Lecture 10: Perseus, Theseus, and Crete

I. Perseus

A. Origins and Family: Descendent of Io, and Libya and Poseidon

1. Zeus + Danäe ==> Perseus

2. Principal partner: Andromeda ==> Perses, Alcaeus (father of Amphitryon), Electyron (father of Alcmena), Sthenelus (father of Eurystheus)

B. Attributes

1. Cap of Hades

2. Winged sandals

3. Kibisis (leather pouch)

4. Scimitar

C. Major myths

1. Birth: Acrisius, Danäe, Dictys

2. The quest: Polydectes, Graeae, Gorgons (Stheno, Euryale, Medusa 1), Pegasus and Chrysaor

3. The rescue of Andromeda: Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Ceto, Phineus (scenes from Boscotrecase 1 2 3 4)

4. Return: death of Polydectes and Acrisius

D. Some perspectives

1. Folktale motifs: unusual birth; importance of the villain who tries to harm family; the quest: gets magical agents; fight for future bride from other suitors; hero marries and ascends to the throne

2. Initiation into manhood (Jung); four stages:

• Separation
• Liminality
• Trial
• Reintegration

3. Freud and the Gorgon

• Gorgon as female genitalia; turning to stone = erection; castration anxiety
• Slater's corrective: woman / mother as both castrator and benevolent

  --Mother son relationship in Greece: sex antagonism and idealized husband (Perseus as protector of Danäe and destroyer of threatening sexual female = Gorgon ==> shield of virgin Athena)

  --Gorgon myth thus represents a solution to the mother's problems and to the difficulties of the son

II. Theseus and Crete

A. Origins and Family:

1. Poseidon / Aegeus + Aethra ==> Theseus

2. Principal partner: Phaedra (daughter of Minos); love affairs: Antiope ==> Hippolytus and Ariadne

B. Attributes

1. Sandals and sword (tokens of legitimacy)

2. Club (connection with Heracles)

3. Civility

C. Major myths

1. Travel to Athens: Six Labors (Theseus as Heracles)

• Periphetes: club
• Sinis: pine bender
• Crommyonian sow
• Sciron: turtle
• Cercyon: wrestling
• Procrustes: "procrustean bed"

2. Arrival in Athens (Bacchylides: nature vs. culture p.400-401)

• Bull of Marathon
• Medea

3. Cretan Adventures

• Pasiphae, Daedalus, and the bull (What's the deal with bulls?)
• Minos avenges Androgeus
• Theseus goes with seven youths and maidens sacrificed each year
• Gift from Amphitrite (Testing of hero's divine parentage)
• Ariadne (the helpful maiden)
• Fight and kills Minotaur
• Ariadne abandoned
• Meaning (cf. Scylla and Medea)
• Theseus forgets to change sails and Aegeus kills himself (curse of Ariadne p.432)

4. Later adventures

• Antiope and Amazonomachy
• Hippolytus and Phaedra (Hero marries and ascends throne)
• Pirithous, Lapiths, and Centaurs (West Pediment of temple of Zeus at Olympia)
• Attempts to capture Helen and Persephone
• Exile and Death at Scyros (unheroic end)

D. Some perspectives

1. Folktale motifs

• Initiation: separation, liminality, trials, reintegration

2. Theseus vs. Heracles (cf. culture vs. nature) and Perseus (threatening woman theme)

3. Theseus: History of Athens and Crete (Minoan Civilization, c. 3500-1450 BC)

• 1899: Sir Arthur Evans uncovers Knossos
• Large palaces with central courts
• Bulls important in ritual
• Bull leaping in frescoes
• Can we rationalize the Minotaur?

4. Religion: Cimon recovers bones of Theseus from Scyros (5th century BC)

5. Theseus myths as Athenian propaganda

• 560-527 BC: Pisistratus dictator at Athens: attributes synoecism and coinage to Theseus
• 508 BC: Athens becomes a democracy: Theseus becomes founder of democracy
• 499-479 BC: Athens fights Persians: Amazonomachy becomes model of Athenian (European) superiority over the east
• 431-404 BC: Athens fights Sparta in Peloponnesian War: Theseus becomes Athenian hero to match Dorian Heracles