A Cadmean victory (Greek: Kadmeia nike) is a reference to a victory involving one's own ruin, from Cadmus (Greek: Kadmos), the legendary founder of Thebes in Boeotia and the mythic bringer of the alphabet to Greece. On seeking to establish the city, Cadmus required water from a spring guarded by a water-dragon (similar to Lernaean Hydra). He sent his companions to slay the dragon, but they all perished. Although Cadmus eventually proved victorious, the victory was at the cost of lives of those who were to benefit from the new settlement.
The phrase "Cadmean victory" has been largely displaced in popular use by the phrase "Pyrrhic victory," which carries a similar connotation.
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Famous quotes containing the word victory:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of God,
and those who are with him are hard
against the unbelievers, merciful
one to another. Thou seest them
bowing, prostrating, seeking bounty
from God and good pleasure. Their
mark is on their faces, the trace of
prostration....
God has promised
those of them who believe and do deeds
of righteousness forgiveness and
a mighty wage.”
—Qur’An. Victory 48:35, ed. Arthur J. Arberry (1955)