TFBT: The Ongoing Antagonism

 “The confrontation between Apollo and the Fates may echo an ongoing antagonism between the old and new generation of divinities, see Eumenides 723 where the Furies perhaps in solidarity to the Fates, condemn this behavior of Apollo’s”  Samatia Dova

For those that are unaware “Eumenides” is a euphemism for “Furies” and “Erinyes”.  The Ancient Greeks like many societies had an aversion to accidentally summoning unpleasant things and would use euphemisms instead.  The Erinyes are born of the primordial goddess of the night, Nyx or born from the drops of Uranus’ blood fallen to Earth.  They are older goddess with powers and prerogatives established before Zeus’ reign and the dispensation at Mecone. What Dova is discussing in Greek Heroes in and out of Hades, is;

Eumenides: “You [Apollo] did such things also in the house of Pheres, when you persuaded the Moirai (Fates) to make mortals free from death.”
Apollo: “Is it not right, then, to do good for a worshiper, especially when he is in need?”

Eumenides: “It was you who destroyed the old dispensations when you beguiled the ancient goddesses with wine."

I pondered Dova’s assertion of “ongoing antagonism between the old and new generation of divinities”.

·      I thought of Herakles squeezing the rib cage of Thanatos[i] (Death) until he agreed to give up Alcestis.   (Euripides, Alcestis 839)  But there was no antagonism here prior to the wrestling match.  

·      Hypnos’ fear of Zeus recalled from a previous occasion when Nyx (Night) rescued him.  But what Zeus felt in addition to anger over some trick that Hypnos played was awe of thrice-prayed for, most fair, best beloved Night.  No indication of ongoing antagonism (Iliad 14)

·      Zeus tossed Ate and Momus[ii] out of Olympus,[iii]  but, he tossed other gods Hephaestus for example Hom. (Il. i. 590)  And once again no ongoing antagonism

But then I recalled some research I did “TFBT: The Eumenides of the Oresteia”  This is the story of the first trial in Athenian history.  During the course of the play we hear the Erinyes say;

• “We are awesome and hard for mortals to appease...we stand apart from the gods” (385)
• “You, (Apollo) a youth, have ridden down elder female daemons”    (150)
• “These duties were granted to us at birth, and it was also granted that the deathless gods hold back their hands from us”   (349)
• “ My prerogative is ancient” (389)
• “Younger gods, you have ridden down the ancient laws and snatched them from my hands!  

Now that sounds like ongoing antagonism!  Particularly when the “younger gods” threaten them.  Apollo threatens them with his little golden arrows.  Athena casually mentions she has the keys to her father’s arsenal.  In case you were wondering the dread daughters of Night are not impressed by their threats.

Further evidence of ongoing antagonism between the old and new generation of divinities, might include;

• ·      Erinyes checking the voice of Xanthus, son of Zephyrus (god of the West Wind) (Il. xix. 418.)
• ·      The daughters of Pandareus whose parents the gods had slain were being tended by Aphrodite, “Hera gave them beauty and wisdom… chaste Artemis gave them stature, and Athena taught them skill in famous handiwork.”   Apparently these Olympian goddesses had big plans for these girls, but “the spirits of the storm (Harpies) snatched away the maidens and gave them to the hateful Erinyes to deal with.”  (Homer, Odyssey 20. 61)
• ·      Lyssa, goddess of madness of noble parents is called upon by the gods to assail Heracles.  She objects to her prerogatives being used in this way and gets a very terse and unsatisfactory response from Iris, messenger of the gods.  (Euripides Heracles 815)

There is ongoing debate as to how much influence the Fates had over the Olympians.  Surely some of it was galling to the children of Cronus and their descendants. 

• Zeus appointed his mortal son Minos to be a judge in Hades, “yet he could not exempt him from the decree of the Fates." [iv]
• "The gods were moved; but none can break the ancient Sisters' [the Moirai's] iron decrees." (Ovid, Metamorphoses 15. 781)
•  "Zeus thundered and brandished his thunderbolt, but the Fates and Themis stopped him." Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 19

In summary, Dova’s suggestion of “an ongoing antagonism between the old and new generation of divinities,” is clearly true when we look at confrontations with the Olympians and the Erinyes, the Olympians stand in awe of Mother Night and often seem to be subservient to the Fates.   

I will have to keep an eye open for other evidence.  Recommendations will be welcome.

