The Erinyes in Aeschylus’ Oresteia Cynthia Werner A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Victoria University of Wellington (2012) ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the Erinyes’ nature and function in Aeschylus’ Oresteia. It looks at how Aeschylus conceives the Erinyes, particularly their transformation into Semnai Theai, as a central component of the Oresteia’s presentation of social, moral and religious disorder and order. The dissertation first explores the Erinyes in the poetic tradition, then discusses the trilogy’s development of the choruses, before examining the Erinyes’ / Semnai Theai’s involvement in the trilogy’s establishment of justice and order and concluding with an analysis of why Aeschylus chooses Athens (over Argos and Delphi) as the location for trilogy’s decision making and resolution. Chapter One explores the pre-Aeschylean Erinyes’ origin and primary associations in order to determine which aspects of the Erinyes / Semnai Theai are traditional and how Aeschylus innovates in the tradition. It further identifies epithets and imagery that endow the Erinyes / Semnai Theai with fearsome qualities, on the one hand, and with a beneficial, preventive function, on the other. The discussion of the development of the choruses throughout the trilogy in Chapter Two takes three components: an examination of (1) the Erinyes’ transformation from abstract goddesses to a tragic chorus, (2) from ancient spirits of vengeance and curse to Semnai Theai (i.e. objects of Athenian cult) and (3) how the choruses of Agamemnon and Choephori prefigure the Erinyes’ emergence as chorus in Eumenides. Of particular interest are the Argive elders’ and slave women’s invocations of the Erinyes, their action and influence upon events, and their uses of recurrent moral and religious ideals that finally become i an integral part of the Areopagus and the cult of the Semnai Theai. The Erinyes’ / Semnai Theai’s role as objects of Athenian cult supports the institutionalised justice of the Areopagus, putting an end to private vendetta, promoting civic order and piety and rendering the city and its citizens prosperous as a result. Chapter Three explores how the Erinyes’ transformation into Semnai Theai relates to the Oresteia’s development from conflict and disorder to harmony and order. It examines a selection of the trilogy’s speech acts, emotions and attitudes, socio-religious practices and laws and their relationship to the Erinyes’ function as goddesses of vengeance and curse and objects of Athenian cult. It suggests that Athens’ reception of the Semnai Theai runs analogous with the removal of corruption and perversion from the key terms analysed in the chapter (i.e. ἀρά and ὅρκος, φόβος and σέβας, θυσία, ξενία and ἱκετεία, νόµος and θεσµός); the promotion of social, moral and religious norms that benefit the polis is integral to the Semnai Theai as objects of Athenian cult. Chapter Four examines Athens’ ability to settle differences without violence in the trilogy; it explores the polis’ capacity to resolve the trilogy’s cycle of vengeance and curse, particularly to placate the Erinyes, and relates Athens to Argos as a hegemonic city and to Delphi as Panhellenic centre of worship. The dramatic events at Athens positively represent the polis’ ideology and hegemony: addressing the social and political situation at 458BC, the trilogy’s final scenes advocate internal civic harmony, encourage alliances and metoikia, and the pursuit of imperialistic strategies to project Athens as Panhellenic leader. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Babette Pütz and John Davidson for their supervision in the first three years of writing this thesis. Special appreciation and gratitude go to David Rosenbloom for seeing me through the last two years of this thesis. He strengthened me with encouraging words, imparted his substantial knowledge of the subject to me, referred me to important (recent) publications, pushed me to go beyond my limits and guided me in structuring and conceptionalising this thesis. I would further like to thank the Victoria University of Wellington Scholarships Office for awarding me two Victoria Doctoral Scholarships; the realisation of this thesis owes much to its financial support. My gratitude also goes to my parents who not only supported me financially but also helped me dealing with life’s daily struggles especially throughout the last years of research and writing. I am particularly grateful for my mother’s help as a librarian in the final period. I would further like to thank Kristina McGuiness-King for her emotional and practical assistance. Her support as a friend and arrangements as an employer helped me to keep focussed on the thesis in the last two years. Last but not least I would like to show my gratitude for the Classics Administrator Hannah Webling. She maintained a