrus Mandane's newborn son.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
That's a tough order.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Brutal even for a king known for being ruthless.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, Harpagus was stuck between a rock and a hard
place.
So what could he do?
Obey a horrible order or defythe king, and probably die.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It was a lose-lose situation.
It must have been tearing himapart inside.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, talk about a moral dilemma.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Right.
So instead of killing the babyhimself, Harbigas came up with a
risky plan.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Okay, a plan.
What did he do?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
He found a shepherd named Mitrodates Mitrodates,
whose wife had just had astillborn baby.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And he told Mitridates to switch the baby.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
A classic baby swap.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Exactly Make Astyages think Cyrus was dead.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
It was a huge gamble.
It was, but he felt like he hadto do it.
So so did Astyages buy it, didthe baby swap work?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, did it buy Cyrus some time.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
For a while.
Yes, yeah.
Harpagus took the dead baby toAstyages said it was Cyrus
Mm-hmm.
Astyages believed him.
Cyrus ended up living safelywith Mithridates for 10 years.
10 years.
Grew up as a shepherd's son.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
No idea who he really was.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Or the danger he'd escape.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
That's incredible.
10 years is a long time to keepa secret like that.
It is Makes you wonder how noone figured it out, but I guess
the truth eventually came outright.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It did.
We don't know exactly how, butthe blog post says that when
Astyages found out, Cyrus wasalive.
He was furious.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Understandably, so I guess.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Right, he had been tricked.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
But he didn't hurt Cyrus, did he?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
No, he didn't.
For some reason, he sparedCyrus's life.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Interesting, but I bet he wasn't just going to
forget about it.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Oh no, he wanted revenge on Harpagus.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And that's where this infamous feast comes in.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Exactly, and this wasn't just any old dinner party
it was all about revenge.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Old calculated revenge.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Astyages wanted to make Harpagus suffer.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Psychologically too.
Absolutely so Astyages issetting up this horrific revenge
right.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
With this big banquet , invites Harpagus.
It's like he's trying to makeit look like he's forgiving him.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's important to remember back then, a feast
wasn't just about the food.
Oh, I know it was a wholesocial and political event.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, it was a big deal.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Carefully planned Astyages inviting Harpagus like
that he was playing a game.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Using this whole hospitality thing to hide what
he was really planning.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And this wasn't just any meal, right?
Yeah?
The blog post says Asicages hadhis own son killed and prepared
.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Served a harpagus.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, I mean we can't know for sure if that's exactly
what happened, Right, but itsays a lot about a stage.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
It does.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Fact or fiction, it shows just how cruel he was.
The symbol of absolute power,you know, no regard for human
life.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It's a truly disturbing thought.
So Parpagus shows up at thisfeast no idea about the
horrifying truth waiting for him.
Can you describe the scene?
What was it like there?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Herodotus doesn't give us a ton of detail about
the setting itself.
He mentions a few other menbeing there at the banquet.
We don't know who they were orif they knew what was really
going on.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
But picture it this opulent scene, lavish food and
drinks everywhere.
Okay, and Estes Age is justwatching Harpagus the whole time
.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Creepy.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Seeing how he reacts.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Must have been so unnerving for Harpagus.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah.
Even if he didn't know why,totally.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So he eats this meal.
Does he suspect anything?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Herodotus says that Harpagus, completely clueless,
actually complimented the meal.
No way, said it was delicious.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Oh, that's just awful .
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Knowing what we know now.
It's pretty chilling.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So how does Estidagus reveal the truth?
Is it like a big, a bigdramatic moment?
Est reveal the truth is a big,dramatic moment.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Astyages waits for the right moment.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Okay, so he's playing it cool.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah, he just casually asks Harpagus, did you
recognize the meat?
Oh wow, and Harpagus, of course, says no, and then bam Astyages
drops the bomb tells himexactly what he just ate.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I can't even imagine what must have been going
through Harpagus's head.
What was his reaction?
You going?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
through Harpagus's head.
What was his reaction?
You'd expect him to freak out,right yeah.
But Herodotus says Harpagusstayed calm, didn't get angry,
didn't cry.
Wow, the blog says he made nosign of distress.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
He just held it all in.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
And he simply says that whatever the king did was
right.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
That's insane.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I know right.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
But I bet deep down he was going through.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Oh, absolutely that kind of trauma it stays with you
.
