The murder of his uncles would have caused Telephus to become religiously polluted, and in need of purification, and apparently, Greek religious practice required criminal homicides to remain silent until their blood-guilt could be expiated.Sommerstein, p. 150; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216—217; Kerényi, p. 339; Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus, 2.7.4; Margoliouth, p. 217; Aeschylus, Eumenides 448—450; Compare with Herodotus 1.35. Aristotle in the Poetics, in a reference to Telephus' appearance in a tragedy called Mysians, mentions "the man who came from Tegea to Mysia without speaking".Aristotle, Poetics 1460a 30–32. Both Aeschylus and Sophocles wrote plays about Telephus, called Mysians, but since Sophocles, Mysians fr. 411 seems to imply that Telephus has spoken, that play is generally ruled out, see Sommerstein, p. 150; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216—217; Jebb, Headlam and Pearson, Vol 2, p. 71; Post, p. 16. And indeed, the silence of Telephus was apparently "proverbial".Frazer's note 1 to Apollodorus, 2.7.4; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216. The comic poet Alexis writes about a voracious dinner guest who like "Telephus in speechless silence sits, / Making but signs to those who ask him questions", presumably too intent on eating to converse.Quoted by Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists 10.18, Vol. II p. 664 And another comic poet Amphis, complains about fishmongers who "mute they stand like Telephus", going on to say that the comparison of the fishmongers to Telephus is apt since "they all are homicides".Quoted by Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists 6.5, Vol. I p. 356.
The murder of his uncles would have caused Telephus to become religiously polluted, and in need of purification, and apparently, Greek religious practice required criminal homicides to remain silent until their blood-guilt could be expiated.Sommerstein, p. 150; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216—217; Kerényi, p. 339; Frazer's note 2 to Apollodorus, 2.74; Margoliouth, p. 217; Aeschylus, Eumenides 448—450; Compare with Herodotus 1.35. Aristotle in the Poetics, in a reference to Telephus' appearance in a tragedy called Mysians, mentions "the man who came from Tegea to Mysia without speaking".Aristotle, Poetics 1460a 30–32. Both Aeschylus and Sophocles wrote plays about Telephus, called Mysians, but since Sophocles, Mysians fr. 411 seems to imply that Telephus has spoken, that play is generally ruled out, see Sommerstein, p. 150; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216—217; Jebb, Headlam and Pearson, Vol 2, p. 71; Post, p. 16. And indeed, the silence of Telephus was apparently "proverbial".Frazer's note 1 to Apollodorus, 2.7.4; Lloyd-Jones, p. 216. The comic poet Alexis writes abo.ut a voracious dinner guest who like "Telephus in speechless silence sits, / Making but signs to those who ask him questions", presumably too intent on eating to converse.Quoted by Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists 10.18, Vol. II p. 664 And another comic poet Amphis, complains about fishmongers who "mute they stand like Telephus", going on to say that the comparison of the fishmongers to Telephus is apt since "they all are homicides".Quoted by Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists 6.5, Vol. I p. 356.