TFBT: Agamemnon's Bath

I assume my readers, if any, are bibliophiles; lovers of books.  If so, I am sure you had this experience.  On a long flight or in a remote location you get stuck reading a book that is a piece of propaganda full of lies and half-truths.  In order to save someone else from getting sucked into this mess you toss it into the garbage rather recycling or donating it to the library.   Or is it badly written and has a lame ending.  Or it is full of illogic and bad science.  Or the author makes a state of general and universal application that this is an "obvious projection of..." If it is so obvious why must the authoress point it out?    I read one of these books recently.  (Walker 1983). I would have tossed it but I was on a five hour flight. In between the waves of nausea and disgust there were a few interesting if odd insights on Greek mythology.  This is the third in a series of blogs investigating these possible gems in the rubbish.

"The ritualistic manner of his (Agamemnon's) death showed it was more than simple murder". (B. Walker 1983).  

Let me start by pointing out that in Greek myth women and goddesses bath by skinny-dipping with their girlfriends.  Men are given a solitary bath by a woman.  

Hence, Hera bathes regularly in the spring of Canathus, the mountain nymphs bathe naked to make sure that everyone in their company is a woman, finally Artemis and Athena both got caught at different times in the nude by unfortunate hunters.   

Meanwhile; Baby Zeus was bathed by his mother Rhea in the river Nepa, Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra, Telemachus by Nestor's daughter, Odysseus by Nausicaä’s maids, Odysseus by his nanny, Odysseus after exacting a "solemn oath from Circe" is given  "a deliciously warm bath, wine in golden cups, and a tasty supper". Helen of Troy got the disguised Odysseus to her house, where she bathed, anointed and clothed him.  

In the examples above "peeping toms" died or suffered when stumbling upon the frolicking nymphs. But no hero died getting a bath from a babe.  So the quote for this blog is somewhat unusual;

 

 “The ritualistic manner of Agamemnon's death showed it was more than simple murder".   

If you don't know of Agamemnon's death, here's the short version.  He led the Greek forces at Troy.  To gain favorable winds for the fleet, he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. This was second of his wife's children that he killed.  When he returned home in victory, his wife Clytemnestra literally rolled out the red carpet, wrapped him in a luxurious robe, tossed him the bath tub and stabbed him to death. If Agamemnon died in a "ritualistic manner" you'd think other guys died in the tub.  But they didn't.  

The only way I can explain the authoress' statement, was that she confounded “bath tub and “cauldron”.  Visually this is not too much of an intellectual leap if you've ever been in a wood-fired hot tub.  (See attached photo.) 

 

So the only way I can support her statement is by analogy or what Nagy calls metonymy (2015).  Ritual deaths involving cauldrons and female attendants?  That we can find references to; The boy Pelops was diced up and tossed into a boiling cauldron; he was restored by the Fate Clotho.  Under the direction of the witch Medea, Pelias’ daughters diced him up and tossed him into a boiling cauldron; that didn't work too well for him.  The spell worked much better on Medea' father-in-law Aeson.   

So it appears there was a ritual (magical) bath followed by death (or immortality.)

 

 If only Agamemnon had treated his step-children better!

TFBT: Third Random Notes on Argonautica Book 3

The Hour 25 Book Club will host a discussion on Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica Book 3, via Google+ Hangout on Tuesday, August 11 at 11 a.m. You can find R.C. Seaton’s translation of the text online for free here, or you can read any other edition you prefer.  Here is my first random notes in preparation for August 11;   

Witness the   “mighty oath of the Colchians” in action!  "But swear by Earth and Heaven that thou wilt keep secret in thy heart what I shall tell thee, and be fellow-worker with me. I implore thee by the blessed gods, by thyself and by thy parents, not to see them destroyed by an evil doom piteously; or else may I die with my dear sons and come back hereafter from Hades an avenging Fury to haunt thee.” (III. 705-710) “Thus she spake, and straightway a torrent of tears gushed forth and low down she clasped her sister's knees with both hands and let her head sink on to her breast”.  Boy, those Colchian girls really know how to supplicate! 

Apparently, Medea is youngest of Aeetes’ three children by far.  Who knew?  At 732 Medea says to her sister referring to her nephews;  "for thou didst lift “me to thy breast when an infant equally with them 

Medea at 774 “Would that I had been slain by the swift shafts of Artemis before I had set eyes on him,” Didn't Penelope say something similar?  

