Victory Odes

Victory odes as a genre were the final step in a progression away from lyric poetry. While the beginning of this style was marked by personal experiences and emotions, it developed first into political and ethical commentary and then into overly-exaggerated praises for those who won physical contests. This is the victory ode genre. With dramatic language full of flair, authors like Pindar and Bacchylides compare their contemporary champions of foot-racing contests or disc throwing to the heroes of old myth.
"To them he
proclaimed with pride that in the city of
Peirene were the kingship
and rich estate and palace of his father,
who once, because he yearned
to harness Pegasos, the snaky Gorgon's son,
endured long pain indeed beside the springs
until the Maiden Pallas brought to him
a golden bridle: dream then suddenly
was waking truth...
With him the hero later slew the Amazons,
from the chill hollows of the empty air
striking the host of women armed with bows,
and brought the fire-breathing Chimaira and Solymoi
to death." - Pindar, Olympian 13
Written in a ring structure, as you can see by the descendant of Bellephron claiming his ancestry, which leads the author to go into this old myth about Pegasus, these poems are filled to the brim with myths, gods, heroes, and monsters, far more so than any of the earlier genres of lyric poetry (except perhaps for epic narrative). The authors desire to show the excellence of the victors they are extolling by comparing them to these heroes for several reasons. First of all, it is far more interesting to read then mere constant praise. Second, it gives the argument more credence in the mind of many Greeks. And third, it would stroke the ego of the victor, which would increase the author's status and the amount of money he or she received. (Pindar also claims that he writes so much about heroes in order to lessen the great envy of the populace.) This idea of being paid by winners to write poetry about them is a new one, and forces the authors to tread carefully around the concept of prostituting their art form, which they strongly defend against. The question of whether each victor deserves the full amount of praise he or she receives, or whether it is simply based on how much they paid the poet, is one they try to ignore. They also often give moral advice as part of their story, such as:
"For mortals, not to be born is best,
nor to gaze upon the sun's
bright light. And yet no good
can come of such lamentation:
a man should speak of what he really means
to accomplish." -Bacchylides, Ode 5
The only way in which these authors talk about themselves, unlike earlier lyric poetry, is to describe themselves writing poetry, or being close to the muses, or being able to carry each victor's name through time with their amazing stanzas, for instance:
"May your lot be to walk on high throughout the time you
have;
may mine be to keep company with those who win
on each occasion, foremost in poetic skill
among Greeks everywhere." -Pindar, Olympian
They're not incredibly humble. They instead realize the depth of their power to preserve someone's fame for eternity, and attempt to remind people of that as often as possible.