Who is “this lot?” The group might well be the prophecies that the bull (Oidipous) has repudiated, yet he is known to have responded negatively to only one prophecy and the action of flight cannot moreover be taken literally. Prophecies in the plural can, however, comprise all prophetic statements made by Delphi to both Laios and Oidipous concerning relations touching mother, father, and children, all of which have been repudiated. That they are “living always” makes them eternal beings, god-like, suggesting that their response to their repudiation cannot die or fade. Their demand for justice persists until the bull is brought down. In this view, though the prophecies are issued by Apollo, once launched they acquire independence and a life of their own. As independent beings they are like the Fates/Furies (κῆρες) named at the end of the foregroing strophe (l. 472). The image of their darting and flitting about the bull they pursue calls to mind the Furies’ harassment of Orestes at the end of Libation Bearers (ll. 1047 ff.). There, however, the Furies pursue Orestes even though he has acted in strict conformity with the instructions he received from Apollo at Delphi. That Oidipous has committed himself to defeating the prophecy he received from Apollo sets him not only at odds with the Furies who demand blood for blood, but also with the prophecies themselves and their source: Apollo. This insight adds new meaning to the bull’s isolation, for where Orestes is beset by the Furies but advised and eventually vindicated by Apollo (joined by Athena), Oidipous has alienated Apollo. The Furies in pursuit of Oidipous seem to do so in support of Apollo. This comparison may offer some insight into why Delphi appears at present to be working for Oidipous’s fall; his ongoing repudiation of prior prophecies has alienated him from the help he could otherwise have hoped to receive. This suggests that anyone who might ever wish to benefit from a consultation with Delphi on any matter whatsoever must first be on a good footing with prophecy and the god in whose name it is issued. [Mip] This applies directly to Athens, which is currently working to prove groundless the prophecy promising Sparta a victory in the present conflict. [Gt-a] Not only has Athens alienated from itself the support of prophecy and Apollo, the association between Apollo and Athena affirmed by Aeschylus’ Eumenides suggests that Athens may be alienating the support of its own patron goddess. [P] Athens may sense a further ominous connection between Apollo and Dionysos, in whose precinct the play is being performed, for Dionysos is regarded as Delphi’s founder. In this sense Athens, like the bull and Oidipous, is going it alone in the wilderness where he is hunted by a coalition of men, gods, Fates, Furies, and prophecy itself. The chorus, then, made up as it is of Athenians taking the role of Theban citizens, appears to be channeling a message from the god straight to Athenian ears without the mediation of the Oracle at Delphi. That both Thebes and Athens are experiencing plague further strengthens the connection between plague, god, and Delphi. This connection suggests that, like Thebes, Athens is being nudged to consult. The parallel to Orests suggests that, like him, it should sek the god’s direction, how it might cleanse itself of the grievous deeds it has committed. [Mpe] [Aj] [Mw]