Godlike reasoning

I love the bit in Iliad 24 when Achilles tells the story of Niobe:

καὶ γάρ τ’ ἠυκομος Νιόβη ἐμνήσατο σίτου,
For even fair-haired Niobe remembered food,

τῇ περ δώδεκα παῖδες ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ὄλοντο
although twelve children were killed in her halls,

ἓξ μὲν θυγατέρες, ἓξ δ’ υἱέες ἡβώοντες.
six daughters, and six youthful sons.

τοὺς μὲν Ἀπόλλων πέφνεν ἀπ’ ἀργυρέοιο βιοῖο
Apollo killed the sons with his silver bow,

χωόμενος Νιόβῃ, τὰς δ’ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα,
angered at Niobe, and Artemis shooter of arrows [killed] the daughters,

οὕνεκ’ ἄρα Λητοῖ ἰσάσκετο καλλιπαρῄῳ:
because she had likened herself to fair-cheeked Leto,

φῆ δοιὼ τεκέειν, ἣ δ’ αὐτὴ γείνατο πολλούς:
saying that [Leto] had borne two, while she herself had borne many:

τὼ δ’ ἄρα καὶ δοιώ περ ἐόντ’ ἀπὸ πάντας ὄλεσσαν.
for which, although they were only two, they destroyed them all.

It’s such a chilling story, particularly the godlike reasoning: ‘You have more children? Well, mine are better; and to show you how much better, they will kill all yours.’ It’s a very neat way of exemplifying the dangers of hubris. It reminds me of the Bacchae, in that the mortals have no idea what they are getting themselves into.