Ovid 9 Baucis and Philemon to Hercules

							              Ovid’s Transitions
• Theseus, returning from Calydon (the boar hunt) is given
  shelter by Achelous, a river god, and stories are told
  about gods’ power. First by an older member of
  Theseus’ group, Lelex.
• Lelex’ tale: Baucis and Philemon
• Achelous’ tales: Erysichthon and the Duel for Deianira
  who married Heracles
• Tales of Heracles, Nessus, and Deianira—and the death
  of Heracles, Alcmena, H’s mother mourns…
• Alcmena’s tale of Heracles’ birth, Alcmena is comforted
  by Iole…
• Iole’s tale of Dryope…the gods discuss fate…
• Tales of Caunus and Byblis, Iphis and Ianthe, and
  Orpheus and Eurydice
       Baucis and Philemon
View the story on film
  from a Myth and
  Media class at the
  University of
  Richmond:

 http://oncampus.richm
 ond.edu/academics/cl
 assics/baucis-
 philemon/
Baucis and Philemon host Jupiter and Mercury (Baucis tries to catch the
goose for cooking.)
1739
The Flood – Baucis and Philemon saved on right.
                          -Rubens, 1620
Baucis
Photographic conceptions of Baucis
and Philemon
Erysichthon cuts Ceres’ Tree
Famine touches Erysichthon who sells his daughter for food.
Hercules (Heracles)

               His signature
               weapon is the
               club. His signature
               wear is the lion’s
               skin.
   Great Grandson of Perseus!
• Perseus’ son was Electryon, King of Mycenae
• Electryon’s daughter, Alcmena married a
  Theban, Amphitryon
• Alcmena had twins-
             Heracles, son of Zeus
             Iphicles, son of Amphitryon
• Amphitryon killed his father-in-law by accident
  and his family was driven out of Argos.
        Patterns of Hercules’ story
• Miraculous birth/childhood
• Disinheritance of rights to throne of
  Mycenae
• Trials/Tribulations (Hera is mortal enemy-
  snakes sent to his cradle),
   especially sin and expiation
• Conquers death by trip to underworld
     (also Theseus, Orpheus, Odysseus)
• Generally civilizing actions – slaying
  monsters and bringing peace to lands
• He is also a person of excess—women,
  drink, food
• After death, Hercules is deified (unique!)
Jupiter, disguised as Amphitryon, Alcmena’s husband, “comes home
from the war” to sleep with Alcmena.
When Alcmena was ready to give birth, Juno told Lucina, goddess of
childbirth, to keep her legs crossed and prevent Hercules from being born.
One of Alcmena’s maids, Galanthis, tricked Lucina by announcing the birth
prematurely—Lucina leaped up and the hero was born.
As punishment for her loyalty to
Alcmena, the goddess Lucina
turned Galanthis into a weasel.
Hercules in
his crib
strangling
snakes sent
by Juno.
                  1st sin
• Hercules killed Linus, his music teacher
• Sent into exile in pastures of Mt. Cithaeron
• There he killed a lion and slept with all 50
  daughters of King Thespius
     Megara, first wife –2nd sin
• Hera/Juno sent madness on Hercules and
  he killed Megara and their three children
• Hercules went to Apollo’s oracle at Delphi
  to ask what he could do for expiation
• The oracle at Delphi instructed him to go
  to Tiryns and serve his cousin Eurystheus
  for twelve ‘labors’. Hercules was promised
  a life of toil and trouble, but immortality at
  the end.
 Twelve Labors set by Eurystheus
      all on Peloponnesus
• 1. Killed the Nemean Lion, gaining lion
  skin and the club which become his
  trademark
• 2. Killed the Lernean Hydra and dipped his
  arrows in its poisoned blood
• 3. Caught the Cerynean Stag, sacred to
  Artemis, after a year’s pursuit
• 4. Netted the Erymantian Boar and
  brought it back to Eurystheus
• 5. Augean
  Stables – vast
  herds of cattle
  owned by
  Augeas, but his
  stables had never
  been cleaned.
  Hercules diverted
  a river.
• 6. Stymphalian
  Birds who shot
  their feathers like
  arrows.
                        Peloponnesus
                                                 Hercules at the Augean stables


Hercules presenting the Eurymantian
boar to Eurystheus




                            Greek stamp showing Hercules killing Stymphalian birds.
Last 6 Labors passing East to West
• 7. Cretan Bull – great bull of Crete
  returned by Hercules to mainland Greece
  and let go. Theseus later killed it.
• 8. Mares of Diomedes – in Thrace, man-
  eating mares. Hercules fed Diomedes to
  them.
• 9. Girdle of Hippolyta – in northern
  Greece, Hercules fought with the Amazon,
  Hippolyta
• 10. Cattle of Geryon – far west, Kingdom of
  the dead. Geryon was a triple-bodied
  monster. Hercules got to him by riding in
  the cup of the sun.
• 11. Apples of Hesperides – Far, far west.
  Golden apples of the ‘tree of life’, guarded
  by a dragon. Atlas helped Hercules and
  fetched the apples while Hercules held up
  the heavens.
• 12. Theft of Cerberus from Hades – on trip
  to the Underworld he was helped by
  Hermes and Athena
Hercules presenting Cerberus to his cousin Eurystheus, who’s hiding
in a vat.
Extent of Hercules’ travels during the last of his labors.
Last three Labors involve symbolic
       conquering of Death.
• After his service was over, he wooed Deianira, and
  fought Achelous for her (told in Ovid).
 Achelous’ horn became the
‘Horn of Plenty’ (Cornucopia)




              Naiads comfort Achelous on the
              loss of his horn.
    After winning his bride, he was
    returning to Thebes when they
encountered Nessus, the centaur who
 tried to rape Deianira (told in Ovid).

                            Hercules killed Nessus
                            with his poisoned
                            arrows, but Nessus
                            told Deianira that his
                            blood would serve her
                            as a love potion in
                            case Hercules ever
                            stopped loving her.
Representations of
Nessus’ attempt to
rape Deianira and
Hercules’ defense
of his bride.
      Afterwards, more trouble
• Hercules fell for Iole and in an
  argument, killed her brother
• To expiate the sin, he had to be
  sold into slavery for a year
• He was purchased by Omphale,
  Queen of Lydia, who had him
  dress as a woman while she
  wore the lion skin
• Afterwards, he took Iole home
                                     Hercules and the young Iole.
• Deianira, jealous of Iole, gave Hercules a robe
  steeped in Nessus’ blood, hoping it would make
  him love her again.
• Instead, it killed him – he climbed on a pyre and
  his mortal self was burned off in enormous pain.
• But, he became a god…and married Hebe.