The riddle of the Sphinx

In the blog post about sayings which can be traced back to ancient Hellas or Hellenic mythology, I make mention of Oedipus. The saying he is connected to--the Freudian Oedipus complex--introduced Oedipus and explains the saying:

"Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta. King Laius was fortold his son would kill him and marry his mother, and so he left him to die on a mountainside. The child was found, however, and raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope. Oedipus eventually heard of the prophecy about him and fled, not wanting to hurt his adoptive parents, who he believed to be his biological ones. Fate would have him end up on the same road as King Laius, and in an argument over whom would step out of the way, Oedipus killed his father. He then traveled on and eventually met and married his mother. The myth continues on, but this is the part where the figure of speech comes from."

Today, I want to go a little deeper into this myth, to a milestone in the life of Oedipus. I quite recently acquired a little vase with a depiction of Oedipus solving the riddle of the Sphinx. It's a replica of a kylix motif. This seems like a perfect opportunity to tackle this story.

 



The story of Oedipus (Οἰδίπους, Oidípous) was written by playwright Sophocles. The playwright wrote three plays about him: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Together, these are called the Theban plays. Sophocles was not the only one to write about him, though: fragments of his story exist in the works of Hómēros, Hesiod, Pindar, Aeschylus and Euripides. Sophocles was simple one of the latest authors to write about him, and the version that was preserved best was his. He has Oedipus wander to Thebes after killing his father. Here, he finds the Sphinx at the gates to the city--a city that is starving and slowly emptying out, as the Sphinx will not allow anyone to pass without answering her riddle. Those who answer the riddle incorrectly, get killed or eaten (depending on the author).

The Sphinx is not mentioned by every author. Some, like Hómēros, only mention the oracle that Oedipus' father got, and Oedipus' murder of his father, and marriage to his mother. Hesiod mentions the Sphinx, but does not mention Oedipus. The Sphinx in Sophocles' Oedipus the King never speaks, and the words of the riddle are never conveyed. The sole mention of the riddle is as follows:

"See, for this crown the State conferred on me.
A gift, a thing I sought not, for this crown
The trusty Creon, my familiar friend,
Hath lain in wait to oust me and suborned
This mountebank, this juggling charlatan,
This tricksy beggar-priest, for gain alone
Keen-eyed, but in his proper art stone-blind.
Say, sirrah, hast thou ever proved thyself
A prophet? When the riddling Sphinx was here
Why hadst thou no deliverance for this folk?
And yet the riddle was not to be solved
By guess-work but required the prophet's art;
Wherein thou wast found lacking; neither birds
Nor sign from heaven helped thee, but I came,
The simple Oedipus; I stopped her mouth
By mother wit, untaught of auguries."

Apollodorus is one of the first to mention the very words of the riddle and has them as follows, including the tale of Oedipus' involvement:

"For Hera sent the Sphinx, whose mother was Echidna and her father Typhon; and she had the face of a woman, the breast and feet and tail of a lion, and the wings of a bird. And having learned a riddle from the Muses, she sat on Mount Phicium, and propounded it to the Thebans. And the riddle was this:— What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed? Now the Thebans were in possession of an oracle which declared that they should be rid of the Sphinx whenever they had read her riddle; so they often met and discussed the answer, and when they could not find it the Sphinx used to snatch away one of them and gobble him up. When many had perished, and last of all Creon's son Haemon, Creon made proclamation that to him who should read the riddle he would give both the kingdom and the wife of Laius. On hearing that, Oedipus found the solution, declaring that the riddle of the Sphinx referred to man; for as a babe he is four-footed, going on four limbs, as an adult he is two-footed, and as an old man he gets besides a third support in a staff. So the Sphinx threw herself from the citadel, and Oedipus both succeeded to the kingdom and unwittingly married his mother, and begat sons by her, Polynices and Eteocles, and daughters, Ismene and Antigone. But some say the children were borne to him by Eurygania, daughter of Hyperphas."

