Blog Post 4

Blog Post 4
Bacchylides Ode 13
Dedicated to Pytheas son of Lampon, from Aigina.
He won the pankration event in the games at Nemea.


Ode 13 includes the general structure of most victory odes and adds a few more aspects that are not as commonly used. These include an introduction for the victor, the event they participated in, and a reference to the muses. Ode 13 has the victor, Pytheas, and an introduction for him. The introduction includes his name, some information about his family, and where he is from. Odes usually have the event they won and sometimes goes into a little more detail about how glorious his victory was or why he was so good at that event. This ode doesn't really talk about the event, it just compares the victory to great events from that time like Hercules' labor to kill the Namean lion and Achilles' accomplishments in the Trojan War. The poet also calls to the muses for inspiration and for help with immortalizing the victor.

In the beginning, he has references to Zeus and Hercules, since the Namean games are dedicated to them. One of the specific references to Hercules is in Ant. 2, the “savage lion's neck”. The Namean Lion was one of the labors of Hercules. He could be comparing Pytheas' performance in the games to the bravery of Hercules, using the lion to represent the challengers of Pytheas. In Ep. 2, he uses Zeus to show that the victors in this event are immortalized in “golden fame” and “when death's dark cloud conceals them, there remains renown undying for a thing well done as their unfailing portion.” Str. 3 and Ant. 3 show that he has brought honor and glory to his hometown by winning the event. Ep. 3 mentions Peleus and Telamon, royalty from Aigina and friends of Hercules. Str. 4, Ant. 4, Ep. 4, Str. 5, Ant. 5, and Ep. 5 are about Achilles and his adventures during the Trojan war. These things can all be traced back to Pytheas, since Achilles is the son of Peleus and he is from Aigina, the hometown of Pytheas. Pytheas' victory in the pankration is so spectacular that it is compared to the achievements of Achilles in the Trojan war. Str. 6 transitions back to the present by mentioning Aiakos, since he was the king of Aigina, Pytheas' hometown. In Ant. 6, Excellence is personified as having the power to “wander the land and widely shifting sea”, giving honor to the island of Aiakos (the king of Aigina) and protecting it. Because of the excellent performance from Pytheas at the games, he has brought honor to his town and has helped keep it safe and peaceful. Ep. 6 and Str. 7 give honor to Pytheas, as well as the people that helped train him to make his great victory possible. Ant. 7 and Ep. 7 are the conclusion of the ode where he thanks his employer, Lampon, for his hospitality and for letting him write the ode about his son.


























http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peleus