Kleobis and Biton

Posted on February 28, 2005 in Folly Watch Mania Myths & Mysticism

Hunter S. Thompson is said to have told his wife that he wanted to die at the height of his glory. Almost certainly, he had the example of Kleobis and Biton in mind. This passage from Robert Graves’s The Greek Myths describes how the two young men, sons of a priestess of Hera, met their end:

When the time came for her to perform the rites of the goddess, and the white oxen which were to draw her sacred chariot had not yet arrived from the pasture, Cleobis and Biton, harnessing themselves to the chariot, dragged it to the temple, a distance of nearly five miles. Pleased with their filial devotion, the priestess prayed that the goddess would grant them the best gift she could bestow on mortals; and when she had performed her rites, they went to sleep in the temple, never to wake again.

He who sired gonzo journalism was evidentally possessed by mania. In Greek religion, only the gods can grant this ultimate gift — to die at the height of your glory. Thompson arrogated the power to himself. He brought not glory but an infamous end to a checkered life.

My sanity allowing, I shall allow what gods there be to determine for me when it is time for me to die, whether it be in an hour of fame or destitution.