Abstract
In his fifth Isthmian the Greek lyric poet Pindar reworks a myth that combines the motifs of migration and genealogy. Although the story of the sons of Aeacus does not lend itself easily to identity work, the victory song exploits the heroic deeds of the most famous Aeacids, in order to enhance the glory of both its addressee and the audience. Since the sons of Aeacus were forced to emigrate from their home Aegina and therefore it was not possible for the fifth-century islanders to claim blood kinship with their lineage, Pindar conceived a new form of dealing with migration and genealogy. By highlighting the patterns of wandering and return and by simultaneously assimilating the strong family ties among the Aeacids to those of the victor’s family the poet transforms the concepts of migration and kinship into timeless narratives. As a result, the “real” genealogy is replaced by a (so to speak) typology, in which on the one hand victor and his family and on the other hand the islanders resemble the mythical heroes.