There are other versions of the riddle, but this is the one best known. Note that in older versions of the tale, Oedipus was not such a smart man at all. In fact, he was more of a warrior-hero like Hēraklēs. With the popularity of Odysseus, it was convenient to transform Oedipus into a cunning man, instead of a brawler. In the older art depicting the encounter between Oedipus and the Sphinx, he outright kills her. There is no riddle, and no suicide. She is a monster, who is vanquished by the hero, who collects his reward in the form of a wife.

Personally, I like the inclusion of the Riddle of the Sphinx. In general, I prefer the clever heroes over the brawling ones. I'm also a big fan of these types of riddles, although I'm terrible at solving them. For now, I'm just going to enjoy my latest addition to the collection, and leave you with a question of my own: would you have known the answer to the Sphinx' riddle, if it had been asked of you?

PBP: revisiting katharmos and miasma

When I first started out with Baring the Aegis, one of the first posts I did was on miasma and katharmos--pollution and purification, respectively. The post can be found here. Nearly a year later, I stand behind what I wrote in that post, but it's time for a revisit. Today, I'm talking about katharmos and miasma, the importance they had in ancient Hellenic religion, and the importance they have in its modern equivalent. From the previously linked post:

"Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing."

 

"The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual.

The practice of katharmos historically starts with a bath (or shower, in modern times). Step two is the preparation and use of khernips (Χἐρνιψ). Beyond the practical, there is a large mental component to katharmos. It means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods."

There has been quite a bit of talk about miasma lately. Dver wrote a rousing piece on it a couple of weeks back which I read with great interest, and mostly agree with. Ruadhán continued the trend with a fabulous rant, which I also largely agree with, so please, if this is a subject of interest to you, read these people's post in addition to my own. It might shed more light on the subject matter.

The greatest barrier in understanding miasma and katharmos, to me, is our modern frame of mind. On the one hand, we know too much about personal hygiene, about the human body and about science as a whole, on the other hand religion in general has become something separate from life in general. As a result, we color ancient Hellas with our 'hygiene brush'. Secondly, not everyone has faith, our society does no longer revolve around it, and as a result, we--as modern religious people--struggle for a mindset of simple, all-encompassing, unquestionable worship. There might be a few remnants of 'Original Sin Thinking' lodged in there as well.

We all incur miasma, every single day of our lives. It has nothing to do with sin, shame or guilt. Miasma is a consequence of living. We breath, make decisions, come in contact with others, and along the way, we become too human--for lack of a better term--to petition the Gods. The divide between the purity and cleanliness of the Theoi and our human mortality and imperfection, keeps us away from Them.

Miasma is not about being physically dirty, although that is a part of it, and katharmos is not about becoming physically clean, although that is a part of it. Like Ruadhán rightly points out, men would sometimes come to public rituals fresh off the fields, dirty, sometimes cut up and scraped, in rumpled daily wear. With a washing of the hands, and the sprinkling of the body, they would be considered clean from the daily miasma, although they were almost as physically unclean as they were before their cleansing. I would argue, though, that was more exception than rule, as state festivals were huge affairs that people prepared for for days--sometimes weeks--and wearing your best outfit was usually part of that preparation. For many of the tragic festivals, people even dressed up as something else. From Harrison's pre-Olympic themed 'Themis: a Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion' comes the following reflection on a procession exhibited by Ptolemy Philadelphos in honour of Dionysos:

"The procession was headed by Silenoi clad, some in purple, some in scarlet, to keep off the multitude; next followed twenty Satyrs bearing lamps; next figures of Nike with golden wings; then Satyrs again, forty of them, ivy-crowned, their bodies painted some purple, some vermilion."

 

In researching this post, I pulled out some of my most trusted books on ancient Hellenic religion, from Parker to Harrison, to Mikalson, and of the ten books I gathered, none made note of miasma or katharmos in the index. To get that information, you need to buy a dedicated--and expensive--book on the subject. In reading these books, one finds mention of 'sprinkling with water' before a state ritual. I have discovered, though, that 'pollution' is often in the index, and miasma is meant with it, so keep an eye out for that. The fact that you have to search the indexes of scholarly works for any mention of miasma and katharmos completely blows past the importance that was placed upon these in the past. I think that is a problem, honestly.

