DOCSLIB.ORG

Kadmos and Europa, and the Phoenicians

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kadmos and Europa, and the Phoenicians R O B E R T S . P. B E E K E S KADMOS AND EUROPA, AND THE PHOENICIANS 1 . The discussion in Der Neue Pauly ( b y K . Meister) o f the P h o e ¬ nicia-problem o f the Kadmos-story is quite inadequate. Especially a mere reference to Edwards' monography on Kadmos the P h o e n i ¬ cian i s i n s u f f i c i e n t to settle the matter. ( V i a n interprets the story o f Kadmos as containing traces o f an Indo-European tripartite society. A s I do not b e l i e v e in Dumézil's theories on this point, I shall not discuss them.) 2. Kadmos and Europa The story o f Europa i s quite straightforward: While she was on the shore with her companions, Zeus approached her in the shape o f a bull. S h e mounted the bull, it went into the s e a and took her to Crete. There it mated with her. The children were Minos and Rhadaman- thys. Afterwards she married king Asterios. There i s in her story nothing about Kadmos. He would have gone to continental Greece, not to Crete, to search f o r her. And so he did not find her and instead founded Thebes. He would have been her uncle. S o there i s no story about his search: it i s only said that he went the wrong way and did not find her. It i s clear, then, that there was no (story o f the) search. It would have been a story that did not begin. S o it becomes clear that Kadmos' adventures were only later linked to the story o f Europa, and that originally he had nothing to do with her. This means that his connection with Europa cannot be u s e d as an argument to show that Kadmos came f r o m Phoenicia. Also there is a story parallel to that of Europa, the story of queen Pasiphae. This makes clear that it was expected that the queen 'mar¬ ried' the supreme god, in the shape of a bull. The cult of the bull was essential in Crete – one need only think of the ceremonial games, sports around the bull. The conclusion is that the story of Europa is a typically Cretan story, which has nothing to do with Phoenicia. Kadmos B d . 43, S . 167–184 © W A L T E R D E G R U Y T E R 2004 ISSN 0022-7498 Brought to you by | Universiteit Leiden / LUMC Authenticated Download Date | 4/26/18 5:45 PM 168 Robert Beekes Further, the name o f Europa i s remiscent o f names beginning with Εύ$ωπ- or Εύ$οπ-, found in Greece north o f the G u l f o f Corinth. This name cannot b e Indo-European, and as it i s well established i n northern Greece, must be o f Pre-Greek origin. (The word cannot contain εύ$υ-, o f which the second -υ- would have been preserved.) On these names s e e Sommer 1937,185 n. and 2 5 5 f f . (Krahe's Balkan- i l l y r i s c h e geographische Namen 7 3 f . i s i n s u f f i c i e n t ; s e e B e e k e s 1995/6, 18–21). There are two towns called Eurōpos i n Macedonia (one in Almōpia) and a third on the Peneios ( s e e the map in Ninck 1946, 16); there i s a river Eurōpos (that f l o w s into the Peneios; Ninck 17).1 C f . further the Κασσωποί. It has been suspected that she was a supernatural being, perhaps an earth goddess ( B e r v e 1966, 468). This i s rather uncertain, as our data are very meagre. However, they make it clear that she was not merely a human being. We find a Demeter Europia and a Hera Europia (Ninck 1946, 17). It i s told that Europe was hidden b y Zeus i n a grotto near Teumessos, east o f Thebes (id. 17). L e s s clear Buhler 1968, 4 4 f . The conclusion i s clear: Europa was an old, supernatural figure in Greece, a goddess or semi-goddess, probably o f Pre-Greek date. And her story fits completely with what we know o f Crete. There i s no basis f o r a Phoenician origin. S e v e r a l things remain unclear, however. First, we do not know what exactly she was. Then, her provenance i s uncertain. S h e seems at home north o f the Corinthian G u l f . How she came to be associated with Crete i s not known. P e r ¬ haps she was a Pre-Greek figure which was also venerated in Crete. I am very sceptical about theories on peoples moving to Crete. In spite o f the unanswered questions, however, it remains clear enough that she was a Greek, rather a Pre-Greek figure which had nothing to do with Phoenicia. A s to the question how Europa came to be associated with P h o e ¬ nicia, I think that it i s not too d i f f i c u l t to imagine a possible origin. Her father was called Phoenix i n Homer (Ξ 321), which may have been one reason to suppose a Phoenician origin. Then, the