M/M: Gone, but not forgotten: John Tzetzes Analyzes the Deaths of Hyacinthus & Narcissus, Hist. 1.11

Hyacinthus and Narcissus, United in Purpose

Name: John Tzetzes Date:   1100 – 1180 CE Region:    Constantinople [modern Istanbul, Turkey] Citation:     Histories / Chiliades 1.241 – 265

There are countless tales of abduction and transformation in Greco-Roman mythology. Although modern readers see these myths as cautionary tales against predatory behavior, their

primary purpose in the ancient world was an attempt to alleviate grief after the loss of a loved one.  Young people who died before reaching societal milestones of adulthood would be euphemistically married to divinities as a way of handling the grief of their lost potential. There are countless references to young people being “snatched by the nymphs,” or becoming “brides” of Persephone or Hades. In this passage, the Byzantine author John Tzetzes explains how the transformations of Narcissus and Hyacinthus were used to help alleviate the grief of their loved ones.

Hyacinthus was the attractive brother of Cynortus.

He was the son of Amyclus and Diomeda,

From Lacon, the noble land of the Amyclean clan.

Both Apollo and Zephyr often competed for the youth’s affection.

And—they say—once, while Apollo and Hyacinthus were practicing the discus,

Zephyr sent a violent wind, and changed the course of the discus.

It struck the beautiful youth in the head and killed him.

The Earth created a flower in memory of the youth, taking his name,

Mourning his beauty the same way she mourned Narcissus.

But the allegory of Narcissus is apparent:

When the youth fell into the water, he drowned.

As a consolation for their grief,

Those who praised the youth’s beauty

Said he fell in the water, struck by longing for his own beauty.  

Famous transformation tales of plants, of trees of all kinds,

And of constellation myths are similar to this.

The kin of the deceased, transforming their loss,

Name these things after their lost kin.

Just as I’ve stated, they say that the rivals of Hyacinthus [Apollo and Zephyr]

Reveal the extreme beauty of the youth,

Since the Sun reveled in the delight of Hyacinthus,

And the Wind itself also vied for his affection.

When the youth was killed while training with a discus,

They made up a story that the Wind, jealous of the Sun,

Took Hyacinthus away from his life—and from the Sun.  

Hyacinthus and Narcissus, United in Purpose

Ὑάκινθος Κυνόρτου μὲν ἦν ἀδελφὸς ὡραῖος Ὑἱὸς Ἀμύκλου δὲ πατρός, μητρὸς τῆς Διομήδης Ἐκ γῆς ἀνδρῶν τῶν εὐγενῶν Λακώνων Ἀμυκλαίων. Ἀπόλλων δὲ καὶ Ζέφυρος τοῦ μείρακος ἀντήρων. Καὶ δή ποτε δισκεύοντος Ἀπόλλωνος σὺν τούτῳ, Λάβρον πνεύσας ὁ Ζέφυρος τὸν δίσκον περιτρέπει. Τῇ κορυφῇ δὲ τὸν καλὸν πλήξας ἀνεῖλε νέον,

Hyacinthus Cynorti quidem erat frater venustus. Filius Amycli autem patris, matris Diomedae, ex terra virorum nobilium Laconum Amycleensium. Apollo vero et Zephyrus adolescentem certatim deperibant et sane olim disco ludente Apolline cum hoc Vehementer cum efflasset zephyrus, discum circumvertit. Vertice autem pulchrum cum percussisset, occidit iuvenem.

Ἡ γῆ δ ̓ ἄνθος ὁμώνυμον ἀντέδωκε τοῦ νέου, Καθάπερ καὶ τὸν Νάρκισσον οἰκτείρασα τοῦ κάλλους. Ἀλλ’ ἡ Ναρκίσσου πρόδηλός ἐστιν ἀλληγορία, Ὅτι πεσὼν ἐν ὕδασιν ὁ νέος ἀπεπνίγη. Τὸ κάλλος δ ̓ ὑπεραίροντες, πένθους παρηγορία, Φασὶ πεσεῖν ἐν ὕδασι σκιᾶς αὐτοῦ τῷ πόθῳ. Τὸ τῶν φυτῶν δὲ πρόδηλον, ὡς καὶ τῶν δένδρων πάντων Καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων σὺν αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν ὁμοιοτρόπων. Τῶν γὰρ θνησκόντων ἀγχιστεῖς, τρέφοντες πόθον τούτων, Ἐκεῖνα κατωνόμαζον εἰς κλήσεις τὰς ἐκείνων. Τοῦ ̔Υακίνθου δέ φασιν ἀντεραστὰς οὓς ἔφην Δεικνύντες, ὑπεραίροντες τοῦ νέου τὸ ὡραῖον Ὡς ἔχαιρεν ὁ ἥλιος τρεπόμενος τῷ νέῳ, Καὶ τῶν ἀνέμων αἱ πνοαὶ θέλγητρον εἶχον τοῦτον. Ὡς δὲ σὺν μείρακί τινι δισκεύων ἀνηρέθη

