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From Myth to Torch Relay n Greek mythology, PROMETHEUS brought a the Hephaistia, but also in honour of ARTEMIS spark of heavenly fire to earth for man, his BENDIS. The variation of a torch ride can be traced Icreation, thus making him the ruler of the back to Thracian influences.4 JÜTHNER describes elements. He was punished by being chained to the torch relays as "essentially a matter of cult, only the Caucasian mountains. However, the great secondarily a matter of sport."5 This ambivalence also step forward into civilization had been taken by marks the modern re-enactments and probably means of the glowing pith of a torch, made from has a direct effect on their power of fascination. It a giant fennel stalk, which had been lighted at serves, moreover, to reinforce the separate nature the fiery chariot of the sun. Following on from of the Olympic Festival as a whole. these mythical conceptions of ancient days, the fire that was brought down from heaven became "The opening ceremonies, including the lighting a representation of reason and enlightenment, of of the sacred flame at Archaia Olympia and its freedom and the creative ability of the human relay to the 'New Olympia' are rites of separation race as a whole. In this case, too, Greek mythology from ordinary lire, initiating the period of public 1 has created an effect which can hardly be liminality."6 encompassed and whose influence can be seen in the Olympic ceremonies. The torch as a symbol and personification in At the ancient festivals held in honour of ancient and Christian mythology and art can PROMETHEUS in Athens, the craftsmen, particularly merely be mentioned here. Its widespread use and the potters, honoured their patron with a torch relay its ambiguity are signs of a universal semiotics of 7 for which new fire from the altar of PROMETHEUS was fire. Like the PROMETHEUS myth as a whole, the brought into the City.2 This custom was "somewhere ancient torch relays - the lampadedromia - have between a procession and an athletic competition"3 and become a metaphor with a power that is all- was held, too, in connection with the Panathenaia, embracing and is still active today. * Introduction from BORGERS, Walter, Olympic Torch Relays 1936-1994, Kassel 1996, pp. 7-42 28 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 13(MAY/JUNE 2005)2 Prometheus bound, beside him the torch as symbol of his sacrilege The Chain of European Humanism by the seventy-year-old CURTIUS which his pupil, Examples of this metaphoric tradition can be Alfred SCHIFF11, quoted in 1895 at the unveiling of found in the use of emblems in the Renaissance the bust dedicated to the excavator of Olympia in and Baroque periods which show the struggle of the museum of Olympia, the image of the torch life, based on ancient models, as a face along a that is passed on is used. race-course. The torch, which is passed on or taken over, appeals in the early humanist writings as a "My work does not end with that which (I representation of the chain of life and death and of modestly felt), the succession of the generations which carry the I began so timidly when I spread the seed. light of the spirit further.8 In the poetry and art of See how hand joins hand in a row as links in a European classicism the ancient models are taken chain up again, whereby "Philhellenism [...] produces the Which brings up pure water from the depths of same results in France and England as in Germany."9 the spring, The programmatic words of Andre CHENIER in And the torch of light is handed, burning, from his didactic poem "L'invention", in which the neighbour to neighbour, "Greek author of the French nation" formulated a The gleam is as bright as day. th law of classicism at the end of the 18 Century, You could not wreath your friend's forehead in are famous: a lovelier way, Could not better revive failing courage. "Allumons nos flambeaux a leurfeux poetiques; The younger ones thus step in chorus up to the Sur des penseurs nouveaux faisons des vers side of old age; antiques."10 A life is fulfilled by transitoriness, Immortal life blooms where the power of Death Ernst CURTIUS, the excavator of Olympia, also normally reigns, saw himself as a link in a chain reaching back into And each solitary thing joins up to form a never- ancient times. In a poetical review of his life's work ending ring."12 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 13(MAY/JUNE 2005)2 29 Handing over of the torch, antique vase (Musee du Louvre, Paris); Victor of an antique torch relay receiving the trophy, vase from the Necropolis of Spina (Museo Nazionale di Ferrara) At the beginning of the 20th Century a 'Third DIEM in the theory and