question may have arisen from where she came, carried b y the bull. I f one imagines a shore from where she could have come, one may think o f Greece, or Anatolia, Phoenicia, or Egypt. The connections o f P h o e ¬ nicians with Crete, which have been demonstrated b y archaeology, 1 Dura-Eurōpos in Syria, well known from the excavations, got its name when the town was re-founded by Seleukos Nikator in 280, from the Macedonian Eurōpos (Ninck 1946, 251 note 17: 1). Brought to you by | Universiteit Leiden / LUMC Authenticated Download Date | 4/26/18 5:45 PM Kadmos and Europa, and the Phoenicians 169 may have been a factor that made it natural f o r Greeks/Cretans to think o f Phoenicia. ( I n fact, o f course, it i s hardly possible to assume a Phoenician origin, or how did she come to Crete; f e w shall b e w i l l ¬ ing to consider the possibility, suggested in Antiquity, that she was abducted f r o m there.) Returning to Kadmos, we conclude that the connection with Europa was not original, and that Europa did not come f r o m Phoenicia. A s to Kadmos and Europa, I would keep open the possibility that they were associated because both would have l i v e d in Boeotia. B u t this cannot b e verified. 3. The continent Europa The name f o r the continent was originally also a country i n M a c e d o ¬ nia; Hdt. 6, 43; 7, 8 β1. I n hAp. 251, 291, it i s Central Greece. This fits exactly with the origin o f the names with -ωπ/οπ-. It is, then, a Pre-Greek name, the name o f a country. A direct connection with the goddess Europa does not s e e m to exist (though it i s possible that the name, o f which the meaning i s unknown to us, was ultimately the same). It i s improbable, then, that the word had a S e m i t i c etymology. On names o f countries i n -η s e e Sommer 1937,254.2 S e e Ninck 1946, 17–19 (who still tries an I E etymology).3 ( V e r y daring speculations in Andrews 1969.) Iustinus writes that east o f the Thracian mountains, i n Europe, a king Europs ruled (Iust. VII. 1). Ammianus Marcellinus puts the Roman province o f Europe south o f Constantinopel, on the S e a o f Marmara, with the town o f Perinthos (XXVII. 4. 12).4 In Byzantine times there was a diocese Europa on the eastern coast o f Thracia. ( S e e Gommers 32, without reference.) 4. West's alternative The idea that the hero Kadmos was secondarily derived f r o m Kad- meioi/Kadmeia i s quite possible. The idea has been advanced earlier; s e e Edwards 1979, 188. The last to do so was M. L. West (1997, 448ff.). He explains Kadmeioi from Qadmiyūma(‘peoples o f the east’, Ugaritic qdmym) or *Qadmiyyîm( a plural, I think, but West does not indicate what form it is). The words would mean either 'the men f r o m the east' or 'the men o f old'. He then argues that Phoeni- 2 The gloss Εύ$ώπη χώ$α της δύσεως H. i s understandable ( i t has the addition η σ$οτεινή); a second gloss εύ$ωπις η πατ$ίς H. i s called obscurum b y Latte. 3 The idea o f the European Union to take Europa on the bull, generally known as a Phoenician princess, as a symbol f o r the union, was not a happy one. 4 This Europa is indicated on the (second) map XII of Kiepert.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Egypt Was the Image of Heaven on Earth and Temple of the Whole World
    Egypt was the image of heaven on earth and temple of the whole world Egypt was the image of heaven on earth and temple of the whole world v. 16.13, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 13 March 2019 Page 1 of 77 EGYPT WAS THE IMAGE OF HEAVEN ON EARTH ABSTRACT AND TRAIN OF THOUGHTS Abstract and train of thoughts 1 Ancient India and Egypt were the oldest group of nations Egypt sent no agents throughout the world to learn what others knew; but to her the wise men of neighbouring nations resorted for knowledge. 6 The Egyptian Pyramids antedate the upheaval of the Sahara and other deserts. 10 Ancient Greece owes everything to Egypt There is no comparison between the Egypt of old, with its perfection of art, science, and religion, its glorious cities and monuments, its swarming population, and the Egypt of today — peopled with strangers. 13 History got its first glimpse of the ancients when the arts were already fast degenerating among them. 16 The further back we go in history, the better and finer become these arts. 16 Ancient knowledge of thunder, lightning, and electricity antedates modern “discoveries.” 18 The Egyptian art of writing was perfect and complete from the very first. It was used as early as the days of Menes, the protomonarch. 21 Before Greece came into existence, the arts, with the Egyptians, were already ripe and old. 23 The Greeks learned all they knew, including the sacred services of the temple, from the Egyptians and, because of that, their principal temples were consecrated to Egyptian divinities.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Name 2 Zeus in Myth
