Euboelus

The Greek demi-god Euboeleus was the swine herder that witnessed Hade's abduction and rape of Persephone in his field. In the midst of the chaos, the earth swallowed some of Euboeleus's pigs as Hades and his chariot quickly descended back to the Underworld. Considered a later adaption to the Hades and Persephone myth, Euboeleus and his brother Triptolemos are often associated with the Orphic death cults in Eleusis. Some variations of the Euboeleus myth connect him with Demeter, the goddess of the Harvest and mother of Persephone. Demeter rewards him with the gift of seeds and is then instructed to teach humanity the skills of agriculture. In Grecian art, Euboeleus is depicted as a beautiful youth with long hair and a torch, leading souls from the earth to the Underworld.

//"No," Shreve said. //running the beast with two backs and she blurred in the winking oars running the swine of Euboeleus running coupled within how many Caddy  (TSAF 148).

In reference to //The Sound and the Fury//, the italics indicate that the Euboelus imagery is within Quentin Compson’s mind as Shreve speaks. Either adaption of the Euboelus myth would correspond with Quentin and his relationship with Candace, and her relationship with other men. Witness and perpetrator, Quentin is guilty of committing incest and helplessly watching men mistreat his sister. Victim and aspiring hero, Quentin closely resembles the handsome Euboeleus, yet retains the strangest sense of chivalry. Desire and benevolence, Quentin struggles whether to spread or give the gift of his seeds.

Works Cited

Robinson, Edward. //Descriptive Catalogues of the Greek and Roman Rooms//. Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 1896. 