Jason supplicates Medea before her temple using other names for Earth and Sky, “I implore thee by Hecate herself, by thy parents, and by Zeus who holds his guardian hand over strangers and suppliants; I come here to thee bot”. “who holds his guardian hand over strangers and suppliants; I come here to thee both a suppliant and a stranger, bending the knee in my sore need”  At (ll. 975-1007) & (ll. 1079-1101) Jason in hopes of getting Medea's assistance tells the story of how Medea's cousin Adriane helped out the hero Theseus in like circumstances.  Two things; he fails to mention that Theseus deserted the princess in thanks and secondly that the whole story takes place ten years in the future.  Also lies about Minos and Theseus becoming friends.  

Just a little reminder of why Jason is really in Colchis; (III. 1131-1136) “Thus he spake; and her soul melted within her to hear his words; nevertheless she shuddered to behold the deeds of destruction to come. Poor wretch! Not long was she destined to refuse a home in Hellas. For thus Hera devised it, that Aeaean Medea might come to Ioleus for a bane to Pelias, forsaking her native land.”  

What’s with the gods giving Aeetes odd gifts?  "But the teeth the Tritonian goddess tore away from the dragon's jaws and bestowed as a gift upon Aeetes and the slayer. And Agenor's son, Cadmus,”. Why?  Then  (lll. 1225-1245) “Then Aeetes arrayed his breast in the stiff corslet which Ares gave him when he (Ares) had slain (the Giant )Phlegraean Mimas with his own hands;” Why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

TFBT: Second Randoms Notes on Argonautica Book 3

The Hour 25 Book Club will host a discussion on Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica Book 3, via Google+ Hangout on Tuesday, August 11 at 11 a.m. 

You can find R.C. Seaton’s translation of the text online for free here, or you can read any other edition you prefer.  Here is my first random notes in preparation for August 11;  

I just thought the followinger were beautiful and dreadful;

 (283) “and he shot at Medea; and speechless amazement seized her soul. But the god himself flashed back again from the high-roofed hall, laughing loud; and the bolt burnt deep down in the maiden's heart like a flame; and ever she kept darting bright glances straight up at Aeson's son, and within her breast her heart panted fast through anguish, all remembrance left”  (297) “Love the destroyer;”…“shone the son of Aeson for beauty and grace; and the maiden looked at him with stealthy glance, holding her bright veil aside, her heart smouldering with pain; and her soul creeping like a dream flitted in his track…” 

Some where I got the impression the sovereignity of Colchis was dependent on ownership of the Golden Fleece, sort of like King Nisus of Megara’s purple lock of hair [HYGINUS, FABULAE 198] .  But I haven’t seen that mentioned yet in the Argonautica.  What I have seen is “the heart of ruthless Aeetes” (492).  Aeetes who would have killed his future son-in-law and bringer of the golden fleece “Phrixus, who surpassed all strangers in gentleness and fear of the gods” (584) if the gods hadn’t stopped him.  Aeetes who had “bitter foes the Sauromatae” on his borders and feared the betrayal of his relatives.    Now admitted this all predisposes King Aeetes to be leary of Jason and the Argonauts, but what if he’d said “Yes, that nasty old goat skin is yours!”  In that case, the neighboring nasty tribe would have been vanquished, his son and heir would have survived making his crown more secure and he would have gotten rid of Medea.  Bad decision little influenced by the gods I think.  [i] 

I keep seeing examples of indecision standing on the threshold or some other liminal spot.  (525)“refrain and abide in your ship a little longer as before, for it is better to forbear than recklessly to choose an evil fate.”  (647). “she desired to go to her sister, and crossed the threshold. And for long she stayed there at the entrance of her chamber,” 

(663) “Thrice she made the attempt and thrice she checked herself, the fourth time she fell on her bed face downward,”  Doesn’t Apollo warn off some warrior three times in The Iliad and on the fourth attempt the guy ends up face down in the dirt?

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[i] Do all the kingdoms adjoining the Black Sea kill strangers?  As in the Land of Taurians where Iphigenia sacrificed strangers to Artemis.  HYGINUS, FABULAE 120  and  Hdt. 4.103

 

TFBT: Reading Medea

After my shower this morning I donned the club tee-shirt and a navy sports coat, lowered my crown on my brow and prepared for the performance.   We read “Medea” by Euripides.  During preparations Janet asked where I got my crown.  She thought it was wonderful that my wife  had made it for me the night before our reading of “Antigone”.  I played “Creon” there too.  Sarah S. played Medea and did an incredible job!  I always thought Medea was mad and rambling in her early speeches, but Sarah’s chilling performance made it clear that Medea was perfectly sane and plotting out loud.  The death of Glauce and her father is one of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever read, but the silent Medea stole the show cackling and giggling as the messenger recites in horror the princess’ demise.  Jessica as usual did a great job.  She was the messenger.  She said she would have body checked Sarah if they were together for upstaging her.  Paul O’M, a professional actor with classical experience played Jason  and actually made the character convincing.  Medea and Jason’s (Sarah and Paul’s) more intimate scenes were amazing! 