    Zeus For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). Zeus (English pronunciation: /ˈzjuːs/[3] ZEWS); Ancient Greek Ζεύς Zeús, pronounced [zdeǔ̯s] in Classical Attic; Modern Greek: Δίας Días pronounced [ˈði.as]) is the god of sky and thunder and the ruler of the Olympians of Mount Olympus. The name Zeus is cognate with the first element of Roman Jupiter, and Zeus and Jupiter became closely identified with each other. Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he is married to Hera, although, at the oracle of Dodona, his consort The Chariot of Zeus, from an 1879 Stories from the Greek is Dione: according to the Iliad, he is the father of Tragedians by Alfred Church. Aphrodite by Dione.[4] He is known for his erotic es- capades. These resulted in many godly and heroic offspring, including Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, the Proto-Indo-European god of the daytime sky, also [10][11] Persephone (by Demeter), Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, called *Dyeus ph2tēr (“Sky Father”). The god is Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses (by Mnemosyne); known under this name in the Rigveda (Vedic San- by Hera, he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Hebe skrit Dyaus/Dyaus Pita), Latin (compare Jupiter, from and Hephaestus.[5] Iuppiter, deriving from the Proto-Indo-European voca- [12] tive *dyeu-ph2tēr), deriving from the root *dyeu- As Walter Burkert points out in his book, Greek Religion, (“to shine”, and in its many derivatives, “sky, heaven, “Even the gods who are not his natural children address [10] [6] god”).
    [Show full text]
  • The Occult Undercurrents of the European Union
    The Occult Undercurrents of the European Union The subject that has been headline news in all the papers and television in the UK for some time is – the European Referendum. Oh no! You cry, not more of that! It is, however, not just a political or economic issue, about massive immigration or European laws against our own, or even our sovereignty which is extremely important; for if we stay in Europe we can say goodbye to our democracy which has been our standard since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215! Do we really want to be a small ‘one twenty-eighth’ of the EU and ‘in thrall’ to unelected European bureaucrats? Valid reasons to ponder on are below, and these are facts that will not emerge from the lips of any ‘Remain’ or ‘Brexit’ proponent because the real reason we ought to leave is not political or economic, but spiritual! Whilst the politicians are boring everyone rigid with their tales of gloom and doom and instilling fear into those susceptible, it seems that they have no idea whatsoever of the true nature of the European beast, and yet she has shown us her true colours since her inception. The European beast has a spiritual heart disguised by its policy making powers. The Treaty of Rome, an international agreement, which brought into being the European Union, was signed on 25 th of March 1957 by Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Italy, the Netherlands and West Germany. Notice that it was called the ‘Treaty of Rome’ this is important, for, in short, the European Union demonstrates rebellion against God in more than one way, and is a revival of the old Holy Roman Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • The Thebaid Europa, Cadmus and the Birth of Dionysus
    The Thebaid Europa, Cadmus and the birth of Dionysus Caesar van Everdingen. Rape of Europa. 