Hippolytus of Athens

InGreek mythology,Hippolytus(Greek:Ἱππόλυτος,Hippolytos'unleasher of horses';/hɪˈpɒlɪtəs/)^[1]is the son ofTheseusand eitherHippolytaorAntiope.His downfall at the hands ofAphroditeis recounted by the playwrightEuripides.Other versions of the story have also survived.

Etymology

The meaning of Hippolytus' name is ironically ambiguous. Ἱππό translates to 'horse', and the element -λυτος (from λύω 'loosen, destroy') suggests the adjectiveλυτός, -ή, -όν'which may be undone, destroyed'. His name thereby takes on the prophetic meaning 'destroyed by horses'.^[1]

Premise of the myth

Hippolytus is a hunter and sportsman who is disgusted by sex and marriage. In consequence, he scrupulously worshipsArtemis,the virgin huntress, and refuses to honorAphrodite.^[2]Offended by this neglect, Aphrodite causesPhaedra,Hippolytus’ stepmother, to fall in love with him;^[3]Hippolytus rejects Phaedra's advances, setting events in motion that lead to his death in a fall from hischariot.

Hippolytus in Euripides

Euripides' tragedyHippolytusdescribes the death of the hero after a confrontation with his stepmotherPhaedra,the second wife of Theseus. Cursed by Aphrodite, Phaedra falls so ardently in love with Hippolytus that she becomes physically ill and decides to end her suffering through suicide. Her nurse tries to save her by revealing the secret to Hippolytus and encouraging him to reciprocate. Hippolytus responds only with horror and disgust, humiliating Phaedra. In despair, and not wanting to admit the true reason for ending her life, she hangs herself and leaves a note for Theseus accusing his son, Hippolytus, of raping her.^[4]Theseus, furious, uses one of the three wishes given to him byPoseidon,his father — Theseus calls on Poseidon to kill Hippolytus, who has fled the palace to go hunting. Poseidon sends asea-monsterto terrorize Hippolytus' chariot horses, which become uncontrollable and hurl their master out of the vehicle. Entangled in the reins, Hippolytus is dragged to death.^[5]Artemis reconciles father and son by telling Theseus that Phaedra's accusation against Hippolytus was not true. Artemis comforts the dying Hippolytus with a promise to make him the subject of religious practice so that his memory will live forever. She assigns a band of Trozenian maidens the task of preserving the story of Phaedra and Hippolytus in a ritual song.^[6]

Versions of this story also appear inSeneca the Younger's playPhaedra,Ovid'sMetamorphosesandHeroides,andJean Racine'sPhèdre.

Hippolytus as Virbius and his afterlife

The version presented by Ovid inMetamorphoses,^[7]and byPausanias,relates a story about Hippolytus that differs from the version presented by Euripides.^[6]

Hippolytus was resuscitated byAsclepius;once revived he refused to forgive Theseus and went to Italy and became the king of the Aricians and named a city after Artemis. He ruled as "Virbius" from inside the shrine of Diana. (The sanctuary forbade horses from entering, which is why it is believed he lived there.) This story of Hippolytus differs from Euripides' version, in that it brings Hippolytus back from the dead to live his life in Italy, while Euripides permanently connects him to his tomb.^[6]Virbius was also identified with the sun godSol/Helios(Phaedra's grandfather).^[8]^[9]

As a result, a cult grew up around Hippolytus, associated with the cult ofDiana.His cult believed thatArtemisaskedAsclepiusto resurrect the young man since he had vowed chastity to her. Followers of Hippolytus' cult cut off a piece of their hair to dedicate their chastity to him before marriage.^[10]

Gallery

Esculape rend la vie à HippolytebyAbel de Pujol
Hippolytus, Phaedra and Theseus.German School, 18th century
Part of the mosaic of Hippolytus in theArchaeological Park of Madaba,Jordan
Hippolytus set –Seuso Treasure

References

^^a ^bVirgil; Ahl, Frederick (October 2007).Aeneid – Virgil – Google Boeken.Ebsco.ISBN 9780191517785.Retrieved2013-10-16.
^Frazer, James.The Golden Bough(Chapters 1–2, particularly)
^ancientadmin."Hippolytus – Euripides – Ancient Greece – Classical Literature".Ancient Literature.Retrieved2020-10-28.
^ancientadmin."Hippolytus - Euripides - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature".Ancient Literature.Retrieved2020-10-21.
^Rice, Bradley N. (2017-03-31). Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.).Coming Back to Life: The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean(2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374.doi:10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20.ISBN 978-1-77096-222-4.JSTOR j.ctvmx3k11.
^^a ^b ^cComing back to life: the permeability of past and present, mortality and immortality, death and life in the ancient Mediterranean.Daniel-Hughes, Carly, 1974–, Tappenden, Frederick S,, Rice, Bradley N,, Coming Back to Life: Performance, Memory, and Cognition in the Ancient Mediterranean (Conference) (2014: Montréal, Québec). Montréal, QC. 2017.ISBN 978-1-77096-222-4.OCLC 975051675.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
^Ovid.Metamorphoses, Book XV.
^Servius,Commentary on Virgil's Aeneid7.776
^Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy(1981).Orion: The Myth of the Hunter and the Huntress.University of California Press.p.199.ISBN 0-520-09632-0.
^Waldner, Katharina; Rice, Bradley N. (2017). "Hippolytus and Virbius". In Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.).Hippolytus and Virbius:: Narratives of "Coming Back to Life" and Religious Discourses in Greco-Roman Literature.The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean (2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374.doi:10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20.JSTOR j.ctvmx3k11.20.Retrieved2020-12-09.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)

External links

Media related toHippolytusat Wikimedia Commons
Hippolytusfor details on the figure of Hippolytus and a classicist's philological study of the evolution of Hippolytus as achastity paradigminEuripides,Seneca,Racine;extensive bibliography (inDutch)

[:0-1] Virgil; Ahl, Frederick (October 2007).Aeneid – Virgil – Google Boeken.Ebsco.ISBN 9780191517785.Retrieved2013-10-16.

[2] Frazer, James.The Golden Bough(Chapters 1–2, particularly)

[3] tadmin."Hippolytus – Euripides – Ancient Greece – Classical Literature".Ancient Literature.Retrieved2020-10-28.

[4] tadmin."Hippolytus - Euripides - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature".Ancient Literature.Retrieved2020-10-21.

[5] Rice, Bradley N. (2017-03-31). Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.).Coming Back to Life: The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean(2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374.doi:10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20.ISBN 978-1-77096-222-4.JSTOR j.ctvmx3k11.

[worldcat.org-6] Coming back to life: the permeability of past and present, mortality and immortality, death and life in the ancient Mediterranean.Daniel-Hughes, Carly, 1974–, Tappenden, Frederick S,, Rice, Bradley N,, Coming Back to Life: Performance, Memory, and Cognition in the Ancient Mediterranean (Conference) (2014: Montréal, Québec). Montréal, QC. 2017.ISBN 978-1-77096-222-4.OCLC 975051675.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

[7] Ovid.Metamorphoses, Book XV.

[8] Servius,Commentary on Virgil's Aeneid7.776

[9] Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy(1981).Orion: The Myth of the Hunter and the Huntress.University of California Press.p.199.ISBN 0-520-09632-0.

[10] Waldner, Katharina; Rice, Bradley N. (2017). "Hippolytus and Virbius". In Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.).Hippolytus and Virbius:: Narratives of "Coming Back to Life" and Religious Discourses in Greco-Roman Literature.The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean (2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374.doi:10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20.JSTOR j.ctvmx3k11.20.Retrieved2020-12-09.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)

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