 

Katharmos is devotional. It not only helps you get in a ritualistic mood, it prepares the room and your body for it. Even if you do not understand the use, it's a vital part of Hellenistic worship. I would advice any Hellenist to invest time in researching miasma and katharmos, however, as a large part of its effectiveness lies in understanding the practice. I will give you an example of the influence katharmos has on me:

 

I live a very busy, hectic, life, and most of my labour is mental. I get to work in the garden on occasion, but between college, a large number of projects, and the blog, I do most of my work with my brain and fingers, behind a computer screen. During busy times--which is nearly always--I work eighty hours a week on everything I have to do or feel I need to do, and all of it is behind a computer. That means that I'm behind this thing at least 11 hours a day; usually longer on three or four days a week, because I have appointments the other days of the week. By the time I get off of the computer at night, my back hurts, my head is swimming, and I'm exhausted. I perform my night time rituals before heading to bed. As soon as I start preparing for them, my mind clears. When I wash my hands, the tension drains out of my body, when I wash my face, the frantic pace of my brain slows down. I wash my face three to six times, depending on how stressed and distracted I am. By the time I'm done, I feel calm and relaxed, and I have room in my head and heart to address the Theoi as They should be addressed.

 

Note that I'm not dirty at all, so technically do not need a washing, but mentally, I'm sullen, distracted. I'm not in the right frame of mind to address the Theoi. If I were to do so without washing, I would be focused on my work, on tomorrow, on the pain in my back, on my exhaustion. After washing, I feel powerful, pious. I feel like the best version of myself, who comes to the Theoi with achievements under her belt, provided by the Theoi. I feel blessed.

 

It's felt like this for me from the first time I prepared khernips and washed myself with the lustral water.

 

Personally, I think the importance of katharmos can not be overstated. You can view it as a necessary step you need to take, or as a way to bring yourself closer to the Gods; I think the latter is more constructive. 

Ancient weather predictions based upon the sun

Yesterday, I gave you ancient weather predictions based upon the moon I gave fair warning then that today, I would give you Aratos' weather predictions based upon the sun--which are equally fascinating in my opinion. Tomorrow, you can sink your teeth in something a little beefier, but for today, enjoy Aratos' advice from the second half of his excellent Phaenomena.

"To the Sun’s march at East and West give heed. His hints give even more pertinent warning both at setting, and when he comes from below the verge. May not his orb, whenever thou desires a fair day, be variegated when first his arrows strike the earth, and may he wear no mark at all but shine stainless altogether. If again thus all pure he be in the hour when the oxen are loosed, and set cloudless in the evening with gentle beam, he will still be at the coming dawn attended with fair weather. But not so, when he rises with seemingly hollow disk, nor when his beams part to strike or North or South, while his center is bright. But then in truth he journeys either through rain or through wind.

 

Scan closely, if his beams allow thee, the Sun himself, for scanning him is best, to see if either some blush run over him, as often he shows a blush or here or there, when he fares through trailing clouds, or if haply he is darkened. Let the dark stain be sign to thee of coming rain, and every blush be sign of wind. But if he is draped both black and red at once, he will bring rain and will strain beneath the wind. But if the rays of the rising or setting Sun converge and crowd on one spot, or if he go from night to dawn, or from dawn to night, closely beset with clouds, those days will run in company with rushing rain. Nor be thou heedless of rain, what time before him rises a thin mist, after which the Sun himself ascends with scanty beams. But when a broad belt of mist seems to melt and widen before the rising Sun and anon narrows to less, fair will be his course, and fair too, if in the season of winter his hue wax wan at eventide. But for tomorrow’s rain face the setting Sun and scan the clouds. If a darkening cloud the beams that wheel between the Sun and it part to either side of the cloud, thou shalt still need shelter for the dawn. But if without a cloud he dip in the western ocean, and as he is sinking, or still when he is gone, the clouds stand near him blushing red, neither on the morrow nor in the night needst thou be over-fearful of rain. But fear the coming rain when on a sudden the Sun’s rays seem to thin and pale – just as they often fade when the Moon overshadows them, what time she stands straight between the earth and Sun; nor are the fields unwetted on that day, when before the dawn, as the Sun delays to shine, reddish clouds appear here or there. Be not heedless either of wind or rain to come, when, while the Sun is still below the verge, his precursor beams shine shadowy in the dawn. The more those beams are borne in shadow, the surer the sign they give of rain, but if but faint the dusk that veils his beams, like a soft mist of vapor, that veil of dusk portends wind. Nor are dark halos near the Sun signs of fair weather: when nearer the Sun and dark without relief, they portend greater storms: if there are two rings, they will herald tempests fiercer still.