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[i] Oddly, this was the same technique he used on Death’s co-worker; “And wishing to provide the souls with blood, he slaughtered one of the kine of Hades. But Menoetius, son of Ceuthonymus, who tended the king, challenged Hercules to wrestle, and, being seized round the middle, had his ribs broken. (Apollodorus Library 2.5.12)

[ii] (Children of Nyx or her daughter Eris)

[iii] Iliad 19 and Aesop respectively

[iv] (Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 8. 7) 

TFBT: Random Notes on The Eumenides

 

The phraseology of Orestes prayer summoning Athena around 290 sounds odd.  He calls to her regardless of whether she is in 

• Northwest  Africa or the River Triton
• action or rest,
• with her near and dear ones or her enemies the giants. 
  The last two bullets represent a dichotomy: action/rest, friends/enemies.  But the first bullet doesn’t seem too.  Athena is Africa is mostly commonly associated with the long dead Lake Tritonis and its outflow, which are in Northwest Africa.  So did Aeschylus nod here, I’m being too picky or was there another River Triton on the southeast corner of the world?   According to Wikipedia; a River Triton ran into Lake Copais, west of Thebes. Is this the one that Aeschylus meant? If so the dichotomy could be explained as far/near.   Does that make more sense?  Of course, she was nowhere near either place.  She was at Troy (400)
   
  Some Great Quotes
   

• “Erinyes; We drive murderers from their homes. Athena; And where is the end of exile for a killer? Erinyes;  Where happiness is not a custom”
• “We are many, but we shall speak briefly.” The Eumenides 585
• “We undertake to ruin any house, where domestic violence  kills someone” The Eumenides; 355
•  “We are awesome and hard for mortals to appease...we stand apart from the gods” The Eumenides; 385
•  “For while this council-hall is filling, it is good to be silent,” The Eumenides 570  
   
  What’s with the comparison to Ixion?  Both Athena and Apollo compare Orestes to the father of centaurs (440 & 717) “Then was my father (Zeus) mistaken in his decisions about Ixion’s supplication in the first case of bloodshed?”  To answer the question; first Ixion did NOT kill his mother; he killed his father-in-law, so not a very good comparison.  That said, immediately after Zeus took Ixion into his house and purified him, the murderer violated the laws of hospitality by attempting to rape Hera.  So yeah I think we can confirm that Zeus made a bad decision in Ixion’s case. 
   
  Lots of talk about balance
   

• “Do not approve a lawless life nor a life of tyrannical repression. The god grants power to all in the middle rank, (530)” 
•  “Neither anarchy nor tyranny 697 - I advise the citizens of my city”
• “Rejoice, rejoice in the wealth allotted to you by fate. Rejoice, people of the city, as you sit near to Zeus; you are the dear ones of the dear maiden, (1000) you who learn balance in the fullness of time. The father stands in awe of you,”
   
   
   
   

TFBT: The Eumenides of the Oresteia

The Eumenides is the third play in the series.  So far Agamemnon returned victorious from Troy, his wife rolls out the red-carpet, wraps him in an amazing bathrobe, pushes him into the tub and stabs him to death.  Their sole remaining daughter Electra pines for the return of her brother Orestes and for vengeance upon her father’s killers.  Orestes returns, kills his mother’s lover, and threatens to kill his mother.  She warns

him the Erinyes; the ancient goddess of vengeance will hound him to death if he becomes a mother-slayer.  He kills his mom and the Erinyes appear. He flees to the temple of Apollo at Delphi.  Now, at Hour 25 we are discussing the third and final play, The Eumenides  In my reading I concentrate on the Erinyes rather than the mortal-story line.

Hurray!  After two plays full of talk, whining, wailing, praying and poetic flights of fancy about the Erinyes; the ancient ones finally appear on stage.  At line 210, a conversation with Loxias explains why they didn’t enter the story line until now.

Erinyes; We drive matricides from their homes.

Apollo; What about a wife who kills her husband?

Erinyes; That would not be murder of relative by blood

Later they sing at 335; “Relentless destiny spun out our fate so that we continuously have the duty to pursue mortals who are saddled with fruitless kin-murders, to pursue them until they go under the earth, and even when they die.” (See 605 also.) So regardless of society’s expectations; the death of a spouse, the death of a slave like Cassandra, the death of a sister-in-law’s bastard like Iphigenia is none of their concern.  That is why, although Cassandra had visions of the Erinyes’ response to that nastiness between brothers Atreus and Thyestes, the Erinyes have not actually appeared on stage until now.

