The word “murderer” recalls both the word Oidipous attributed to the Pythia (l. 793) and the audience’s reflections a moment ago occasioned by the word “murder” (cf. m1351). Oidipous is right that, had the shepherd not spared him, he would not have killed his father, but in that case the integrity of the god’s word would have lost credibility and with that his power to provide aid to mortals would have been brought to an end. That Apollo did not allow this to happen demonstrates his commitment to help mortals at all costs. [Ad] It is not the fact, however, that Apollo required Laios to be murdered. “Murderer” is but one of the possible descriptions that Oidipous reports having been given for Laios’ killer; another was that Oidipous was instructed to draw Laios’ blood, as a priest performing a ritual killing. Oidipous’s differing representations of the Pythia’s words suggest that at the time of his visit to Delphi he had a range of options open to him. He failed, however, to explore these with Apollo. Had he done that, he might have come forth from Delphi as Apollo’s willing agent. [Apama] In that case, the term “murderer” would not have been appropriate. Instead of presently making use of a contrafactual expression
to imagine what might have happened, avoidance of murder (but not of killing) would have become a fact. [Mipd] [Mw]