When you think of Mother’s Day, what comes to mind? Rosy babies nestled in mom’s loving arms? Lovely bouquets in all the blazing colors of spring? Handcrafted gifts and cards, all dainty and charming? All of the above? In any case, when you think mom, you probably don’t think along the lines of, say, murder, incest, or cannibalism. Right? Well, the ancient Greeks kind of did. In Greek mythology, the wonder of motherhood can be a tad different from the sublime concept we honor and celebrate on Mother’s Day. Take a peek for yourself:
Agave: Agave was a maternal aunt of the god Dionysus. One risky family connection right there. Now, neither Agave nor her son Pentheus were all that into the Dionysus cult, which wasn’t the most diplomatic thing to do given the god’s arrogance and short temper. When Pentheus became king of Thebes and banned the worship of Dionysus throughout his land, his fate was sealed. Dionysus put a spell on Agave and turned her into a maenad, i.e. one of his wild female worshippers. Then he had her attack Pentheus in the woods. Along with a group of maenads, Agave tore Pentheus limb from limb and even ate morsels of him raw. Hardly the stuff gushy Mother’s Day cards are made of.
Echidna: The earth nymph Echidna (the name means “viper” in Greek) is best known as the Mother of All Monsters in Greek mythology. She was a gorgeous woman from the waist up and a hideous serpent from the waist down. Echidna lived up to her super-mom reputation with a vengeance. She lived in a dark, dark cave with hubby Typhon (yes, there is someone for everyone) and spawned such notorious darlings as Cerberus (the three-headed pup that guarded the gate to the underworld), the Lernaean Hydra (a monstrous serpent with a hundred heads), and the Chimera (part lion, part snake, and part goat). What must those family gatherings have looked like?
Jocasta: The one prurient detail that sticks to mind about queen Jocasta is that she slept with her son, Oedipus. Unwittingly, of course, because the oracle had said that she was gonna, so there was no way she wasn’t gonna. Oedipus had no clue that Jocasta was his mother, and she had long given him up for dead. When the incest was revealed, Jocasta hung herself. If this is too much drama (and too little free will) for you, look for Olympia Dukakis’ Jocasta in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite: Her sardonic one-liner pretty much sums it all up.
Leto: Leto is defined by pregnancy and motherhood. She is the ultimate long-suffering mom. She got pregnant by Zeus, thus incurring the rage of his wife Hera, who made it her (immortal) life’s mission to stop Leto from delivering the babies. After many (and highly improbable) trials and tribulations, Leto finally managed to give birth to – no other than – Apollo and Artemis. For all we know, she was an exemplary mother in every way. So why is Leto making this list? Because a silly young woman, Niobe, who had fourteen children, boasted that she was superior to Leto, because Leto only had two. Niobe should’ve known better. Greek gods had a huge chip on their shoulder when it came to boasting mortals. They even had a special name for it: hubris. Leto was no exception. She ordered Apollo and Artemis to execute all fourteen of Niobe’s children, which they did, using poisoned arrows. Serial Mom, anyone?
Medea: Medea was a woman of many attributes: a descendant of gods and royalty, princess, sorceress, and an expert at concocting magical potions. She fell in love with Jason (yes, the one of the Argonauts) and used all her skills to help him out, on condition he’d marry her. He did. They spent some… colorful time together, during which they tricked, poisoned, hypnotized, maimed and dismembered the competition. And then Jason dumped Medea for another woman. Promptly, Medea embarked on a killing spree that included the murder of her two sons with Jason. The ultimate act of revenge.
Phaedra: Phaedra was the wife of Theseus, king of Athens, and stepmom to Hippolytus, Theseus’ son by an Amazon queen. Phaedra’s claim to maternal infamy is that she fell desperately in love with her stepson. Hippolytus, however, rejected stepmom’s advances, which infuriated her. From there, and in true Greek dramatic fashion, things went rapidly downhill. Phaedra lied to Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her. Theseus killed Hippolytus. Phaedra killed herself. Goddess Artemis revealed the truth to Theseus. (Theseus didn’t kill himself.)
And you thought that your family was dysfunctional.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/articles.html