high level of swift and untiring support including the supply of documentation and letters for administration throughout the years. iii The Erinyes in Aeschylus’ Oresteia Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Antecedents and Primary Associations 7 1.1 Introduction 7 1.2 Origins 8 1.3 Pre-Aeschylean literary treatments of the Erinyes 13 1.4 Primary Associations 23 1.4.1 Epithets and association with other daimones 23 1.4.2 Naming and invoking the Erinys (or Erinyes) 24 1.4.3 Semnai Theai 30 1.4.4 Gorgones 33 1.4.5 Atê 37 1.5 Physical Appearance 42 1.5.1 General 42 1.5.2 Blood 42 1.5.3 Black 50 1.5.4 Snake 53 1.5.5 Dog 57 1.6 Conclusion 62 Chapter 2: The Choruses of the Oresteia 65 2.1 General 65 iv 2.2 Agamemnon 67 2.2.1 The first two choral odes 67 2.2.2 Paean, thrênos and choros 75 2.2.3 The Argive elders’ inaction, µάθος and change of sentiment 85 2.2.4 Summary 88 2.3 Choephori 91 2.3.1 The first choral ode 91 2.3.2 Paternal versus maternal curse 94 2.3.3 The kommos 96 2.3.4 Peithô and pathos 102 2.3.5 Orestes’ vision 105 2.3.6 Summary 108 2.4 Eumenides 110 2.4.1 The nature of the chorus of Erinyes – a brief outline 110 2.4.2 The Erinyes in Delphi 112 2.4.3 The Erinyes’ arrival at Athens and the Binding Song 121 2.4.4 The second choral ode 130 2.4.5 Athena’s establishment of the Areopagus and Orestes’ trial 137 2.4.6 The choral exodus and coda 143 2.4.7 Summary 154 Chapter 3: From Erinyes to Semnai Theai 158 3.1 Introduction 158 3.2 Ara 159 3.3 Oath 169 v 3.4 Phobos and Sebas 178 3.5 Sacrifice 193 3.6 Guest-host relationship 202 3.7 Supplication 210 3.8 Laws 216 Chapter 4: Why Athens? 228 4.1 Introduction 228 4.2 Athens and Argos 230 4.3 The Areopagus 240 4.3 Athens as Panhellenic centre 246 Chapter 5: Conclusion 257 Bibliography 275 vi The Erinyes in Aeschylus’ Oresteia Introduction The Erinyes have left traces throughout ancient Greek mythology, art and literature, as well as in later European culture, and idioms of our day.1 Throughout these widespread sources the Erinyes are commonly associated with violence, punishment, madness and the supernatural, but also to no lesser degree with justice and morality.2 One may ask how such an ambiguous conception developed. Aeschylus’ Oresteia is the most revealing and influential extant work that focuses on the Erinyes’ characteristics and functions.3 Aeschylus’ adaptation of the Orestes myth removes the Erinyes from a vague mythical sphere, gives them form and meaning, elucidates their nature and role and employs them to expound on religious, social, judicial, moral and political phenomena in his drama and his society in general. The Erinyes’ dramatic character and their 1 In non-Greek literature and art the Erinyes’ Roman title ‘Furiae’ (which leads, for example, to the English term ‘Furies’) is more common; this thesis will use the term ‘Erinyes’ for Greek contexts, and ‘Furies’ with respect to some other primary and secondary sources. See Mitchell- Boyask (2009) 23 on a succinct paragraph on the Erinyes’ popular names. The terms Erinys, Erinyes, Furiae and its derivatives occur in Homer (e.g. δασπλῆτις Ἐρινύς Od. 15.234; ἠεροφοῖτις Il. 9.571), Hesiod (e.g. περιπλοµένου ἐνιαυτοῦ / γείνατ Ἐρινῦς τε κρατερὰς µεγάλους τε Γίγαντας Th. 184-5), Greek drama (e.g. A. Th. 70; E. Tr. 809; Med. 1260), Greek comedy (e.g. Ar. Pl. 422-3; Lys. 807), Pausanias (e.g. 1.28.6), Greek art (Prag [1985] 44-51, esp. 48-51, pls. 28b, 29a, 30a, b, 31a-c, 32a, 33a), English literature (e.g. ‘Comes the blind Fury with the abhorrèd shears, / And slits the thin-spun life’ (Milton, Lycidas [1638] ll. 75-6), French drama (Sartre [1978] Act III Scene I, IV, V) and idioms (e.g. ‘wie von Furien gehetzt’ [Röhrich {1991} s.v. Furie]; ‘Wer den Furien in die Hände fällt, ruft umsonst nach Gnade.’ [Beyer {1984}]). Prag (1985) 43 comments that painters seized upon the struggle between Orestes and the Erinyes rather than showing the terrifying killings of the Orestes myth. 2 Henrichs (1994) 46 presents a succinct introductory paragraph on the polarity of the Erinyes and Eumenides. See also Sansone (1988) 16. 3 The Orestes myth and Oedipus myth furnish the foremost early appearance of the Erinyes (cf. e.g. A. Th.; S. OC for the Erinyes’ nature and function in the Oedipus myth). 1 transformation into Semnai Theai form a principal ingredient in the trilogy’s exploration of conflicts and solutions between old and new, chthonian and Olympian, female and male, retributive and distributive justice, as well as savagery and civilisation.4 The presence and dramatic trajectory of the Erinyes in the trilogy view vengeance, justice and piety against the concerns of 5th century BC Athenian society.5 Through the vengeful cyclical events in the house of Atreus Aeschylus presents the Erinyes’ development from abstract deities of vengeance and curse to objects of Athenian cult that endorse fair civic justice (i.e.