Myth 15
Theseus and the myths of Athens
takes on greater relevance in the 5th and 6th centuries
with the ascendancy of Athens as a political power
Origins of Athens: Confused at best
3 possible origins:
1. descended from a mortal: Cecrops
2. they were autochthonus, "sprung from the earth" — like grasshoppers
3. descended from Athena (even though she's a virgin)
Cecrops brought civilization to Athens—end human sacrifice
· build cities
· bury the dead
· Monogamy
during his reign, Athena and Poseidon compete for sponsorship of city
Athena—olive tree
Poseidon—a spring—salt water
Athens was much more of a land-based power until the 5th c, when they built their navy
Erichthonius—another early king
Hephaestus tried to rape Athena—spills his seed on her leg
OVID
tells some weird stories concerning early Athens
Procris and Cephalus
(7.755-960)
beware of uncontrolled sexual passion
two descendants of these early kings
Cephalus had had an affair with Aurora—"Dawn"
Cephalus tests her
she agrees, and then flees
To Minos—who falls in love with her,
but had a scorpion penis
she cures him
He gives her Laelaps— a dog that never losses its prey
and a spear that never misses
she returns home, disguised as a boy
Cephalus falls in love with "him"—she reveals
now they're even
But, Procris is still suspicious of Cepahlus and Aurora (Greek “Eos”)
—early morning hunting, she follows him
Aura pun
she gets it—runs out to apologize, and gets hit by his spear
He gets exiled, goes to Thebes
tries to help king who was hassled by a fox which could not be caught
sicks the dog who cannot miss
Jupiter turns them both to stone
AN EVEN SICKER STORY FROM OVID
Procne and Philomela (6.472-780)
(Granddaughters of Erichthonius)
Procne marries Tereus—king of Thrace
Their marriage was cursed from the outset
the Furies came instead of Juno and Hymen
They have a son—Itys
When he's five, they send for her sister to come for a visit—Philomela
he goes to pick her up
He's filled with lust—"the child of a lecherous race"
Takes her to a hunting lodge and rapes her
she berates him—he cuts her tongue out—vivid
and he rapes her more
He tells Procne that Philomela died somehow
she weaves her story—and sends it to Procne (women's power?)
Procne recognizes it at once
Goes out on Dionysus day to free her and bring her home in disguise
"not Bacchus, but the Furies of Pain!"
Procne: "weeping will do us no good—our revenge must make people tremble"
little Itys comes toddling up
how to choose between sister and son?
"Crime towards a husband like Tereus is the truest virtue of all!"
They both slaughter him and prepare him—and serve him to Tereus
"Let Itys be brought inside!"
"he's already inside—YOU!"
Philomela comes in and flings the head at him
Tereus charges at them with a sword—they turn into birds
(Philomela —nightingale)
(Procne —sparrow)
Tereus—a hoopoe
OVID's myths
· an urbane and highly literate poet
· very diff than Hesiod, Homer, and the Hymns
· rhetorical flare
· melodramatic
· sensationalism
· "homespun morals"
· Excessive punishments—especially as doled out by god(esses)
Acteon; Arachne
Human/human stories
"the metamorphosis" often as an afterthought
Concentrate on human passions and sexual relations
for urban Romans—idle life style
_________________________________________________________
THESEUS
Aegeus—descendant of Erechtheus (brother of Procne and Philomela)
goes to oracle to find out how to have an heir—
interpreted by Pittheus, who gets him drunk and sends in his daughter Aethra
after sex, Aethra
(Aithra) alos has sex with
Poseidon
Aegeus puts sword and sandals under a large rock
—when he's old enough ...
Theseus goes to Athens when he's old enough
takes the land route and performs six labors
1. "clubber"
2. pine-tree giant
3. giant pig
4. Sciron—feet washer/kicker
5. wrestler
6. Polypemon/Procrustes—"who
likes symmetry"
In Athens is not recognized—
Medea the sorceress (having fled Jason) is jealous
he
overcomes the Bull of Crete
(Marathonian Bull)
Aegeus recognizes him by his sword
(Medea is flees to Asia,
where she bears the Persians)
Theseus goes off the kills the MINOTAUR of Crete
and escapes with Ariadne—to Naxos
Ovid
tells this story three times
Heroides, ACM
Theseus
is disgusted by her treachery to her father, and abandons
her there
she laments on the shore as he sails away
seems likely to
die—but is actually found by Dionysus
Returns to Athens
was supposed to switch sails, but forgot
father kills himself in grief
becomes king: civilizes Athens even more
Panathenaic festival
· Unites people of Attica
· Founds popular assembly
Theseus and Amazons:
Amazons—goes off to abduct Antiope (sometimes Hippolyta)
they are actually very friendly to him
abducts Antiope
leads to Amazonomachy—defeated
Amazons:
· "mythical inversion"
· liminal
· "a-mazos" without breast
· Often associated with Persians—
o "others" who would oppose Athenian democracy
Antiope and Theseus have son: Hippolytus
new wife: Phaedra, Cretan —falls in love with her stepson
story told in Euripides: Hippolytus
(428 BC)
Hippolytus is a devotee of Artemis, and has no interest in women
(cf. his mother)
Phaedra is dying of lovesickness
is shown sympathetically—
torn between uncontrollable passion and womanly duty
Hippolytus is a woman hater—offers invective
(like Hesiod)—of only there was another way to make babies!
Phaedra kills herself
—saying Hippolytus assaulted her (Potiphar's Wife-type)
Theseus uses one of his three wishes to get his son killed by Poseidon
(then
learns truth from Artemis)
Dangerous women—but sympathetic in Euripides
cf. Potiphar's wife, Delilah, Aphrodite
Pirithous king of the Lapiths
—comes to test Theseus—and they become friends
Pirithous gets married and invites Centaurs
unaccustomed to wine
ACM 227, 239 (Hyginus, 33,
79)
New wives!
Theseus: wants Helen, but she's too young
abducts her and leaves her with his mom Aethra
Pirithous wants Persephone (!)
Hades listens politely to their request, then glues them to their chairs
Pirithous is still there (?)
DEATH:
Theseus returns to the upper world—it's in chaos—Athens ruled by a tyrant
flees to Scyros—hoping for hospitality
local jealous king pushes him off a cliff
Theseus and propaganda:
Highly politicized myths—directly attached to Athens and its ascendancy
Theseus was barely known before the Classical period
· Minotaur and Centauromachy
· Passing refs in Homer
· sixth century epic—Theseis ?
· Classical period—really takes off
Much like Vergil’s Aeneas in the Aeneid
old mythic figure appropriated by a particular group