At 150, the Erinyes say of Loxias, “you, a youth, have ridden down elder female daemons”   To which the son of Zeus responds at 180, “Out of my temple at once, I order you. Be gone, quit my sanctuary of the seer’s art, or else you might be struck by a flying, winged, glistening snake shot forth from a golden bow-string,”  At the end of the previous play Orestes describes the Erinyes as Gorgon-like.  That means snakes for hair and snakes as accessories.  So in affect he is threatening to throw glistening, maybe golden jewelry at them.  And rather than forcing them to flee he is delaying their chase of Orestes.  There is no mention of fear and trembling on among the Erinyes.  Actually, the scene sounds to me like a spoiled little boy threatening his great-aunts with a toy bow and arrow.  Then Apollo says the effect of his “snake” will be “you would spit out black foam from your lungs in pain, vomiting the clotted blood you have drawn.”   That’s what Erinyes do for a living!  (800 But here you are, vomiting your heavy anger on this land.)  So, here we have little Apollo threatening to shot creatures who are virtually snakes with more snakes, which will make them throw up, which is what they are planning to do once he gets out of their way and they catch up with Orestes. 

The Erinyes catch up with Orestes (and Apollo) at Athena’s temple in Athens. Around line 215 Apollo accuses the Erinyes of dishonoring Hera, goddess of marriage and Aphrodite the goddess of love, by not avenging Agamemnon.  Dishonoring another god is a pretty serious charge.  At Mecone after the great war between the Titans and the Olympians, Zeus distributed honors and rights to his allies and confirmed the honors of the elder gods.  As Artemis says at the very end of Euripides' Hippolytus, “For this is law amongst us gods; none of us will thwart his neighbor’s will”.  That being said, Athena and Apollo attempting to infringe on the Erinyes’ rights and honors is just as serious, particularly since they predate the Olympians.  To quote them at 349 “These duties were granted to us at birth, and it was also granted that the deathless gods hold back their hands from us” At 389 “What mortal does not stand in awe of these things  and tremble, when he hears the law enacted by destiny, the law ordained by the gods for perfect fulfillment? My prerogative is ancient” Athena even acknowledges that “these women have (such) a duty” at 478.

 The Showdown Begins

Athena rounds up a jury. They have a trial   Apollo swears an oath before testifying at the trail of Orestes (615) by saying, “Since I am a mantis, I will not lie.”  (Hera at 23.55 in The Iliad proves he’s a liar on other occasions.  His concept of conception proves him a fool here.)  The jurors vote. Orestes is declared innocent.  Loxias snatches up Orestes and slips out stage left leaving Athena to fend for herself, just like he did when Typhon attacked Olympus. 

As Loxias flees, the Erinyes scream, “Younger gods, you have ridden down the ancient laws and snatched them from my hands! And I, wretched, deeply angry, and without honor in this land.” 

Athena pleads (800) that they don’t vomit their “heavy anger on this land.” making it sterile and withering the fruit trees.  The virgin goddess continues desperately with, “You are not without honor, so do not be moved by your excessive feeling, O goddesses”

At line 825 out of 1035, the Erinyes are finally acknowledged as “O goddesses" by the Olympians rather than “monsters, totally loathsome, hated by the gods! (645)” The Pythia compares them to Harpies and Gorgons.  Apollo says they are so vile that, “no god, no man, no (male) beast ever consorts” with them and they are “hateful to men and to the Olympian gods.”

Athena promises them everything imaginable to stay their anger “sanctuaries and sacred hollows”   “bright thrones at places of fire-sacrifice”,  “honor from the citizens”, to share the Acropolis with her, first-fruits and “fire-sacrifices before childbirth and matrimonial initiation”.  Their poisonous anger is their birthright confirmed by Zeus; Athena can do nothing according to the laws of the gods to interfere.  So after promising to indulge their anger out of respect for their age and wisdom, Athena adds to the list of honors, “a place in the house of Erechtheus”, “a processions of men and women” and more honor from Athens than from other mortals.  “No house will flourish without you. 895”

At line 827 Athena lets slip that she has the keys to the storeroom where her father’s “thunderbolt is kept safe”.  The Erinyes didn’t seem to shudder.

It couldn’t have escaped Athena’s notice that the Erinyes had “thrice prayed for, most fair, best–beloved Night” to witness what was happening.  (325, 745 and 845)  Athena must have known too that Night comes to Olympus.  That is the goddess Nyx whom, Homer calls the subduer of gods and men.  Of her, even Zeus stands in awe. (Iliad 14. 231)  (See  Divine Aversion to Death and Nyctophobia  for more on this topic.)

Finally at line 900 the elder goddesses end the standoff by saying, “You seem to enchant me, and I am not angry anymore.”  The Erinyes then sing a song so full of blessing for the land that they are burdensome to recount. A torch lit procession guides them to their new home.