1650 Zeus = Io Memphis = Epaphus Poseidon = Libya Lysianassa Belus Agenor = Telephassa In the Danaid, we followed the descendants of Belus. The Thebaid follows the descendants of Agenor Agenor = Telephassa Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa • Agenor migrated to the Levant and founded Sidon • But see Josephus, Jewish Antiquities i.130 - 139 • “… for Syria borders on Egypt, and the Phoenicians, to whom Sidon belongs, dwell in Syria.” (Hdt. ii.116.6) The Levant Levant • Jericho (9000 BC) • Damascus (8000) • Biblos (7000) • Sidon (4000) Biblos Damascus Sidon Tyre Jericho Levant • Canaanites: • Aramaeans • Language, not race. • Moved to the Levant ca. 1400-1200 BC • Phoenician = • purple dye people Biblos Damascus Sidon Tyre Agenor = Telephassa Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa • Zeus appeared to Europa as a bull and carried her to Crete. • Agenor sent his sons in search of Europa • Don’t come home without her! • The Rape of Europa • Maren de Vos • 1590 Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Spain) Image courtesy of wikimedia • Rape of Europa • Caesar van Everdingen • 1650 • Image courtesy of wikimedia • Europe Group • Albert Memorial • London, 1872. • A memorial for Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Crete Europa = Zeus Minos Sarpedon Rhadamanthus • Asterius, king of Crete, married Europa • Minos became king of Crete • Sarpedon king of Lycia • Rhadamanthus king of Boeotia The Brothers of Europa • Phoenix • Remained in Phoenicia • Cylix • Founded
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Gods & Goddesses
    Greek Gods & Goddesses The Greek Gods and GodessesMyths https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/olympians/ The Twelve Olympians In the ancient Greek world, the Twelve great gods and goddesses of the Greeks were referred to as the Olympian Gods, or the Twelve Olympians. The name of this powerful group of gods comes from Mount Olympus, where the council of 12 met to discuss matters. All 12 Olympians had a home on Mount Olympus and that was where they were most commonly found. HADES, the god of the Underworld, preferred to live there, and POSEIDON often chose to stay in his palace under the sea. Most of the other Olympians would be on Mount Olympus year round unless they were travelling. HESTIA used to be one of the Olympians, but the constant fighting and bickering between the gods annoyed her and she eventually gave up her seat to the god of wine, DIONYSUS. Even though she left the council, Hestia still kept a home on Mount Olympus. APHRODITE was on the council but, in most Greek mythological stories, her husband HEPHAESTUS was not. At the famous Parthenon temple in Greece, there is a statue of each of the 12 Olympian gods. Hades does not have a statue, but Hephaestus does. The question of who the 12 Olympians are really depends on who is telling the story. Nobody is truly sure if Hades of Hephaestus can be classed as the Twelfth Olympian. So, because of the way Greek myths were told and retold in different ways, there are actually 14 gods and goddesses who can be considered as an Olympian god.
    [Show full text]
  • Zeus in the Greek Mysteries) and Was Thought of As the Personification of Cyclic Law, the Causal Power of Expansion, and the Angel of Miracles
    Ζεύς The Angel of Cycles and Solutions will help us get back on track. In the old schools this angel was known as Jupiter (Zeus in the Greek Mysteries) and was thought of as the personification of cyclic law, the Causal Power of expansion, and the angel of miracles. Price, John Randolph (2010-11-24). Angels Within Us: A Spiritual Guide to the Twenty-Two Angels That Govern Our Everyday Lives (p. 151). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Zeus 1 Zeus For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). Zeus God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice [1] The Jupiter de Smyrne, discovered in Smyrna in 1680 Abode Mount Olympus Symbol Thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak Consort Hera and various others Parents Cronus and Rhea Siblings Hestia, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter Children Aeacus, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dardanus, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces [2] Roman equivalent Jupiter Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς, Zeús; Modern Greek: Δίας, Días; English pronunciation /ˈzjuːs/[3] or /ˈzuːs/) is the "Father of Gods and men" (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te)[4] who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules the family according to the ancient Greek religion. He is the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. Zeus is etymologically cognate with and, under Hellenic influence, became particularly closely identified with Roman Jupiter. Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he is married to Hera, although, at the oracle of Dodona, his consort is Dione: according to the Iliad, he is the father of Aphrodite by Dione.[5] He is known for his erotic escapades.