I heard so many things differently this time.  I heard things I’d not seen while reading;

o   At Hour 25, we had a discussion in the forums about the Iliad’s Sheer Cliff and Gray Sea Metaphor.  So this morning we heard of Medea “as if she were a stone, or the ocean swell,”  (28)   I will have to look at the Odyssey when Odysseus approaches the cliffs of Pheaecia. 

o    “What mortals need is some other way to get our children. There should be no female sex. With that, men would be rid of all their  troubles.”  Medea, Euripides (571)  Maya M and I have been studying the Five Ages of Man; no women and no troubles is the Golden Age. 

o   “Aegeus; A man called Pittheus, king of Troezen.  Medea; He's Pelops' son. They say he's a very holy man.” (683-3) Who says, Pittheus is a very holy man?  He “died” in the hubristic attempt to kidnap the goddess of death and prostituted his daughter to King Aegeus.  It’s like; “Peleus the most chaste of men,[i] blameless Peleus, [ii] Peleus, one dear to the hearts of the immortals[iii]  Peleus was a double murderer!  The things that make Pittheus and Peleus precious to the gods, I don’t understand.

o   “I'll turn three of my enemies to corpses—father, daughter, and my husband.” (375)  And yet, for all her unearthly viciousness she doesn’t kill Jason. Is Eros’ terrible staff still stuck in her heart?  Is Jason alive because Medea still loves him?

Great session this morning.

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[i] Plato, Republic 391c

[ii] Homer, Iliad 20. 207

[iii] Homer, Iliad 24. 59

TFBT: Medea and Ino

Over at Hour 25, we are discussing “Medea” by Euripidies.    Kimie, commented “What amazes me about her is her seeming immunity from divine punishment. In the background story told by Nurse, Medea kills her blood-kin brother and engineers to have king Pelias killed by his daughters (another shedding blood of blood relative). She fears Medea will then kills her own children (though not of blood-kin, according to Apollo in Aeschylus). Medea does exactly what the nurse fears, but she gets away with it—no Furies hover over her head screaming revenge”  This question has always disturbed me about the play too.  Who gets away with this sort of behavior?

 

The answer to my version of Kimie’s question popped into my head last night; Ino!  

 

Ino and Medea both seem to be immunity from divine retribution. They do terrible things and get away with it. Here is Ino’s story if you don’t know it, I follow Graves here for convenience, but can find references for all his stories.

 

I am following Graves here for convenience; Athamas ruled over Boeotia. He had three wives.  The cloud-nymph Nephele was his ex-wife, She bore Athamas two sons: Phrixus and Leucon, and a daughter, Helle. He also fell  in love with Ino, daughter of Cadmus, granddaughter of Ares and Aphrodite brought her secretly to his palace installing her as a maid, where he begot Learchus and Melicertes on her. Athamas also married Themisto who, a year later, bore him twin sons.

 

Ino, persuaded the local women  to parch the seed-corn. When no sprouts appeared, Athamas asked the Oracle at Delphi what was wrong,. The reply was, that the land would regain its fertility only if Nephele’s son Phrixus was sacrificed to Zeus.  Just as Phrixus was to be sacrificed a winged golden ram, flew to the rescue   Phrixus climbed on its back as did his sister Helle .  The ram flew eastward.  Helle lost her hold;  fell into the Hellespont and became the Nereid of the place. Phrixus reached Colchis  sacrificed the ram and married the younger daughter of King Aeetes’,  Chalciope consequently becoming Medea’s brother-in-law.   Aeetes was the son of Helios.

 

Themisto jealous of Ino’s children instructed the "maid" to dress her twin boys in white and Ino’s children in black garments.  The following day, Themisto ordered her guards to break into the royal nursery and kill the children who were dressed in black, but spare the other two. Ino, however, had put white garments for her own sons, and black garments for her rival’s. Thus Themisto murdered her own  twins

 

At this point Athamas and Ino went mad.  Athamas stalked and slew his elder son Learkhos thinking him a deer, meanwhile Ino threw Melicertes into a boiling cauldron. (Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 28)  Then, carrying the corpse of the boy, she jumped to the bottom of the sea  and became immortal.  She as the Goddess Leucothea and  her son Melicertes as the God Palaemon,

 

Ino and Medea’s stories have several things in common, the involvement of Helios, both heroines were grand-daughters of important gods, sacrifice of children, tricking someone into killing a family member, someone tossed into a boiling cauldron, miraculous escapes and no retribution from the gods. 

