THE DARKEST SAGE

No one before has called Periander the tyrant of Corinth “the Darkest Sage.” The phrase belongs to me, and it reflects my impression of him as a person, as someone straight out of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. As such he does not seem right for this PreSocratica section but being called one of the Seven Sages of Greece at least by some competent sources, we cannot deny him a separate entry in this series.

Webster’s Biographical Dictionary gives Periander a fairly benign entry: “Greek statesman, son of Cypselus; tyrant of Corinth (625-585 BC); promoted Corinthian commerce; conquered Epidaurus; annexed Corcyra (Corfu); patron of men of letters. One of the Seven Wise Men of Greece.” Herodotus in Histories gives him a lot of prominence treating him as a major historical character yet still portraying him essentially as an evil man. Our old friend Diogenes Laertius eagerly jumps on the bandwagon with more macabre detail, and here we have, shaping up, a much tainted life (even if most of these accounts are untrue) of one of the stalwartest pillars of ancient wisdom, a member of the admirable hepta club, yet leaving much to be admired.

Here is a brief outline of Periander’s life, gleaned mostly from Herodotus, but also from other sources.---

His father Cypselus (Kypselos) was the tyrant of Corinth before his son Periander took over. He was a hard man, just like his son, but nobody elected him to the hepta, so nobody ought to judge him by that standard. He ruled over Corinth for a long thirty years, but his clever son outruled him by an extra decade.

Periander was married to Melissa, daughter of the tyrant Procles of Epidaurus. They had two sons, but one day, in a fit of violent temper, Periander killed his wife, and channeling his violence into necrophilia, raped her dead body. His dead wife then appeared to him in a dream, complaining of the naked state of her body, after which Periander ordered all Corinthian women into the temple of Hera, wearing their best attires, and there they were forcibly stripped naked, to provide his dead wife and victim with all those clothes.

Herodotus says that Periander’s son Lycophron found out about his mother’s murder from his grandfather Procles, and reacting badly to this news, was subsequently banished by Periander from Corinth to Corcyra. Meantime, the vengeful Periander attacked and conquered Epidaurus, taking Procles prisoner and probably torturing him to death. Lycophron was killed by the citizens of Corcyra, for which offense Periander out of revenge rounded up the sons of the chief men of Corcyra, and caused them to be castrated, and then made eunuchs in Lydia.

Periander died a lonely and miserable man, surrounded by mercenary foreign guard. His nephew and chosen successor was promptly overthrown just a few days after the tyrant’s death, in a popular uprising.

…A terrible story of a terrible man, and yet he was one of the hepta! Some of his mandatory aphoristic says have been preserved, and here they are, although there is a colossal disconnect between Periander’s alleged preaching and practice.---

Do nothing for money: let greed care about greed. (On the one hand, this is very noble, but on the other, he who wields real power does not need money at all, as long as he takes, rather than buys what he wants.)

He who wishes to rule in peace must surround himself with popular love, not lances. (Naïve and disingenuous! Even if 99% of the people love you, there will always be at least 1% who want to do you in. So, just in case, have all the love you can get, but keep the lances ready.)

When asked why he chose to remain a tyrant, he replied: “Both abdication and overthrow are dangerous in equal measure.” (A reasonable rationale for the status quo. It was definitely Emperor Nicholas II’s abdication that unleashed a catastrophic time of troubles on Russia in 1917. In that sense, an abdication is worse than an overthrow, which immediately fills the vacuum of power with the new power at the top.)

Tranquility is beautiful, rashness is dangerous, greed is contemptible. (Yes and yes and yes, well, so what?)

Popular power is stronger than tyranny. (Very naïve, as popular power hands itself over to tyranny.)

Pleasure is mortal, honor is immortal. (Very traditionally moralistic, but perhaps the early date of this adage is the key to its value.)

Be moderate in happiness and wise in misfortune. (Rather traditional, but not very sharp.)

Be steadfast toward your friends even hit by misfortune. (Nobility of spirit is always welcome!)

Beware of conspiracies. Reveal no secrets. (Yes, very Stalinesque!)

Punish not only the crime but also the intent to commit crime. (Straight from the textbook on criminal law!)

The most important thing in life is its end. (Respect the end?!)

Seeing that some of these dicta repeat those of other sages, it is rather difficult to decide which of them are properly Periander’s. But whichever of them are or are not, it is still mind-boggling how a bloody thug and a venerable sage could possibly coinhabit the same body, known to history as Periander of Corinth!