    [Show full text]
  • If “Princess Europa” Returned to Her Namesake Today’: Robert Graves and Europa1 Nancy Rosenfeld
    Critical Studies 627 ________________________________________________________________________________ ‘If “Princess Europa” returned to her namesake today’: Robert Graves and Europa1 Nancy Rosenfeld As noted in the Call for Papers, the Fourteenth International Robert Graves Society Conference (Palma and Deyá, Mallorca, 10-14 July 2018) ‘will explore any aspect of Graves and Europe, from his own life and work in Mallorca, to the relevance of his writing for [the] European present and future’. For Robert Graves the commonly-accepted separation between history, ethnography, mythology, the plastic arts, literature, and even governance and economics, was arguably less meaningful than modern academe’s traditional division into disciplines would usually have it. In this paper I examine Graves’s published references to Europa in The Greek Myths and The White Goddess as possible sites of Gravesean insights into the geographical-historical Europe in which he spent most of his life. I will also touch on ‘Hymn to Europa’, c. 150 BCE, an epyllion composed in Greek by the Alexandrian poet Moschus,2 with which Graves was surely familiar in the original Greek, and suggest that a Gravesean muse, such as the ‘woman of true royalty’ from his poem ‘The Secret Land’ is indeed a sister of Princess Europa: I never dared question my love About the government of her queendom Or its geography.3 This paper concludes with a look at Graves’s poem, ‘General Bloodstock’s Lament for England.’ Whether or not his insights are of use to those struggling with the meaning and ramifications of the United Kingdom’s decision to secede from the European Critical Studies 628 ________________________________________________________________________________ Union – the Brexit – is beyond the scope of this paper, but I venture to hope that Graves’s discussions of the etymology and mythological sources of Europe / Europa will be of interest.
    [Show full text]
  • Bacchylides 19 and Eumelus' Europia
    Gaia Revue interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce archaïque 22-23 | 2020 Varia The Genealogy of Dionysus: Bacchylides 19 and Eumelus’ Europia La généalogie de Dionysos: Bacchylide 19 et l’Europia d’Eumélos Marios Skempis Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/gaia/512 ISSN: 2275-4776 Publisher UGA Éditions/Université Grenoble Alpes Printed version ISBN: 978-2-37747-199-7 ISSN: 1287-3349 Electronic reference Marios Skempis, « The Genealogy of Dionysus: Bacchylides 19 and Eumelus’ Europia », Gaia [Online], 22-23 | 2020, Online since 30 June 2020, connection on 17 July 2020. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/gaia/512 This text was automatically generated on 17 July 2020. Gaia. Revue interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce archaïque The Genealogy of Dionysus: Bacchylides 19 and Eumelus’ Europia 1 The Genealogy of Dionysus: Bacchylides 19 and Eumelus’ Europia La généalogie de Dionysos: Bacchylide 19 et l’Europia d’Eumélos Marios Skempis 1 Bacchylides’ relation to the Epic Cycle is an issue under-appreciated in the study of classical scholarship, the more so since modern Standardwerke such as Martin West’s The Epic Cycle and Marco Fantuzzi and Christos Tsagalis’ The Greek Epic Cycle and Its Reception: A Companion are unwilling to engage in discussions about the Cycle’s impact on this poet.1 A look at the surviving Dithyrambs in particular shows that Bacchylides appropriates the Epic Cycle more thoroughly than one expects: Bacchylides 15 reworks the Cypria’s Request for Helen’s Return (arg. 10 W); Bacchylides 16 alludes to Creophylus’ Sack of Oechalia; Bacchylides 17 and 18 are instantiations of mythical episodes plausibly excerpted from an archaic Theseid; Bacchylides 19 opens and ends its mythical section with a circular mannerism that echoes the Thebaid’s incipit (fr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life of Women and Men in Europe a STATISTICAL PORTRAIT 2020 Edition
    The life of women and men in Europe A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT 2020 edition 1 At home, at work, at school… … there are large differences between the lives of women and men in Europe, but there are also similarities. This digital publication The life of women and men in Europe – a statistical portrait aims at comparing women and men in their daily lives. It also shows how similar or different the everyday life of women and men is in European countries. The publication includes three chapters: Living, growing, ageing... : This chapter focuses on demography and health, including for example data on life expectancy, single mothers and fathers and how we perceive our health. This chapter also shows that, despite our differences, both women and men in Europe are similarly satisfied with their lives. Learning, working, earning... : This chapter includes data on education levels, reconciliation of work and family life, full-time and part-time work, the gender pay gap, female and male managers, etc. It highlights not only structural differences but also inequalities between women and men. Eating, shopping, surfing, socialising... : This part focuses on nutrition and social habits, leisure activities and online practices, including for example data on smoking and alcohol consumption, body mass index, cinema attendance, use of social networks and online shopping. A final part is dedicated to childcare, housework and cooking. This digital publication containing short texts, interactive visualisation tools, infographics, photos, etc. has been developed by Eurostat in collaboration with the National Statistical Institutes of the EU Member States, the United Kingdom and the EFTA countries and is available in most of their official languages.