 

 PS.  I studied  “The Genealogy of Greek Mythology” by Vanessa James in order to get Ino and Medea’s family relationship right;  Ino’s step-son was Medea’s brother-in-law.  In the process of researching  I noted Ariadne.  Like Medea she was the grand-daughter of an important god who betrayed her father and country for the love of foreign prince.  Like Medea she aided in the death of her half-brother and then sailed away.  In Ariadne’s case the consequences were she took a short nap, was awoken by Dionysus and taken to Olympus to be his immortal wife. 

 

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With Kimie’s encouraging words I kept thinking about ancient Greek girls who betray their nearest and dearest.  I vaguely recall Nisus the King of Megara’s daughter, the lover of Minos betraying her father.  Her name was Scylla.  Her story didn’t end well.  To quote Wikipidea’s article (and www.maicar.com),   “Scylla's story is a close parallel to that of Comaetho, daughter of Pterelaus. (She was princess of the Taphians and lover of the Theban Amphitryon.)  Similar stories were told of Pisidice (princess of Methymna and lover of Achilles) and of Leucophrye.”  She was daughter of Mandrolytus and the lover of the invading colonist Leucippus, son of Xanthius from Pherae.     All four betrayed their fathers and fatherland  and their stories “all of which ended tragically for the heroines.”   None of the four are grand-daughters of the gods. 

 

TFBT; Medea as Fury

 Hour 25, Harvard’s classical studies club is reading “Medea” by Euripides.  We are reading the translation by Ian Johnston.  He’s got a great site;  https://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/  In preparation for our July 17,  discussion I’ve now read the play three times.

Previously, I proposed that we look at Medea as an avenging Fury. We've had similar conversation about Clytemnestra in the past. I promised to follow up when I had a chance to look at the Greek. When Medea asks why she must be exiled. Jason, “You kept making all those bitter curses against the ruling family here. “ Medea “And I'm a curse against your family, too.” (607-9) I was struck instantly by a phrase from the last play of the Orestia, when one of the erinyes addresses Athena “Daughter of Zeus, you will hear it all in brief. We are the eternal children of Night. We are called Curses (Ἀραὶ) at home beneath the earth.” (Eumenides 415) The Greek from Perseus for Eumenides is;

πεύσῃ τὰ πάντα συντόμως, Διὸς κόρη. 415
ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν Νυκτὸς αἰανῆ τέκνα.
Ἀραὶ δ᾽ ἐν οἴκοις γῆς ὑπαὶ κεκλήμεθα.

Aaron J. Atsma at www.theoi.com says on the subject of Curses;“In the sense of curse or curses, the word Erinnys or Erinnyes is often used in the Homeric poems (Il. ix. 454, xxi. 412, Od. xi. 280), and Aeschylus (Choeph. 406) calls the Eumenides Arai that is, curses." I would also suggesting visiting his comments at http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Arai.html

Medea's line about Curses from her play is below in Greek and English from Persues;

Μήδεια; καὶ σοῖς ἀραία γ᾽ οὖσα τυγχάνω δόμοις.

Medea; Yes, and I am a curse to your house too. 608

LSJ explains that the word means “prayed against, accursed,”

An additional reference to Medea as a Fury can be found at Perseus; “O light begotten of Zeus, check the cruel and murderous Fury, take her from this house [1260] plagued by spirits of vengeance.1” Footnote 1 per Perseus; “The Chorus see in the murder the work of an Erinys （Fury）, one of the punishing divinities usually thought of as under the control of Zeus. That human agents may be sometimes regarded as embodying this spirit or serving as its unconscious agent is clear from Aesch. Ag. 749 and Eur. Tro. 457.”

 

 

TFBT: Odd Things in Medea

Just some random notes and observations on Medea by Euripides.

 

There are constant calls and references  to sky, earth and sun; Zeus Gaea and Helios.  One I suppose those are the deities one calls as witnesses when making an oath and the play centers on Jason not conforming to the oaths he made to Medea.  Plus Helios is her grand-father so maybe that another reason for the references.  