 

Marks as the Sun is rising or setting, whether the clouds, called parhelia, blush (on South or North or both), nor make the observation in careless mood. For when on both sides at once those clouds gird the Sun, low down upon the horizon, there is no lingering of the storm that comes from Zeus. But if only one shine purple to the North, form the North will it bring the blast; if in the South, from the South; or down pour the pattering raindrops.

 

With even greater care mark those signals when in the West, for from the West the warnings are given ever with equal and unfailing certainty." [819 - 890]

Ancient weather predictions based upon the moon

What I love most about Hellenism is the treasure trove of ancient texts at our disposal. This wisdom, information, and these simple observations help us form our practice, and shape our world views. As I try to devote as much time to research for this blog and my personal practice as I can responsibly spare, I come across many of these gems in scholarly notes, or straight there by way of Google. I fully admit to not knowing half of these texts even existed before I stumble upon them. At any rate, today, I want to share with you some beautiful wisdom about predicting the weather, based upon the moon.  The advice comes from Aratos, by way of his excellent Phaenomena.

Aratos (Ἄρατος) lived from about 310 BC to 240 BC, and he was a Hellenic didactic poet. His Phaenomena (Φαινόμενα, appearances) came upon my radar because of his description of the constellations, but as far as I can tell, not everything he writes in the first half of the Phaenomena is entirely correct--at least not according to the current night's sky. The latter part of the Pheanomena is of interest today. It's called 'Diosemeia' (Διοσημεῖα, forecasts), and is about weather lore. It seems that the Diosemeia is largely copied and rephrased from other works, including that of Aristotle and Hesiod, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful, or entertaining.

Also, try not to skip ahead too much, because you are getting his weather predictions based upon the sun tomorrow *wink*.

"Markest thou not? Whenever the Moon with slender horns shines forth in the West, she tells of a new month beginning: when first her rays are shed abroad just enough to cast a shadow, she is going to the fourth day: with orb half complete she proclaims eight days: with full face the mid-day of the month; and ever with varying phase she tells the date of the dawn that comes round.

 

[...]

 

For oft, too, beneath a calm night the sailor shortens sail for fear of the morning sea. Sometimes the storm comes on the third day, sometimes on the fifth, but sometimes the evil comes all unforeseen. For not yet do we mortals know all from Zeus, but much still remains hidden, whereof, what he will, even hereafter will he reveal; for openly he aids the race of men, manifesting himself on every side and showing signs on every hand. Some messages the Moon will convey with orb half-full as she waxes or wanes, others when full: others the Sun by warnings at dawn and again at the edge of night, and other hints from other source can be drawn for day and night.

 

Scan first the horns on either side the Moon. For with varying hue from time to time the evening paints her and of different shape are her horns at different times as the Moon is waxing – one form on the third day and other on the fourth. From them thou canst learn touching the month that is begun. If she is slender and clear about the third day, she heralds calm: if slender and very ruddy, wind; but if thick and with blunted horns she show but a feeble light on the third and fourth night, her beams are blunted by the South wind or imminent rain. If on the third night neither horn nod forward or lean backward, if vertical they curve their tips on either side, winds from the West will follow that night. But if still with vertical crescent she bring the fourth day too, she gives warning of gathering storm. If her upper horn nod forward, expect thou the North wind, but if it lean backward, the South. But when on the third day a complete halo, blushing red, encircles her, she foretells storm and, the fierier her blush, the fiercer the tempest.