Yeah, I mean it's clear thatthis experience really messed
Harpagus up.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Even though he kept his cool, he must have been
burning for revenge.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
I can't blame him.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So this leads us to the next chapter, harpagus
teaming up with Cyrus, the verykid he saved Right.
It seems this awful feastreally set the stage for
Estiages' downfall.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
It did.
Years later, when Cyrusrebelled against Estiages,
Harpagus was a key player.
His desire for revenge was ahuge motivator.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So the feast was like a turning point.
Yeah, a catalyst for Estiages'downfall.
It's like poetic justice almost.
The guy Estiages tried topunish so brutally ended up
being instrumental in hisoverthrow.
So what happened to Stages?
Did he get what he deserved?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Well, actually the story takes another unexpected
turn.
Okay, Even though Harpaguswanted revenge, Cyrus, after he
defeated a Stages, actuallyspared his life.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
He did.
Yeah, that's surprising.
After everything Stages did,you'd think Cyrus would want him
to suffer.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You would, wouldn't you?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Why did he show mercy ?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Herodotus suggests that Cyrus was convinced by his
advisors, the Magi, that theprophecy had already been
fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Oh, interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Symbolically at least , because Cyrus had lived as a
commoner for so long they sawthat as him already overthrowing
his stages.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So the prophecy came true, just not in the way
everyone expected.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So instead of being executed, his stages got to live
out his days in Cyrus's court.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
A constant reminder of everything he'd lost.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Maybe that was a worse punishment than death.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Living every day with the consequences of his actions
.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It's definitely a thought-provoking.
Ending Makes you wonder ifCyrus was being truly merciful
or if he wanted Astyages tosuffer psychologically.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
It does, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
It's like Astyages tried to cheat fate, but he
ended up causing his owndownfall.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
And it raises another question about revenge.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Do you think Harpagus , seeing as the ages lose
everything, seeing this neworder under Cyrus, do you think
he felt any closure?
Or was he still haunted by thatfeast?
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Yeah, it makes you think what was Harpagus thinking
, seeing the guy who did that tohim SD Ages, basically a nobody
.
Now Was he satisfied, or is itmore complicated than that?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
I think it's probably pretty complicated.
Historians have been thinkingabout this for ages.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
This story, it's not just history.
It's about like the humancondition.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
The big themes that never go away.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Like what.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Power, how it corrupts people, fate free will,
revenge and what it does to you.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We're still dealing with that stuff today.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Exactly.
It's a reminder that power, ifyou don't use it right, can
really mess you up.
Yeah, even the smartest people.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Styges, he was so scared of that prophecy.
Yeah, he ended up causing thevery thing he was trying to
avoid.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
And Harpagus he got caught in the middle of all that
had to make an impossiblechoice.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And that choice changed everything.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
It shows how even a little lie, a little deception
can have huge consequences.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
This whole crazy story started with a dream, a
dream that Astyages thought wasa prophecy.
It makes you think aboutprophecies, right, like how much
power do they really have?
Can we change our fate, or arewe just along for the ride?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's a question for the ages right.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Philosophers, theologians.
They've been arguing about thatforever.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
But with the Astyages it seems like believing in that
prophecy yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It made it come true, because he was so afraid.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
His fear and what he did because of it led to the
exact thing he was trying tostop.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So how we see things, how we understand them, that
can really affect what happensto us, like what if Astyages had
reacted differently to thedream?
What if he wasn't so scared,maybe thought about it more?
Could he have changed his fate?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's an interesting thought, this story.
It's like it makes us thinkabout what we believe Right, how
that affects our choices, youknow, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Maybe the real lesson here isn't about the gross
stuff the feast, Maybe it'sabout the bigger picture.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, power, Power perception, what we do when
we're scared.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
That's deep.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
It is.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Well, we've gone deep into this chilling story,
estiges Harpagus.
It's a story that really getsto you.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It makes you think Definitely About human nature,
about fate, about all thecomplicated stuff we still deal
with today.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And it all started with a dream.
Who knew dreams could be sopowerful?
I'm going to be thinking aboutthis one for a while.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think we all will.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So next time you hear about some historical event,
remember there's always more tothis story.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Always a deeper meaning.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
It's like peeking behind the curtain seeing the
real people, the real drama.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Maybe learning something about ourselves along
the way.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
That's what this deep dive is all about.
Thanks for joining us and we'llsee you next time for another
deep dive into history.
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