Terra autem florem eiusdem nominis reddidit pro iuvene, quasi Narcissum miserata ob pulchritudinem. Sed narcissi clara est allegoria. Quia cum cecidisset in aquas iuvenis, praefocatus est. Pulchritudinem vero extollentes, luctus solatio. Dicunt cecidisse in aquas, umbrae suae desiderio. Plantarum autem fictio clara, sicut et arborum omnium, et stellarum cum ipsis atque istiusmodi. Morientium enim affines, nutrientes desiderium horum, ista nominarunt nominibus illorum. Hyacinthi autem dicunt rivales, quos dixi, ostendentes excellentem iuvenis venustatem, quod gavisus sit Sol, oblectatus iuvene: et ventorum flatus pro deliciis habuerint hunc. Ut vero cum iuvene aliquo disco ludens interfectus est,

Ἔπλασαν ὡς ὁ Ζέφυρος βασκαίνων τῷ Ηλίῳ Ἐξάγει τοῦτον τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ λαμπρου φωσφόρου.

vento subvertente in verticem discum, finxerunt quod Zephyrus invidens Soli educit hunc e vita, atque e splendido lucifero.  Translated into Latin by Paolo Lazise

John Tzetzes [1100 – 1180 CE, Constantinople/Byzantium, modern Istanbul, Turkey] was a Byzantine scholar and beaurocrat. He is known for his epic poem the Histories / Chiliades, which ties together topics from Greek and Roman history and mythology, followed by a Christian interpretation.

Ace Allies Living Together in Honor and Joy: Callimachus, In Delos 291-299

Living Together in Love and Joy

Name: Callimachus Date:    305 – 240 BCE Region:   Cyrene [modern Libya] Citation:    Hymn to Delos 291-299

Artemis, the first to [worship] you from golden Thule

Were the daughters of Boreas,

 Upis and Loxo, and happy-in-life Hecaerge,

Along with the best [unmarried] men.

They never returned home,

But they got their happily-ever-afters,

And are never forgotten in memory.

For whenever sweet-singing Hymenaeos [1]

Terrifies the hearts of maidens

Before their wedding day,

Young women offer a lock of their hair to these immortal maidens,

And young men offer their first sprouts of facial hair

To these immortal youths.

 

---

[1] Hymenaeos was the personification of weddings and marriage.

πρῶταί τοι τάδ᾽ ἔνεικαν ἀπὸ ξανθῶν Ἀριμασπῶν Οὖπίς τε Λοξώ τε καὶ εὐαίων Ἑκαέργη, θυγατέρες Βορέαο, καὶ ἄρσενες οἱ τότ᾽ ἄριστοι ἠιθέων: οὐδ᾽ οἵ γε παλιμπετὲς οἴκαδ᾽ ἵκοντο, εὔμοιροι δ᾽ ἐγένοντο, καὶ ἀκλέες οὔποτ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι. ἦ τοι Δηλιάδες μέν, ὅτ᾽ εὐήχης ὑμέναιος ἤθεα κουράων μορμύσσεται, ἥλικα χαίτην παρθενικαῖς, παῖδες δὲ θέρος τὸ πρῶτον ἰούλων ἄρσενες ἠιθέοισιν ἀπαρχόμενοι φορέουσιν.

