Victory Odes

Victory Odes are a type of poetry that praises the victor for winning the Olympian games. Victor odes are characterized through including the victor’s name, father, hometown, event and calling upon the muses and other gods to extend the victor’s honor. Doing so extends the victor’s achievement to the public and gives the victor everlasting fame. Ode 3 from Bacchylides is a good example of a victory ode.

The ode begins with an introduction of who and what the poem is celebrating:

            For Hieron son of Deinomenes, from Syracuse,

victor in the chariot race at the Olympic games

Bacchylides then transitions to comparing Hieron to Croesus, a “king of horse-taming Lydia”. Croesus set his own palace, with his family inside, on fire after knowing that he was going to be “captured by the Persian army”. Croesus had “no intention of awaiting slavery with its many tears”. Because he sacrificed himself and his family, “Zeus brought a black cloud over and quenched the tawny flames”. Zeus came to the rescue and honored Croesus because of his righteousness.

This story about Croesus provided as a parallel narrative to the honoring of Hieron. Class values are implemented in poem as piety and generosity. Being a victor, Hieron must not hoard his wealth but rather be generous and show displays of piety. “Being mortal, you must cherish two thoughts at once: that tomorrow you will see the radiance of the sun for one last time, and that for fifty years you live our your life amid deep wealth”. This shows that the best course to take is to be generous and do not expect things that are impermanent to be permanent. The lesson and theme of Hieron’s victory was paralleled to the story of Croesus and has gained Zeus’ recognition and everlasting fame. The muses are also called upon to extend the victor’s honor. The muses help Hieron by making him immortal through song. His accomplishment “does not waste along with the flesh of mortals; rather , the muse sets it to growing”.

Along with the role of honoring victors and extending their immortality in the world, poems are also used to draw attention to the poet himself. In Pythian 1, Pindar praises himself within his own poetry. Pindar writes, “Indeed, even strong Ares, abandoning the rough violence of spear points, cheers his heart in utter quiet, while your shafts enchant the minds of other gods as well”. Pindar talks about the relationship between war and poetry. Poetry has such a powerful effect that it can in a way, quiet the Gods. Poetry is comparable to the use of a weapon in this case. Just as a weapon is penetrating, so can the words of poetry be penetrating. Pindar also praises himself in the way that he can exercise restraint. When writing these victory odes, he has to be precise because “in your speech you keep due measure, drawing many strands together in brief compass, people’s censure will be less, for over-fullness blunts with its relentlessness the quickest expectation, and citizens are prone to secret heavy-heartedness”. Pindar must be careful when writing his victory odes that he doesn't go overboard with the praise because other people will become too envious. On the other hand, he must praise the victors in a way that he doesn't celebrate the victor’s too much so that the nobility won’t be overcome with too much praise. As a poet for these victory odes, Pindar must find a balance between the two and practice restraint. Victory odes are meant to praise the victor and call upon the muses and Gods so that they can recognize his achievements and give them everlasting immortality. At the same time though, victory odes are used to praise the author as well.