    [Show full text]
  • Symbolism of the Apple in Greek Mythology Highgate Private School Nicosia, CYPRUS
    Symbolism of the Apple in Greek Mythology Highgate Private School Nicosia, CYPRUS Apples appear throughout numerous world religions and mythologies as a common symbol and motif. It is important to note though that in Middle English as late as the 17th century, the word ‘apple’ was used as a generic term to describe all fruit other than berries, so the appearance of apples in ancient writings may not actually be the apples known today. The etymology of 'apple' is an interesting one. That aside, Greek mythology presents several notable apples: the Golden Apples in the Garden of Hesperides, different golden apples associated with Atalanta, and of course the golden Apple of Discord. Each appearance of apples presents unique examples of symbolism. The Golden Apples in the Garden of Hesperides were a wedding gift to Hera from Gaia and were protected by a great serpent called Ladon. The Apples as well as the rest of the life in the Garden were tended by the Hesperides, minor earth goddesses or nymphs and daughters of the Titan, Atlas. The Garden itself rested in an inaccessible spot near the edge of the world under the power of the Olympians. For his Eleventh Labor, Hercules was sent to the Garden to retrieve three Golden Apples for King Eurystheus. The exact location of the Garden and the Apples was unknown and Hercules had to pry the information from Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. Along the way, he also encountered and freed Prometheus who told not to try pick the Golden Apples himself, but to ask Atlas.
    [Show full text]
  • Cellini's Perseus and Medusa: Configurations of the Body
    CELLINI’S PERSEUS AND MEDUSA: CONFIGURATIONS OF THE BODY OF STATE by CHRISTINE CORRETTI Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Advisor: Professor Edward J. Olszewski Department of Art History CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January, 2011 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the dissertation of Christine Corretti candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.* (signed) Professor Edward J. Olszewski (chair of the committee) Professor Anne Helmreich Professor Holly Witchey Dr. Jon S. Seydl (date) November, 2010 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. 1 Copyright © 2011 by Christine Corretti All rights reserved 2 Table of Contents List of Illustrations 4 Abstract 9 Introduction 11 Chapter 1 The Story of Perseus and Medusa, an Interpretation 28 of its Meaning, and the Topos of Decapitation Chapter 2 Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa: the Paradigm of Control 56 Chapter 3 Renaissance Political Theory and Paradoxes of 100 Power Chapter 4 The Goddess as Other and Same 149 Chapter 5 The Sexual Symbolism of the Perseus and Medusa 164 Chapter 6 The Public Face of Justice 173 Chapter 7 Classical and Grotesque Polities 201 Chapter 8 Eleonora di Toledo and the Image of the Mother 217 Goddess Conclusion 239 Illustrations 243 Bibliography 304 3 List of Illustrations Fig. 1 Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus and Medusa, 1545-1555, 243 Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, Italy. Fig. 2 Donatello, Judith and Holofernes, c. 1446-1460s, Palazzo 244 Vecchio, Florence, Italy. Fig. 3 Heracles killing an Amazon, red figure vase.
    [Show full text]
  • Constellation Legends
    Constellation Legends by Norm McCarter Naturalist and Astronomy Intern SCICON Andromeda – The Chained Lady Cassiopeia, Andromeda’s mother, boasted that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than the gods. Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and the god of the seas, took great offense at this statement, for he had created the most beautiful beings ever in the form of his sea nymphs. In his anger, he created a great sea monster, Cetus (pictured as a whale) to ravage the seas and sea coast. Since Cassiopeia would not recant her claim of beauty, it was decreed that she must sacrifice her only daughter, the beautiful Andromeda, to this sea monster. So Andromeda was chained to a large rock projecting out into the sea and was left there to await the arrival of the great sea monster Cetus. As Cetus approached Andromeda, Perseus arrived (some say on the winged sandals given to him by Hermes). He had just killed the gorgon Medusa and was carrying her severed head in a special bag. When Perseus saw the beautiful maiden in distress, like a true champion he went to her aid. Facing the terrible sea monster, he drew the head of Medusa from the bag and held it so that the sea monster would see it. Immediately, the sea monster turned to stone. Perseus then freed the beautiful Andromeda and, claiming her as his bride, took her home with him as his queen to rule. Aquarius – The Water Bearer The name most often associated with the constellation Aquarius is that of Ganymede, son of Tros, King of Troy.
    [Show full text]