The Symbolism of the Chariot Race

A sema in Ancient Greece meant a sign, or symbol. It also had another meaning: a hero’s tomb. We see a connection between these two meanings in The Iliad when Nestor is explaining chariot racing to his young son Antilokhos. However, first we will examine the importance of chariot racing to the Greeks.

After Patroklos dies in the Iliad, his pshuke (spirit) visits Achilles in a dream. He tells Achilles to organize a funeral and funeral games for him. Achilles does so and holds a chariot race, which could be very dangerous. The race went in a counter-clockwise circle and the left turn was the hardest part of the race. To achieve a left turn, the driver had to manipulate his hands. His right hand would be impulsive, while his left was restrained. When done in equilibrium, the left turn was completed seamlessly. In the center of the race was usually a monument, like a heroes tomb (Achilles had his chariot race around Patroklos’ tomb). If the left turn was performed incorrectly, the rider may smash into the tomb. Legend has it that if the hero who’s tomb it was wasn’t impressed with the rider, his pshuke would come out and spook the horses.

This vase shows the chariot race Achilles set up for Patroklos around his tomb.

Every year in Athens, a chariot race was held to celebrate the heroes. Stories tell of two people on the chariot, one driver and one rider. This rider would be dressed in full war armor (breastplate, shield, sword etc.) While the chariot was going at breakneck speed, the rider would jump off the chariot and run to the finish. This was quite the spectacle and drew thousands of people every year. Achilles jumped off his chariot during the race dedicated to Patroklos.

Achilles after jumping off his chariot, running to the finish.

There were many life lessons the Greeks took from the chariot races. The theory of having a balance of impulse and restraint was applied to their daily lives. The greek word for turn terma is the root for words today like term, which can refer to a turning point in one’s life. The left terma in a chariot race was life or death in some cases, and was very symbolic to the Greeks.

When Nestor is explaining all of this to Antilokhos, he says:

“I wil give you this sign (sema) that cannot escape your notice.”

Nestor means that at the most difficult part of the race, the left turn around the sema (hero’s tomb) he will give his son a sema (sign) to help him out.

This ancient vase shows a chariot race after the warrior has already jumped off.

Chariot races were done all over Greece. The athletes represented the heros in battle. The festivals at which  the chariot races were held also performed reenactments of Iliad and Odyssey. To the Greeks, this was a way to give kleos (honor) back to the heroes that helped them.

When the Greeks became gods

Marriage and Death could not be more different- yet at the same time, they could not be more similar. One similarity stands out in Ancient Greece: the process of becoming a God. This process has two names: theos (when referring to a specific god) and daimon (when referring to an unspecified otherworldly or godly force).

To understand this idea, we must first understand how marriage is an initation. The bride and bridegroom are being ‘admitted’ into a life together. The couple is going from seperate lives to a new beginning together. At this precise point of iniation: the bride and bridegroom transform into gods. The most common belief is that the couple become Ares and Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty; Ares is the god of warfare and combat. They were often depicted as the gods of love. For the split second of this iniation, the couple transforms and then become humans again.

Ares and Aphrodite.

In Death,  we see a similar process. Heroes who die in battle become gods at the moment of their death and then they return as humans and die.

The ancient Greeks often associated love and death together. In an excerpt from the poetry the ancient Greek Sappho, she quotes:

“Some say an army of horsemen, some of footsoldiers, some of ships, is the fairest thing on earth, but I say it is what one loves.”

Sappho

In the case of Ares, the thing that he loves IS the army of horsemen and such. However, Ares is also in love with love itself (Aphrodite) so in the mind of Sappho, Ares is the male image of love.

In the Iliad, we see Patroklos taking on the form of Ares before his death.

“Then Patroklos sprang like Ares with fierce intent and a terrific shout upon the Trojans,

and thrice did he kill nine men; but as he was coming on like a daimōn, for a fourth time, then,

O Patroklos, was the hour of your end approaching, for Phoebus

[Apollo] fought you in fell earnest.”

The death of Patroklos.

This is very strange. According to the first line, Patroklos is being described as becoming Ares, which is an example of theos (specific god). He is also referenced as “coming on like a daimon” in the next line, which refers to an unspecific god. Patroklos was a daimon to every one else around him. The other warriors in battle witnessed a superhuman, godly force overcome Patroklos but they were uncertain of the exact deity. Patroklos becomes human again when Apollo kills him with a blow to the head.

The Anger of Achilles: Analyzing the Iliad

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Passion Project: Week One

During this week I completed Week One of the course. This included two introductory readings about Greek Heroism, a handout regarding the kleos (or Glory) of Greek heroes such as Achilles and Hercules and finally an hour long lecture analyzing the Iliad.

 

 NOTES FROM THE INTRODUCTORY READINGS:

-Course focuses on Close Readings. Close reading is defined as careful and purposeful reading used to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep understanding of the text.

-“When making arguments or points about the course, take your opinion from the text. Don’t bring your 21st century baggage to the text. Support your answers.” -Kevin McGrath, course teacher.

-The Time-span covered in this course is roughly from the eighth to fourth centuries BCE.

-Greece was not really a country- more so a collection of city-states that shared a common language- Greek. The most prominent of these being Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Argos and Thebes. Panhellenic (all Greek) is used to refer to all of these.

A map of the panhellenic states.

-Achaeans is a name used by Homer to describe the Mycenaean-era Greeks.

 

NOTES ON THE LECTURE (Analyzing the Iliad: Scroll I)

Achilles is faced with a tough decision: Fight in the Trojan War, die but get Kleos OR stay home, live without any glory. He decides to fight.

Achilles going to war with his army.

The opening line mentions the anger of Achilles. The professor goes on to explain that most heroes are fueled by anger, whether it be Mênis (a cosmic anger) or Cholos (a sort of crazed, berserk anger). Achilles is said to have mênis, a sense of overpowering wrath. This is demonstrated throughout the Iliad.

The first line of Scroll One states: “The anger of Achilles, has brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.” Achilles himself is the son of the king of the Achaeans however after an argument with the commander of the army, Agamemnon, he refuses to fight. The Achaeans have a great plague brought upon them and are dying without Achilles’ help. Achilles has so much anger that he refuses to help his own people.

The argument of Achilles and Agamemnon.

We also see examples of anger fueling heroes, for either good or negative purposes in lots of other myths. Hercules for example was fueled so greatly by anger against Zeus for not making him king, that he becomes a great hero in hopes of avenging him. Without this anger, Hercules might have never stepped up and transformed into the hero we know him as.

The professor also speaks of kleos. He states “Without cremation or burial, there is no kleos. Death isn’t glory”. For a hero to receive glory, he needs a proper temple or gravesite. Heroes are worshiped like Gods after death and without a proper place to worship them, there is no kleos.