Primae hos tibi tulerunt fulvis ab Arimaspis Upis & Loxo, felix aevi Hecaerge, filiae Boreae, & mares, qui tum optimi iuvenum: neque illo retro domum rediere. Beati autem facti, nec unquam illi inglorii futuri sunt. Nam Deliades quidem, cum sonorus Hymenaeus Thalamos puellarum terret, aequaevam comam virgines; pueri aute primam lanuginis messem iuvenibus primitias ferunt.   Translated into Latin by Johann August Ernesti

Callimachus [310 – 240 BCE, modern Libya] is often regarded as one of the best Alexandrian [Greek] poets. Born in raised in Cyrene, Libya, he spent a majority of his career at the famous Library of Alexandria, where he used the resources there to create refined, artful poetry. Although much of his poetry is lost, the extant fragments of his works are a testament to both his talent as an artist and his erudition as a scholar.

Love Shakes Me to the Core: Sappho 47

Name: Sappho Date: d. 570 BCE Region: Lesbos [modern Greece] Citation: Fragment 47

Love shook my heart

the way the wind strikes the trees on the mountaintop.

 Ἔρος δ᾿ ἐτίναξέ μοι

φρένας, ὠς ἄνεμος κὰτ ὄρος δρύσιν ἐμπέτων.

Amor animum meum quatit, velut

ventus quercos in montis summo impulit.

Sappho [d. 570 BCE, modern Greece] was universally applauded by the ancient world as the “Tenth Muse.” Because she was one of the earliest Greek lyric poets, there is very little definitive information on Sappho’s life.  It is generally agreed that Sappho was a wealthy noblewoman from the island of Lesbos who had three brothers and a daughter named Kleis. She used her prominent social position to support a cohort of other women artists, and composed many poems about them, expressing her love for them, praising their beauty, and celebrating their marriages. Whereas earlier Greek poetry was epic poetry with serious themes of gods, warfare, and the state, Sappho’s lyric poetry was emotional, intimate and personal. Her poetry centered around womanhood and womanly love, providing rare insight into the time period. The modern terms “sapphic” and “lesbian” reveal the longevity of her impact upon modern culture. Unfortunately, although her poetry was universally revered by the Greeks and Romans alike, Sappho’s works only exist as fragments, adding mysterious allure to her larger-than-life status but unfortunately hindering our understanding of her life and thoughts.

The Tomb of Hyacinthos: Pausanias, Desc. Graec. 3.19

Name:  Pausanias Date:        110 – 180 CE Region:    Lydia [modern Turkey] Citation:      Description of Greece 3.19

The base of the shrine has the shape of an altar. Hyacinthus’ remains are supposedly inside it, and before they offer sacrifices to Apollo, they provide funerary offerings to Hyacinthus through a bronze trap door on the left side of the altar. The altar has carved images of Biris, Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite; Zeus and Hermes are also there, talking amongst themselves. Dionysus is next to them, along with his mother Semele, and Ino is with them, too. The shrine also has Demeter, Persephone, and Hades, along with the Fates and the Hours; Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis are with them. They carry Hyacinthus and his sister Polyboea (who died a maiden) with them into heaven. Hyacinthus is depicted wearing a beard, but Nicias of Nicomedes portrayed him at the peak of his youthful beauty, nodding to Apollo’s love for him. On this same altar, they depict Athena and the other gods also bringing Hercules up into heaven. The daughters of Thestius [Leda] are also there, along with the Muses and the Hours. But regarding Zephyrus, the story of how Apollo accidentally killed Hyacinthus, and his transformation into a flower, is a story for another time.

 

