Body Paragraphs - Classics

 Although being related to one another in some way or form, there are only two twins among the 12 Olympians - Apollo and Artemis. Born from one of Zeus’s love affairs, they were born on the floating island of Delos to Leto in an effort to avoid the wrath of Hera. Despite this, she continually tried to kill the two twins. In one instance, Hera sent a python to kill the two, however, according to Stephen Fry’s book Mythos, “Zeus took the risk of incensing Hera further by secretly whispering this news to the wind, which passed it on to the infant Apollo, who in turn sent a desperate message to Hephatues, begging for the best bow and arrow his half-brother could fashion.” Apollo then slew the python with his arrows in order to protect his mother and sister. Nowadays, we would view this kill as justifiable as Apollo was protecting his family - something that would’ve been heroic not only now, but in Ancient Greece as well. However, this python was born from the earth, also known as mother Gaia. This made the python a child of Gaia meaning the python would’ve been under divine protection. Because of this, Apollo was punished by being exiled for 8 years to the Vale of Temple. This shows how in ancient Greece, organisms that were born from the Earth held importance above all else. Even if the reasoning for the killing was justified, because of how respectedGaia was to the Ancient Greeks, the reckless killing of an organism born from the Earth overshadowed any and all reasoning. 

The Ancient Greeks had a clear definition of the different types of love one could experience and had minor gods for each one. While Aphrodite was considered the supreme goddess of love and beauty, she had a retinue of winged godlings under her called Erotes. Each of them had seven different types of love that they participated in ranging from Hedyelogos which focused on the language of love (i.e, fiction, cards, terms of endearment.) to Himeros, the embodiment of desperate and impetuous love. The most well-known of these gods was Eros, who Stephen Fry describes as “The strain of love after the god, or whom the god is named. The kind that gets us into most trouble. So much more than affectionate, so much less than spiritual, eros and the erotic can lead us to glory and to disgrace, to the highest pitch of happiness and the deepest pit of despair.” Unlike how modern audiences perceive Eros as a cherub, Ancient Greeks viewed him as a fully grown man who was an artist, an athlete, and a patron and protector of gay male love. He was often associated with things such as dolphins, cockerels, roses, torches, and lyres. The easiest way for many to identify Eros was by his bow and arrows with which he would shoot at people, causing them to fall in love with the first person (or animal) they see after being shot. 

 

Fry, Stephen “Cupid and Psyche - Love Love Love” Mythos, Page 159, Penguin Books, 2018.

Intreatingly, nobody for sure knows what the Dionysiac frieze is about. There are various interpretations of the fresco including the life of Dionysus or the wedding of an upper-class girl, however, in his book Pompeii and Herculaneum Study Notes, Paul Artes states that “It most likely represents the initiation of young woman into the cult of Dionysis (Bacchus in Rome).” The frieze spans three walls and is located in the Triclinium in the Villa of the Mysteries, although possibly representing some sort of ritual, due to the Villa’s triclinium having two doors and a large door, it’s doubted that anything depicted in the fresco would’ve taken place in the room. The fresco is of 2nd style - also known as the “architectural style”. This style was identified by its heavy influence from buildings. Many frescos of this style featured architectural icons such as pillars and the frescos were meant to give the illusion of being three-dimensional. Artes states that “Later examples of the second style include more developed architectural features and landscapes. The real space of the room is made to feel bigger through views of buildings and gardens glimpsed through openings in the wall.” However, this style would only be popular between 8 BCE and 14 CE as third style - also known as ornamental style - would soon gain popularity.

Artes, Paul “Dionysiac Fireze” Pompeii and Herculaneum Study Notes, Pages 75 and 52, Bellona Books, 2007.