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Ancient Greece
Athenian Heroes:
Herakles and Theseus
Heather Sebo
Gillian Shepherd
Pitcher: Herakles Wrestling Triton,
520-10 BCE!
No ancient author recorded the story
of Herakles and Triton. This lack of
literary sources for the depiction and
the fact that it appears almost
exclusively in Athenian art has led
some scholars to look for a special
meaning in the scene. They argue that
the mythological battle may have had
political significance for the Athenians.
Peisistratos and his sons, may have
adopted Herakles as their symbol; and
the scene may refer to a naval victory
of Athens over her neighboring
enemy, the city-state of Megara. !
Image source: http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?
artobj=109803&handle=li!
open content!
Herakles and Apollo
vying for possession
of the Delphic tripod; !
ca. 530 BCE.!
Image source:
Artstor!
Amphora 530 BCE. Herakles steals Apollo s tripod!
Image source:
Artstor!
The Nemean Lion. Because the creature was invulnerable, Herakles was forced to
wrestle with it kill it with his bare hands. Herakles uses the lion s claws to skin it and
wore the lion s invulnerable hide.!
!
The Lernaian Hydra. A poisonous serpent monster with ten heads. Two heads grow
back for every one cut off. The only way to prevent this is to cauterize a severed
neck with fire. Hera also sent a crab to distract Herakles by pinching his foot.
Herakles dips his arrows in the Hydra s blood.!
!
The Keryneian Hind. A test of swiftness. Herakles pursues the golden antlered hind
for a whole year. He wounds it while it is swimming the river Ladon.!
!
The Erymanthian Boar. Eurystheus orders that this creature of predictable ferocity be
brought back alive. Vase painters delighted to show a terrified Eurystheus hiding in
a jar (pithos) while Herakles advances with the creature in his arms preparing to
shove it into the jar with him.!
!
The Cleaning of the dung from the stables fouled by the vast herds of Augeias.
Required by Eurystheus to clean the stables by himself in a single day, Herakles
diverts the rivers Alpheios and Peneios to do the job for him. !
!
The Stymphalian Birds. In order to clear the multitudes of (man eating?) birds that
infested the Stymphalian Lake, Herakles either frightens them with a bronze rattle or
kills them (or both).!
!
Neck-Handled
Amphora: Herakles
Wrestling the
Nemean Lion.!
c.520 B.C!
!
Image source: Artstor!
!
The Cretan Bull. Perhaps the bull sent by Poseidon to Minos and loved by Pasiphae.
Herakles captures, rides it back across the sea !
!
The Mares of Diomedes. Herakles is required to harness these man-eating mares.
Herakles distracts them by feeding them either to Diomedes himself or a groom. !
!
The Belt of Hippolyte. The quest to retrieve the war belt of the Amazon queen usually
involves routing the Amazons and killing Hippolyte.!
!
The Cattle of Geryoneus. Herakles crosses the ocean to the ends of the earth in the
cup used by Helios to make his nightly passage over the ocean. Herakles then kills
the triple-bodied or triple-headed Geryoneus, (as well as his dog and cowherd) and
seizes his cattle. !
!
Herakles must bring back some golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides.
On his way he kills the eagle that was eating Prometheus liver. Prometheus advises
Herakles to assume Atlas task of holding up the sky so that Atlas may collect the
apples. But when, on his return Atlas announces that he does not intend to resume
the burden of the sky, Herakles tricks him and then seizes the apples. In othervsrsions
Herakles collects the apples himself.!
!
!
Herakles and the Cretan bull. Metope Olympia.!
470 BC - ca. 457 BC!
Image source: Artstor!
Herakles and
Atlas. Metope
Olympia.!
ca. 470 BC – 457
BCE!
Image source: Artstor!
Amphora with Herakles
Kerberos and Athena !
c. 520-510 BCE!
!
The ultimate labour is the
journey to the Underworld to
fetch the dog Kerberos.
Hesiod says Kerberos is a
hideous and pitiless hound
who stands guard outside
the echoing house of Hades:
wagging his tail/
and
wriggling his ears he fawns
on those who enter; but he
does not let them out
again;instead, he lies in wait
and devours those he
catches. !
Image source: Artstor!
Image source: Artstor!
Image source:
Artstor!
Theseus: a different kind of hero!
Attic Red Figure
Kylix Attributed to the
Euergides Painter
ca 510 - 500 BC
!
Side A1: Herakles
wrestles the Nemean
lion. !
Side A2: Adjacent
images depict
Theseus and the
Minotaur!
http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M19.1.html!
Athenian
treasury at
Delphi, ca 500
BCE. http://www.coastal.edu/ashes2art/delphi2/images/
sanctuary_thumbs/athenTres/athenTres3.jpg!
Theseus and
Antiope Metope
Athenian Treasury
Delphi, !
ca 500 BCE.!
Image source: Artstor!
Delphi: Athenian Treasury: !
Theseus & the Marathonian
Bull", 5th C. BCE!
!
Image source: Artstor!
Kerkyon !
Labours of Theseus (Kylix)!
ca. 440-430 BCE!
The man-slaying
Krommyon Sow !
Bed of Procrustes!
Sinus on his
own pine tree!
Throws
Skiron into
the sea to be
devoured by a
turtle.!
Bull of Marathon!
Image source: Artstor!
Sinus on his
own pine tree!
Bull of
Marathon!
Deeds of Theseus (Kylix)!
ca. 440-430 BCE!
The manslaying
Krommyon Sow
(Phaia)!
!
Image source: Artstor!
Surely, the drive of a god is behind him, !
to bring law to lawless people.!
It is no easy thing to engage !
again and again and never be loser.!
In the length of time all things are !
brought to completion!
!
Aegeus:!
The man says only two attendants!
go with him. On his gleaming shoulders!
he wears a sword with an ivory hilt;!
two polished throwing-spears in his hands;!
a well-wrought skin-cap of Sparta!
covers his head and his bright hair;!
over his chest a sea-died !
Shirt, and above, a Thessalian !
woollen cloak. In his eyes there shines!
the flamelight of a Lemnos !
volcano. Yet he is said to be a boy!
Trained to feel the finesse of war!
and bronze-battering Ares work.!
The end of his search is said to be shining Athens.!
Bacchylides 18!
Theseus and Amphitrite !
ca 500-490 BCE!
Image source: Artstor!