τοῦ δὲ ἀγάλματος τὸ βάθρον παρέχεται μὲν βωμοῦ σχῆμα, τεθάφθαι δὲ τὸν Ὑάκινθον λέγουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ Ὑακινθίοις πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος θυσίας ἐς τοῦτον Ὑακίνθῳ τὸν βωμὸν διὰ θύρας χαλκῆς ἐναγίζουσιν: ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δέ ἐστιν ἡ θύρα τοῦ βωμοῦ. ἐπείργασται δὲ τῷ βωμῷ τοῦτο μὲν ἄγαλμα Βίριδος, τοῦτο δὲ Ἀμφιτρίτης καὶ Ποσειδῶνος: Διὸς δὲ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ διαλεγομένων ἀλλήλοις πλησίον Διόνυσος ἑστήκασι καὶ Σεμέλη, παρὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ἰνώ. πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ ἡ Δημήτηρ καὶ Κόρη καὶ Πλούτων, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς Μοῖραί τε καὶ Ὧραι, σὺν δέ σφισιν Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ τε καὶ Ἄρτεμις: κομίζουσι δ᾽ ἐς οὐρανὸν Ὑάκινθον καὶ Πολύβοιαν, Ὑακίνθου καθὰ λέγουσιν ἀδελφὴν ἀποθανοῦσαν ἔτι παρθένον. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ὑακίνθου τὸ ἄγαλμα ἔχον ἐστὶν ἤδη γένεια, Νικίας δὲ ὁ Νικομήδους περισσῶς δή τι ἔγραψεν αὐτὸν ὡραῖον, τὸν ἐπὶ Ὑακίνθῳ λεγόμενον Ἀπόλλωνος ἔρωτα ὑποσημαίνων.  πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς ὑπὸ Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ θεῶν τῶν ἄλλων καὶ οὗτος ἀγόμενος ἐς οὐρανόν. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ αἱ Θεστίου θυγατέρες ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ, καὶ Μοῦσαί τε καὶ Ὧραι. περὶ δὲ ἀνέμου Ζεφύρου, καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος Ὑάκινθος ἀπέθανεν ἄκοντος, καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸ ἄνθος εἰρημένα τάχα μὲν ἂν ἔχοι καὶ ἄλλως, δοκείτω δὲ ᾗ λέγεται. 

Simulacri basis arae formam habet. in ea Hyacinthum sepultum tradunt. & in Hyacinthiorum celebritate, prius quam sacrum Apollini faciant, in aram istam per aeneum ostiolum, quod in arae laeva parte est, inferias Hyacintho mittunt. In ara illa insculpta sunt, hic Biridis, illic Amphitrites & Neptuni signa: tum vero Iupiter & Mercurius inter se colloquentes. Prope adsistunt Liber pater, & Semele: hui proxima Ino. Sunt in eadem sivi basi, sive ara, Ceres, Proserpina, Pluto: una cum his Parcae & Horae; & illis adiunctae Venus, Minerva, Diana: in caelum autem hae tollunt Hyacinthum & sororem eius Polyboean, quam e vita virginem decessisse narrant. Atque illud quidem Hyacinthi signum cum barbula est. Nicomedensis Nicias eximia illum forma fuisse scriptum reliquit, quum de APollinis in illum amore quiddam innueret. In ea ipsa ara Herculem quoque Minerva & ceteri Di in caelum deducunt. Ibidem & Thestii filiae sunt, Musae & Horae. De Zephyro vero, & quemadmodum ab Apolline fit Hyacinthus imprudenter peremptus, de flore item, longe se fortasse aliter quam uti exponitur res habet: perinde vero fuisse censeatur, ac vulgatum est.

  Translated into Latin by Romulus Amasaeus (1696)

 

Pausanias [110 -180 CE, modern Turkey] was a Greek writer from Lydia who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece.

M/M: Two Poems on the Myth of Hyacinthus: Anthologia Latina 167-168

While practicing discus, Hyacinthus encountered a life-altering event;

The discus he’d thrown struck and split open his temples.

Apollo was not able to save his beloved;

But now Hyacinthus' blood fills up the countryside with blossoms.

Discrimen vitae, ludit dum forte, Hyacinthus

Incurrit, disco tempora fissa gerens.

Non potuit Phoebus fato subducere amatum,

Sed cruor extincti florea rura replet.

--167

 

A wayward discus struck his temples while he was practicing

And so beautiful Hyacinthus died a terrible death.

An immense blessing consoles the fallen youth:

Apollo’s love blossoms every season.  

Dispersit remeans ludentis tempora discus

Et dira pulcher morte Hyacinthus obit.

Gratia magna tamen solatur morte peremtum:

Semper Apollineus flore resurgit amor.

--168

The Codex Salmasianus is a manuscript of Latin poetry that preserves poetry from 6^th century CE and earlier. It was named after Claude de Saumaise, a 17^th century scholar who owned the manuscript.

 

M/M: Our Hearts Will Light the Way, A Fragment from Valerius Aedituus

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to His Boyfriend

Name: Valerius Aedituus Date:  1st century BCE Region: Rome [modern Italy]  Citation: Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 19.9.12

Phileros, you hold up a torch,

But we don’t need it.

The flame that shines in our hearts

Will produce enough light for us as we travel.

No raging wind can extinguish it;

Nor can the sudden rainstorm quench it.

