ACT 1
Scene 3
Olympias,
whose name was originally Myrtale, was the Grand Priestess of the Shrine of
Zeus at the oracle of Dodona Samothrace . She went there, she became a priestess and it
was there that she met Philip II who proposed to marry her. She accepted the proposal with the condition
that she would become Queen of Macedon and Philip’s official wife. Queen Olympias had two children with Philip,
Alexander and Cleopatra. Despite her new title, her previous title of Grand
Priestess demanded respect and she was presiding over ceremonial sacrifices.
Macedonians: Olympias!
Olympias: Iacchus, is the altar ready?
Macedonians: It is ready and sanctified.
Come to the sacrificial ground Great Olympias. Give the sacred goat as a sacrifice to
Semele’s son.[1] Great Priestess Olympias, make the sacrifice
with the double axe.
Olympias: Glory to the Great Goddess!
Fire and blood! (Olympias
sacrifices the goat)
Great Goddess, receive this Blood
Bath! Come, Fire from the sky,
Prometheus’ Fire, cathartic fire of the Kabeiria Mysteries of Samothrace.
Macedonians: Olympias, like a dragon you are who chills my blood in horror. Glory, glory to the Queen Olympias!
Olympias: Zeus and you ancient Kabeirians listen to my words. Dionysus, help me take revenge in the name of
the Macedonians, in the name of Philip and for my throne, and may the blood of
my enemies spill as the blood of this goat.
Macedonians: Gods and you, Zeus, you threw your bolt of lightning in Olympias’
bowels. She received the sperm of a god
and you gave birth to a Prince son, the greatest son of Zeus!
Olympias: Macedonians, Greeks, I had wild and prophetic dreams. While I was a priestess in Samothrace, the
same night that took Philip as my husband, I dreamed a storm and a bold of
lightning entered my body and exited as fire which grew larger and larger and
then disappeared in the chaos. That
night, worshiping Orpheus! So many good
and horrible things happened that night.
Ah! News of three victories reached me the night that Alexander was
born.
Macedonians: Worshiping Orpheus, in a trance, holding the thersus and a snake,
you stormed first of the Mainades[2]
with Bacchus at your side, in the mountains of Thrace
Olympias: Macedonians, be quiet. Be
quiet, do not talk any more! You
betrayed me and then you betrayed me some more, so be quiet and stop
talking. Remember, that it was I who
gave birth to Alexander the Great. I
learned the mysteries of the Egyptians and of Atlantis from Pharaoh Nectanebo I[3]
and that’s my background and Alexander’s.
Macedonians: Glory to Great Olympias!
Glorious Olympias!
Olympias: Be quiet, didn’t you hear what I said? Be quiet, Macedonians.
[1] Translator’s note: Semele was the mother of
Dionysus by Zeus
[2] Translator’s note: Mainades were female
deities participating in the mysteries of Dionysus, also called Bacchus and
Iacchus.
[3] Translator’s note: Pharaoh Nectanebo I of
the 30th Dynasty who was in contact with the Greeks while fighting
the Persians
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