 

Scan her when full and when half-formed on either side of full, as she waxes from or wanes again to crescent form, and from her hue forecast each month. When quite bright her hue, forecast fair weather; when ruddy, expect the rushing wind; when dark stained with spots, look out for rain. But not for every day is appointed a separate sign, but the signs of the third and fourth day betoken the weather up to the half Moon; those of the half Moon up to full Moon; and in turn the signs of the full Moon up to the waning half Moon; the signs of the half Moon are followed by those of the fourth day from the end of the waning month, and they in their turn by those of the third day of the new month. But if halos encircle all the Moon, set triple or double about her or only single – with the single ring, expect wind or calm; when the ring is broken, wind; when faint and fading, calm; two rings girding the Moon forebode storm; a triple halo would bring a greater storm, and greater still, if black, and more furious still, if the rings are broken. Such warnings for the month thou canst learn from the Moon." [733 - 818]

When tragedy hits close to home

On May 7, the body of an unidentified male is found a little less than twelve kilometers from my home. Early morning walkers come upon the body and notify the police. To the police, it soon becomes clear that this is a case of suicide, and they work to identify the male, intending, undoubtedly, to inform the next of kin. It turns out to be Jeroen Denis, a 38 year old physical therapist who works in my town. He has hung himself. When the family is informed--including his ex-wife Iris van de Schuit--the police is informed that Denis is a father of two, Ruben and Julian, who were supposed to be with their father for the weekend. The kids are not at home, nor with family, and it soon becomes very clear that the boys--who are nine and seven years old--are missing, and if they are still alive, they need to be found--fast.

What follows are days of searches in the areas where Jeroen and the kids have been seen on the night of May 6. Their whereabouts are tracked by way of surveillance camera and eye-witness reports. Everyone, from volunteers to the army helps search for the boys, but to no avail. Fragmented reports come in: Denis at a gas station with his kids in the back of the car, a purchase receipt for tie down straps, reports of the nature of the divorce, and threats against his own life and that of his kids that Denis has allegedly made as the divorce went final and he lost most of his custodial rights.

On May 19th, Sunday, a passer-by notices something strange in a drainage tube--the little black hole on the bottom left of the picture above. He notifies the police, and police divers pull out two little bodies. They have been in the water for a long time, and it's impossible to identify them on sight, yet, their heights seem to match Ruben and Julian, and that evening, the police issue a press statement that the boys have been found. That drainage tube is bout 15 kilometers from my home.

Identification of the bodies is still underway, but the forensic investigation into the crime scene has been completed. Two little boys are dead, most likely murdered by their own father after a night of cross-country driving. Two boys--who went to school 900 meters from where I live--were strapped together and weighted down, then stuffed into a dark tube. I can only pray that their death came fast--the cause of death has not been released yet.

The boys leave behind an inconsolable mother, grieving family, friends, and acquaintances, and most of all, questions. What happened? Why did it happen? Could it have been prevented after the accusations Denis made? As it turns out, several governmental organizations were already assigned to the family to mediate and watch over the boys. In the coming days, the case will be looked into thoroughly, but for now, the focus is on identification and community. Later today, the results of several tests to determine the identity of the boys will come in, and we will know for sure if Ruben and Julian have been found, but there is very little doubt left. People here are coming together in churches, they lay flowers at the school, meeting are held for all involved, and there might be a vigil later on, after the identification. I'm not sure about that last one yet.

There is nothing Hellenistic about this post, and I won't make it so. I just needed to write about this, about something that has been occupying my mind for nearly two weeks. The senselessness of the act, and the shock that a father would do something so horrible to his own sons are my primary reactions, next to grief for two--three--lives that never touched mine, but should not have ended when and how hey did. May Hermes Psychopompos have carried their souls swiftly into the Underworld, and may the Theoi prevent something like hi to ever happen again. This is a true tragedy, and it hits very close to home.

