Blindness as punishment

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Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion

Editedby MenelaosChristopoulos Efimia D. Karakantza Olga Levaniouk

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h.-LextNcroN Booxs A Divisionof R O W M A N & L I T T L E F I E L DP U B L I S H E R SI,N C ,

Lanham. Boulder.NezuYork. Toronto. Plvmouth,UK

Contents

tx

Preface Introduction

XV

PART I: COLOR SEMANTICS l

2

3

4

(or Insignificance) of Blackness The Significance in MythologicalNames RichardBwton Dark Skin and DarkDeeds:DanaidsandAigyptioi in a Cultureof Light EfimiaD. Karakanlza Brightnessand Darknessin Pindar'sPythian3 and Her Comingof Age Aigla-Koronis-Arsino€ Evanthia k i tsi bakou-VasaIos S-lightAnomaly: Dark Brightnessin Euripides'Medea SpyrosSyropoulos

3

l4 ' 30 17

PART II: APPEARANCEAND CONCEALMENT 5

in Homer The Light lrnageryof DivineManifestation Soleroula Constanlini dou

6

TrojanNight KenDowden

9l I l0

Contents

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of 7 TithonusandPhaon:MythicalAllegories Light and Darknessin Sappho'sPoetry Avgi-AnnaMaggel 8

121 133

of Darkness E,rinyes asCreatures Aguirre Mercedes

9 Joumeyinto Light and Honorsin Darknessin HesiodandAeschylus SebastianAnderson l0

142 153

in Homer'sEpics:Godof Fire,Godof Life Hephaestus Isabelle Ratinaud-Lachkar

PART III: EYE-SIGHT/INSIGHT 'll To Seeor Not to See:Blind Peopleand Blindnessin AncientGreekMyths FranqoiseLdtoublon

167 l8l

as Punishment 12 Blindness Ar i adni Tatti-Gartziou PART TV: BEING AND BEYOND l3

193

andArchaicGreekCosmography Light and Darkness Nanno Marinatos

Experience 14 Mystic Light andNear-Death RichardSeaford

201 '

Erosin Nyx and Bright-Winged Dark-Winged TheBirds Cosmogony: Aristophanes"'Orphic" MeneIaosChrist opoulos "Orphic"Gold Tablets:Direction l6 The BrightCypressof the and llluminationin Mythsof the Underworld Radclffi G. Edmonds

l5

207

221

PART V: CULT l7

on in DionysiacRitualsas lllustrated Light andDarkness Attic VasePaintingsof the 5th CenturyBCE hodoros Dimitr is Paleot

237

l8

Mysteries: Light and LightingEquipmentin the Eleusinian and RitualUse Symbolisrn

261

Ioanna Patera

Conlents

vtl

19 Magic Lamps,LuminousDreams:Lampsin PGM Recipes AthanassiaZografou

276

Index

295

Aboutthe Editors

303

ChapterTwelue

Blindnessas Punishment* Ari adni Tatti -Gar tziou

In Callimachus'hymn to Athenaknown as"Bath of Pallas,"after Teiresias' transgression of appearingbeforethe nakedgoddess,the poet presentsAthena defendinghis blindnessto his mother: 'Eyrb 6d orStott6rcvov60qro dln6v. of ydp A0qvoiq y)"urepdvn6ler dppcta zroi6