While King Croesus was busy preparing the wedding of his son Atys, an unusual event took place in the city of Sardis. A man arrived at the royal palace carrying great sorrow and shame. According to ancient belief, he had “blood upon him,” meaning he had killed someone and was therefore unclean.
This man was a Phrygian by birth and belonged to a royal family related to Croesus. He came as a suppliant, seeking mercy and purification. Standing before the king, he asked to be cleansed according to the customs of Lydia. The Lydian rules for purification were very similar to those practiced by the Greeks Atys Challenges His Father’s Fear.
Croesus agreed to help him. He performed all the proper religious rites and washed away the man’s pollution. Only after this ceremony did the king ask the stranger about his past.
The Confession of Adrastus
Croesus spoke kindly but firmly. He asked the man who he was, where he came from, and whom he had killed. The stranger answered with honesty and sorrow.
He said his name was Adrastus, the son of Gordias and grandson of Midas. He explained that the death he caused was not planned. He had accidentally killed his own brother. Because of this terrible event, his father drove him out of the land. He lost his home, his family, and his future. With nowhere else to go, he fled to Sardis to seek protection.
Croesus listened carefully. When Adrastus finished speaking, the king showed compassion. He told Adrastus that his family had long been friendly with the royal house of Lydia. He assured him that he had come to a place of safety.
Adrastus Finds Refuge
Croesus promised that Adrastus would lack nothing as long as he lived in the king’s land. He encouraged him to endure his sorrow with patience, saying that only in this way could life improve. From that day forward, Adrastus lived in the royal palace as a protected guest Sofia Tour Guides.
At that time, no one could guess how closely Adrastus’s fate would soon become tied to the destiny of Croesus and his son.
A Terrible Boar in Mysia
Around the same time, trouble arose in a distant region called Mysian Olympus. A gigantic and savage wild boar lived in the mountains there. This beast often came down from the hills and destroyed the crops of the Mysian people. Fields of grain were ruined, and the farmers suffered great losses.
The Mysians tried many times to hunt the animal. Groups of men went after it with weapons and dogs. However, every attempt failed. Instead of killing the boar, the hunters were often injured or killed. Fear spread through the region.
A Dangerous Request
At last, the Mysians decided to ask for help. They sent messengers to King Croesus in Sardis. When the ambassadors stood before him, they explained their problem. They told him about the great boar and the damage it caused.
They begged Croesus to allow his son Atys to join them. They asked that he come with chosen young men and trained hunting dogs, so that the land might finally be freed from the monster.
This request placed Croesus in a painful position. He remembered the dream that warned him his son would die by an iron weapon. Now fate seemed to move closer, despite all his efforts to avoid it.
