chapter eight
FATHER-DAUGHTER DYNAMICS IN THE ILIAD: THE ROLE OF APHRODITE IN DEFINING ZEUS’ REGIME
Kassandra Jackson
Conflict is a key theme in most discussions about the Iliad:conflict between Trojans and Argives, conflict between mortals and their gods. There is one conflict, however, that has received little attention from Homeric scholars, namely, the ongoing competition between Aphrodite and Athena. Not only do these goddesses support different sides in the war, but Aphrodite is also the specific target of Athena’s verbal and even physical antagonism.1 Mortals often contrast the two, as does Diomedes when he mocks Aphrodite’s martial efforts, saying, Aτ’ 9ρ’ Α)ηνα η (“no Athena she”; .). Furthermore, Zeus displays clear favoritism toward Athena, while taking pains, as this paper shall demonstrate, to subvert and control Aphrodite’s power. Homer, I argue, uses Aphrodite, particularly during her interactions with Zeus and Athena, to highlight an even greater conflict: that between Zeus and the rest of the gods. In origin myths, such as Hesiod’s Theogony or the fifth Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite,itisnotproblematicthatZeus’powerisattimestenuous. This is unsurprising as these tales, after all, take as their subjects the systematization of divinities within the developing Olympian pantheon, and even the highest god must overcome challenges in order to legit- imize his acquisition of τιμα (‘honors’ or ‘offices’). Modern scholars too often assume that, by the mythic times in which the Homeric epics are set, Zeus has stabilized his reign so that his ultimate authority is univer- sally recognized by gods and men, that Zeus is no longer compelled to prove himself. In The Politics of Olympus, for example, Jenny Strauss Clay asserts, “In the world of epic, the domination of Zeus remains unques- tioned, and, despite occasional perturbations, the foundations of Olym- pus can no longer be shaken.”2 Yet, “occasional perturbations” make up
1 Cf. Hom., Il. .; .; .–. 2 Jenny Strauss Clay, The Politics of Olympus: Form and Meaning in the Major Homeric Hymns (Princeton, ), p. . Cf. Bruce Louden, The Iliad: Structure, Myth, and Meaning (Baltimore, ), p. ; Griffin, Homer,p.. kassandra jackson a large portion of the divine action in the Iliad.AchillesremindsThetis of a time when Hera, Poseidon, and Pallas Athena plotted to put Zeus in bonds (Homer, Il. .–); Hera suggests rebellion against Zeus at . and is only deterred by Poseidon’s misgivings; at .–, Poseidon threatens to declare war against Zeus if he should renege on his promise to destroy Troy. Even Zeus himself endangers the stability of Olympian life, when he proposes saving Sarpedon first (.–), then Hektor (.–)—acts that would open the door to all gods intervening on behalf of their favorites and meddling with fate.3 If Homer intended to portray Zeus’ power as uncontested during this period, then why would he include such a plethora of challenges and rebellious undercurrents? It is true that, for all the verbal threats, no god takes action against Zeus. Yet the subversive elements are nonetheless present. I suggest that the Iliad operates in some ways like a hymn to Zeusinsofarasitscontentalignswiththehymnicnarrativestructure defined by Clay. She identifies two primary elements: the acquisition or redistribution of τιμα among the gods, and the depiction of a single event that alters the cosmic order forever after.4 Thus, although the Iliad is not hymnic in form or religious function, it can be considered a hymn in that it treats the epochal “moment” of the Trojan War, an event that effectively marks the end of the heroic age.5 It is at this cosmic turning point that Zeus, under constant pressure from his unruly family, must take steps to assert his power and entitlement to his greatest epithet: πατ#ρ &νδρ6ν τε )ε6ν τε (‘father of men and gods’).6 While many issues arise in the Iliad concerning Zeus’ cosmic role, such as the question of his relationship to fate, it is Zeus’ self-definition as ‘father of men and gods’ that will concern us here.
3 See George Maximilian Anthony Grube, “The Gods of Homer,” Phoenix (), , for further discussion of these episodes. 4 Clay, The Politics of Olympus, p. . 5 Clay has argued convincingly in The Politics of Olympus, pp. –, that the fifth Homeric Hymn is epochal in that it treats the conception of the last hero of divine parentage, Aineias, before Zeus puts an end to the mating of gods with mortals. This would suggestthat no heroes were born to replace those that died at Troy and, hence, that Troy marked the end of an age. See also John Alvis, Divine Purpose and Heroic Response in Homer and Virgil (Lanham, ), p. for the Trojan War as the end of the heroic age. 6 Elizabeth S. Greene, “Revising Illegitimacy: The Use of Epithets in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes,” CQ (), –, has demonstrated that texts in the hymnic genre often trace the acquisition of a god’s epithets, as a part of his or her attainment of τιμα in general.