16: Hades & Orpheus

Question 1

Who is Sisyphus and what did he do

Answer 1

• Sisyphus is a trickster figure who is an underworld sinner
• He offends Zeus so is sent Thanatos = “death”
• Sisyphus cheats Thanatos twice
  1. Chains death, freed by Ares
  2. Orders wife not to perform burial rites
• for punishment he eternalyl pushes boulder uphill, it slides, and repeats

Question 2

Who is Ixion and what did he do

Answer 2

• Ixion is the King of Lapiths in Thessaly
• Guilty of two crimes
  1. Shed kindred blood: father in law in burning pit but was purified by Zeus (forgiven)
  2. Lusted after Hera so punished by Zeus. Zeus makes a cloud shaped like Hera and Ixion tries to rape the cloud.
• Nephele = “cloud”. Ixion spills his seed on the ground and makes Centaurus, father of all centaurs. All Centaurs are lustful except Chiron
• Ixion’s punishment is to be bound to rotating wheel of fire

Question 3

Who are the Danaids and what did they do

Answer 3

• Danaids are the 50 daughters of Danaus, King of Argos who compelled them to marry their cousins
• Danaus gives each daughter a knife and are instructed to kill husbands on wedding night. All obey but one, named Hypermnestra
• The other 49 are punished and compelled to fill leaky water jars

Question 4

The Elysian Fields

Answer 4

• aka Elysium. Cf. Hesiod’s Isles of the Blessed reserved for age of heroes
• A kind of paradise, similar to our heaven. Realm of purification.
• 1000 year period
• story borrowed from Plato

Question 5

Who are the underworld judges and rivers

Answer 5

3 Judges: Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus (MAR)
5 Rivers:

• Cocytus “Wailing”
• Lethe “Oblivion”
• Acheron “Woe”
• Styx “Hate”
• (Pyri)Phlegethon “Fire”

(CLASP)

Question 6

Who was Orpheus

Answer 6

• Son of Apollo and Calliope (a Muse) or son of Oeagrus (Thracian river god and muse)
• Archetype of poet and musician
• Famed for beautiful voice and lyre playing
• Music to “soothe savage breast”
• Can animate inanimate nature

Question 7

Orpheus and Eurydice and where from

Answer 7

• Eurydice is a dryad (wood nymph)
• From Ovid’s Mtamorphoses
• Orpheus and Eurydice newlyweds but she dies from a snake bite. He is determined to bring her back
• Orpheus descends to underworld, in Virgil’s Georgics: Orpheus’ music charms Charon and Cerberus and Hades and Persephone so he is allowed to bring Eurydice back. But on one condition: he must not look back
• “Through love he turned and looked back” –> Orpheus loses Eurydice forever

Question 8

Death of Orpheus

Answer 8

He withdraws to Thrace and uses music to cope. He rejects all women. Maenads slaughter him at Dionysus’ behest (Sparagmos). His remains are scattered in Hebrus river amd disembodied head keeps singing and lyre keeps playing –> spirit of Orpheus reunited with Eurydice

Question 9

Orpheus cult

Answer 9

• Cult called Orphism: Orpheus claimed as prophet and religious teacher of music, magic, and prophecy. Connections with Apollo and Dionysus
• Hero Cult: have sacred tomb and worshipped in death.
• Son: Musaeus
• In 5th BCE Orphism accepted as mystery religion