practice of sport and of the Humanism" was developed in the European arts. Olympic idea.20 In connection with statements about Hellenism as Olympic Humanism a "basic fibre" in the German character, Werner Pierre de COUBERTIN can be cited with reference JAEGER, one of the leading exponents of this newly to sport pedagogy and Olympic philosophy idealistic movement, uses the torch relay as an understood in this way. His works contain the image to illustrate the never-ending chain of the metaphorical use of the ancient torch theme in human spirit: various places, among others in the ceremonious words spoken at the banquet at the end of the "The generations hurrying past one another Stockholm Olympic Games on 27 June 1912, when throw the burning torch back and forth and he he looked forward to the 1916 Berlin Games and who catches the torch with his lithe fist swings explained: it high above him and carries it forward a little way until he hands it over to the next man. Let "And now, Gentlemen, through our mediation us differentiate between the essence and the a great people has received the torch of the appearance of this sacred competition. Only Olympiads from your bands, and has thereby seemingly is it a constant 'passing on' from hand undertaken to preserve and if possible to quicken 21 to hand. The meaning of the run is the keeping its precious flame." alive of the sacred flame of the spirit which was brought down from heaven to the dark Instead of stressing the succession of the earth by the Titan Prometheus as generations, COUBERTIN stresses the the original spark of all the arts for changing of the nations who pass his favourites, the on-day race of on the Olympic Flame: mankind."13 Torch rider, coin "Lest our youth should from Tarent 3rd century B.C. The torch metaphor is extended temporarily let the Olympic by JAEGER to illustrate the cultural Torch fall from their hands, other tradition "of the chain of the revivals young people on the other side of the experiences of ancient times."14 of the world would be prepared to His "Hellenocentric"15 approach, pick it up again."22 which allocates a considerable educational and political task to the COUBERTIN'S maxim, "May the Olympic "coming Third Humanism "16, was not without Torch follow its course throughout the ages for influence on DIEM, who reports that he "listened the good of a humanity ever more ardent, courageous diligently"17 to JAEGER at the Berlin University. A and pure,"23 was written on the Scoreboard as a poem (see next page) in DIEM'S Poesie des Sports final tableau in Los Angeles in 1932, thus looking (The Poetry of Sport) also shows this connection.18 back to Athens and forward to Berlin. DIEM'S contributions to the design of the Olympic In a transferred sense, COUBERTIN can be called festival, too, should be considered against the the "re-igniter" of the Olympic Fire. It has not background of Third Humanism as propagated been possible, however, to identify whose idea it by JAEGER. The concept itself, however, comes was to have an Olympic Fire burning during the from the circle surrounding Stefan GEORGE with Games.24 For the first time in the history of the whom JAEGER is connected by the "Hellenistically modern Olympic Games the fire burned at the oriented will to reform coming from a conservative Amsterdam Stadium in 1928 as a symbol of moral 19 mind." JAEGER'S concept of forming is used by purity just as it had in ancient Olympia on the 30 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 13(MAY/JUNE 2005)2 Stadium with torch runners, 16th century emblem altar of HESTIA in the Prytaneion. The architect of however, was lit at the opening ceremony without the trend-setting Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, any special ritual. Symbolising the Olympic Fire, Jan WILS, bad been given the building contract and the reverse side of the commemorative medal of an Olympic Gold Medal for Architecture partly the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam shows a "because his idea of constructing a tower on which the man and a woman holding a torch over a burning Olympic Fire burned won over the jury".25 The fire, tripod. Poem by an anonymous member of the Stefan George Circle, reprinted several times by Carl Diem in his Olym- pic writings JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 13(MAY/JUNE 2005)2 31 of which cannot simply be reduced to rituals of sacrifice and subjugation under a totalitarian claim to power.29 A study of the effects of this neo- classicism in the fields of sport and its culture in a European context, at the end of the 19th and in the first half of the 20th Century, would surely be worthwhile.
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