Over 40 odes were written by Pindar. Each dedicated to victors of Olympic, Nemean, Isthmian, and Pythian games. Each one is unique in style and subject. What makes his ode’s unique, though? Pindar would compare the victor and a character from a well-known mythology. The comparisons would vary with each victor. The only time these epics would differ from the normal is the odes dedicated to charioteers. Only one of the odes dedicated to a chariot-race victor focuses on the rider that won. In Isthmian 1 Herodotus of Thebes is the only charioteer who gets credit for his victory in the competition. This is because he paid for the chariot and rode it himself. The other competitors Pindar writes about have victories at games by paying for their own
