“for just when I ought to have lain softly in a mother’s arms, tasting somewhat of the joys of life, was I deprived of a fond mother’s fostering care. Nor less is she a prey to sorrow that bare me, seeing she hath suffered the self-same pang in losing all the joy a son might bring.”
~ ‘Ion’ by Euripides (Edward P. Coleridge translation. GB5 - p. 295)
The play starts with Hermes providing a background of the story thus far. He introduces himself as the son of Maia and Zeus. Maia was the daughter of Atlas, the god who held the sky on his back. He says he is in the land of Delphi at the temple of Apollo, which is the center of the world. Then he talks about Athens and how Apollo had forced his love on an Athenian princess named Creusa, daughter of Erechtheus. Creusa gave birth to a son and, to avoid shame, abandoned him near the cave in the water in a small ark. Hermes takes the child to the temple at Delphi as per his brother Apollo’s ask. There, a priestess finds him and decides to raise him. He grows up as a devotee of Apollo, gains a reputation as a virtuous and principled young man and is given the responsibility of the treasurer of god and the steward of the store. During this time, Creusa gets married to Xuthus who had helped Athens when a war had broken out with Euboea. But they remain childless for many years, and they have come to the temple to seek advice from the oracle. Hermes says that the oracle will say that Ion is Xuthus’ son, Xuthus would legitimize him, the incident between Creusa and Apollo will remain hidden and everyone would be happy in the end.
Ion enters the scene, and by his words of praise to Apollo, we get to know that he is an ardent devotee of Apollo, and he enjoys his position to serve in the temple. A chorus of Creusa’s handmaidens enters. They admire and describe various artworks they see on the temple walls. Ion notices Creusa being sad and asks about her. She talks about her city and her lineage. We get to know that her father had to sacrifice his daughters for his country’s sake while she was just a baby and that he was swallowed by Earth. When he asks about Macrae, she is even more distressed since that was where Apollo had forced himself on her and says she doesn’t wish to think of the past. He then asks about Xuthus, who had gone inside to consult the oracle. Creusa says to Ion that his mother must be blessed since he is so devout and caring. Ion says that he doesn’t know his mother and was raised in the temple. He says that he was raised by the priestess in the temple. Creusa says she feels sorry for his mother, who was compelled to give up her child. She says she had a friend who had a child by Apollo and had to abandon him and who probably died. She says she is going to ask the oracle, to which Ion says that if Apollo is ashamed, she will not get an answer, as it is not good to question a god’s actions.