 

1377; " I'll take them to Hera's sacred lands in Acraia, so no enemy may dig up their graves and initiate a solemn celebration, with mystic rites, future atonement for this wicked murder.  "  Pausanias at II.3.7 says the rites actually occurred.  All this reminds me of

Archemoros and the Seven against Thebes.  I wonder if the rites were similar.  Though I seem to recall their were games in Archemoros' honor.

 

Two of the three translations speak of Medea's relationship to the Goddess Hecate is in the following terms.  "Hecate who dwells in the recesses of my heart " 397 (who lives with me deep inside my home, 396 ). What does this mean?  You don't hear lines like this in Greek myth often.

 

“Well, I was passing by those benches where the old men gamble by Peirene, at the holy spring,”. A rare discussion of gambling   

"Medea woman, I see I'm making a mistake, for you can have your extra day. But let me warn you—if the sun catches you tomorrow within the borders of this country, you or your children, you'll be put to death " (350 )  So I would assume I had another day, that would mean I have the entire following day, but my civilization has a concept of zero

 

 Creon of Corinth's daughter dies in what sounds like wedding dress.  Many presentations "Antigone" have Creon of Thebes' niece dying in a wedding dress.  

 

"so the story goes, the Muses, nine maidens of Pieria, gave birth to golden-haired Hermione." 831. What?!  Does this mean the Muses create divine harmony or were they actually the mother of Harmonia? I recall the nine gigantic mothers of the Norse-God Heimdall, Lord of the rainbow-bridge to Asgard

 

 The dress and tiara sent to Princess Glauce are "by far the finest human gifts I know " (1112 ) "these gifts, (1120 ) which my grandfather Helios once gave to his descendants. ". Surely made by Helios' good buddy Hephaestus hence divine and ambrosial but made deadly by Medea's poison. I wonder if they survived the fire.(Seneca version)

 

 "Great Themis, and husband of Themis," Coleridge is referring to Zeus

 

"I can show   those hostile to you I've a good excuse.  And it makes your position safer.   Tell me the gods that I should swear by."(  740-4). Interesting use of a rash oath by the oath taker

                                            

"Anyone forbidden    to attend my sacrifice, let such a man  concern himself about these children."  (1054-5). What does this mean?

 

TFBT: Irony in Medea

Hour 25, Harvard’s classical studies club is reading “Medea” by Euripides.  We are reading the translation by Ian Johnston.  He’s got a great site;  https://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/  In preparation for our July 17,  discussion I’ve now read the play three times.  Here are some thoughts on "irony" in the play. 

“Besides, we have a woman's nature—
      powerless to perform fine noble deeds” 

          (Medea 407-8)  tran. Johnston 

What?  The Perseus translation says, “And furthermore we are women, unable to perform great deeds of valor,” What?  What is Euripides thinking here?  I prepared mentally to search all of Greek myth for women who performed noble and valorous deeds.  Alcestis sprang to mind; the woman who sacrificed her life to save her husband from Death.  I assumed initially that my inspiration was alphabetical in nature.  Then I looked at the book I was holding; a collection of Euripides’ plays.  Euripides wrote “Alcestis” and produced it prior to “Medea”  So why is the poet saying that women cannot perform heroic deeds, when he’d already proved otherwise to his audience?    

Sarah S. and I discussed my quandry in Homeric Vocabulary class this morning.  Sarah introduced me to the concept of “irony”.  I have no sense of irony.  The closest I got is sarcasm, but that horse wretched my chariot far too many times turning the post, so I put him on the left hand side and keep a tight rein on him. 

The trouble with irony (and sarcasm) is if your audience doesn’t get it, the playwright appears stupid.  Okay enough said about Euripides and that topic. The advantage of Sarah’s irony argument is it explains other oddities in the text;  

        ·      “She glares upon her servants with the look of a lioness with cubs” (Coleridge)  Which is ironic because we expect a lioness to protect her cubs rather than slay them. 
       ·      In sharp contrast to our opening quote Medea says “Lives like mine achieve the greatest glory.” (810) The chorus adds   “This passion of hers moves to some greatness.” (183) All of which contrasts with Medea’s earlier false modesty at 124 when she says, “Anyway, I don't want a grand life for myself,” Ha!
      ·      “For there's no affliction worse than losing one's own country.“ (650-51)  As if that wasn’t her fault! 
      ·      Creon to Medea “by feeling pity I've been hurt before” (348)  Man, he should have followed his own tenets!  Sarah is clearly right here about Euripides attempts at irony.  The audience then and now knows what’s coming and can’t miss this statement.