If that vigil is organized, I will attend. I want to stand with others in grief, in solidarity, in hope that this tragedy will prevent others from taking place. My thoughts go out to the mother of the boys, who must be going through hell. I wish so many things to change in this tragedy, but most of all, I wish for the Gods to lift the burden of grief from her.

Yesterday, I set off the fire alarm

I am currently on holiday with my girlfriend's family, who are very awesome and sweet. I don't have the best relationship with my parents, but my girlfriend's parents are always there for parental guidance or a hug. That said, in our vacation sleeping arrangement, our bedroom is adjacent to their bedroom, and in such a way that we have to go through their bedroom to get to ours. The walls are paper thin. Anyway, all of this to set the stage for last night when I went to do my evening prayers with the provisions from the larger of my two portable shrines, which had not been tested yet.

Oh--I forget to mention that I forgot to check for smoke detectors....

At any rate, I had set up my altar, my girlfriend was busying herself with something else, her parents were getting ready for bed in the other room, and I was just about to sacrifice to Hestia after lighting her candle and the ethanol when a very loud shrieking noise tore through the quiet of the 2 a.m. night.

After a moment of complete shock, I checked the temperature of my offering bowl, picked it up, put it in the sink, drowned it, then went back to blow out my candle, while my girlfriend's father burst into the room in his boxers and t-shirt, and my girlfriend frantically searched for the 'off' button on the fire alarm.

My girlfriend located the button, pressed it, and sunk back onto the bed. I quickly assured my girlfriend's father that everything was under control, and he left with a last glance at my suddenly disorganized altar. Still in a bit of shock, I finished my prayers with prayer alone--as the offering bowl was still in the sink in our room--and then fell into bed, vowing to clean up the mess in the morning.

It took a while to fall asleep, as you might imagine.

Besides a very funny anecdote (looking back on it, anyway), I also get to remind everyone--myself included--that things to wrong sometimes. There is nothing wrong with that; it's how we learn. I, for example, will perform a fireless libation tonight, as I did this morning. I will take out my sacrifice tomorrow morning and all will be fine. It's not like I would do it at home, but I much prefer an adapted ritual to the Theoi than no ritual at all.

I will be back home by Tuesday, so I promise a longer post then. Until then, enjoy your rituals, and remember: never forget to check for fire alarms!

Virtual tour of the Acropolis

I'm not exactly sure how long this has been active, but I think it's a crime I was not informed. Alright, not really, but this virtual tour of the Acropolis is absolutely epic.

 

I have mentioned before that I was a very little girl when I visited Athens with my parents. I have been longing to go back and walk the roads with the knowledge I have now, to experience the remainders of the temples with the emotional connection I have now. Unfortunately, money is a big issue at the present time, so that's not going to happen any time soon. For people like me (and anyone else), the Acropolis Restoration Service took this initiative. In their own words (under 'contributors'):

 

"The decision to adopt "state of the art" technological solutions to "bring online" the entirety of the Acropolis is not merely a statement for the preservation work undertaken by the institution, but also a great contribution to the institution's mission to promote access to cultural heritage. Enhanced visual access may be used as an inspiration for interested parties and potential visitors, but also as a scientific or educational tool to enable research in various disciplines, as well as an incentive for institutional or business collaboration towards further goals."

 

The application was created by orbitlab, a multidisciplinary team that provides interactive media and tools for the cultural heritage domain. The Virtual Tour of the Acropolis:

 

"...is an interactive website that allows various aspects of the historical site to be explored in a unique way. It consists of high-resolution gigapixel images and panoramas of the four main monuments - the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike - as well as a detailed photographic representation of the inner and outer ancient walls surrounding the hill, all accompanied by historical information and a descriptive map. The images offer a full zoom in towards details of the moments otherwise difficult to reach, an overview of the location of the monument with respect to its surroundings, or even a virtual "walk" through the site. The user is given the opportunity to exploit task-specific applications or create more personalized approaches, being in overall immersed into a virtual visit of the Acropolis."

 

I will be spending some very pleasant time on this website, dreaming of walking these stones myself one day, if the Theoi allow it. I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I will.