Aeschylus killed by a tortoise dropped by an eagle


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Aeschylus death meme
In 458 BC, Aeschylus — the father of Greek tragedy, author of the Oresteia, the man who basically invented dramatic dialogue — was killed by a tortoise dropped by an eagle that had mistaken his bald head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell.

The prophecy said he would die by a falling object. So he stayed outdoors to avoid buildings, collapsing structures, falling rocks. He did not account for an eagle with poor eyesight, a tortoise with terrible luck, and a head that looks like a rock from 300 feet up.

The most tragic death in Greek history belongs to the father of tragedy itself. The universe has a sense of dramatic irony.

Gorgocutie says: Aeschylus wrote tragedies for a living and his own death is the funniest one in all of recorded history. A prophecy said he would be killed by a falling object, so he went outside to be safe — and an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head because it thought his bald dome was a stone. This is the original "I fear no man" but it’s a tortoise from heaven. The fact that it’s 100% true makes it even better. Ancient Greece was wild.


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