Only Venus herself, if she is willing, can.

No other force can quench this fire between us.

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to his Boyfriend

 

Qui faculam praefers, Phileros, quae nil opus nobis?

Ibimus sic, lucet pectore flamma satis.

Istam nam potis est vis saeva extinguere venti

Aut imber caelo candidus praecipitans,

At contra hunc ignem Veneris, nisi si Venus ipsa,

Nullast quae possit vis alia opprimere.

Valerius Aedituus [1st century BCE] Little is known about the life of the Roman poet Valerius Aedituus except that he lived during the 1st century BCE. Only fragments remain of his poetry.

M/M: Apollo and Hyacinthos, Pseudo Palaephatus, Peri Apiston 46

 Hyacinth was a beautiful and noble youth from Amyclae. Both Apollo and Zephyr saw him and were smitten by his beauty; both competed to win his affection. Apollo showed off his archery skills, and Zephyr sent a wind. Apollo approached Hyacinth with joy and singing; but Hyacinth felt anxious and fearful around Zephyr, so he shared his affection with Apollo. Because of this, Zephyr grew jealous and plotted his revenge.

 Later on, when Hyacinth was training with Apollo, (something he was too afraid to do with Zephyr), Zephyr maliciously struck down the discus that Apollo had thrown; it struck the youth, and he died. The earth could not erase the memory of such a tragedy, and so in honor of the youth, it created a flower with the name Hyacinth, and inscribed the first letter of his name on the petals of the flowers.

De Hyacintho Narratio:

Hyacinthus adulescens Amycleus erat, pulcher & honestus satis. Hunc Apollo quidem vidit, vidit & hunc Zephyrus, amboque illius formae amore capti sunt, in cuiusque gratiam et honorem certatim artes uterque suas illi exhibebant. Sagittabat namque Apollo, Zephyr vero spirabat, sed ab illo cantus & voluptas veniebat, ab hoc vero timor non nisi ac perturbatio sibi erat. Itaque in Phoebi amorem sese iuvenis inclinat. Ob idque Zephyrum prae zelotypia ad bellum armare fecit. Post haec quaedam Hyacintho exercitamenta cum Apolline erant, in quibus cum sese exerceret a Zephyro sibi maxime timendum erat, discoque praesertim, quem cum adulescentis lusui Deus praeparasset, et ab illo iam descendisset, a pueroque mox levaretur, Zephyri fraude in eum ipsum decidit, qui ita mortuus est. Terra vero tantae calamitatis memoriam ullo modo desertam omittere non debuit, quin pro adulescentulo, quod fecit, florem Hyacinthi nominis emitteret, in cuius quidem foliis eius ipsius Hyacinthi nominis pricipium inscriptum fuisse memorant.

--Pseudo-Palaephatus, Peri Apiston 46; Translated into Latin by Phillip Phasiannus (1542)

 Little is known about the life and time period of Palaephatus, but his book, On Unbelievable Tales, was a popular text in the ancient world. In this work, Palaephatus attempts to find logical explanations for popular Greek myths. Due to the high level of interest in the topic and the relatively straightforward grammar and syntax, Palaephatus’ work is a popular text for intermediate Ancient Greek classrooms.

M/M: The Story of Hyacinthus, Vatican Mythographers 1.117

Hyacinthus, Beloved by the Gods

Name:  Vatican Mythographers Date:   10th century CE Region:   Unknown Citation:   Vatican Mythographers 1.117

Hyacinthus was loved by both Boreas and Apollo, but he loved Apollo more. Angered by this slight, Boreas killed Hyacinthus with his own discus while he was practicing with it. Hyacinthus was then transformed into a flower bearing his own name.

Hyacinthus, Beloved by the Gods

Hyacinthum amatum tam a Borea quam ab Apolline dicunt. Qui cum magis Apollinis amore laetaretur, dum exerceretur disco, ab irato Borea eodem disco est interemptus et mutatus in florem nominis <sui>.

 

 Vatican Mythographers [10th century CE?] Little is known about the author or origin of the collection of myths known as the Vatican Mythographers, but the work’s first editor Angelo Mai found the collection on a manuscript dating back to the 10th century CE. This volume is a collection of three different mythographers who have assembled various Greco-Roman myths; although many of these myths are basic summaries in Latin, some of them are either analyzed as allegories or compared to Christian thought.