The Tragic Greek Myth Of Niobe, And Her Family That Was Massacred By The Gods

(Apollo and Artemis Killing The Niobids, c. 1772, by Pierre-Charles Jombert, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

The myth of Niobe is definitely a contender for ancient Greece’s most depressing mythological story. Her story was one of the clearest examples of unrestrained wrath from the gods meted out against humans. What became of Niobe and her family is sure to dampen your eyes and strum on your heartstrings.

According to myth, Niobe was the daughter of King Tantalus and the wife of King Amphion. Alongside her husband, Queen Niobe ruled Thebes. Her proudest achievement, however, was her huge family—Homer wrote that she had twelve children, but many other writers recorded that she had fourteen. The sexes of her children were split evenly in all accounts of her myth; there were either six or seven sons and six or seven daughters.

Niobe’s pride for and love of her family would bring destruction upon everyone she loved. It all began when she acted disrespectfully during a ceremony that honored the titan goddess Leto—Niobe had the gall to compare her motherhood to that of the goddess. Leto did not take kindly to a petty human comparing her motherly achievements with a goddess like herself, so she had her children go put Niobe in her place. In some versions of the story, Leto’s famous divine twins, the archer-gods Artemis and Apollo, sought out retribution against Niobe without any instruction from their mother. Nevertheless, in each way the story was told, the two powerful twins set out to defend the honor of their mother, Leto.

The number of deaths that Artemis and Apollo caused depended on which account was being read—in all cases, however, the majority of Niobe’s family was massacred. Apollo rained arrows down on all of Niobe’s sons and Artemis shot the queen’s daughters. In an alternative telling of the myth, the youngest daughter survived. After witnessing the massacre of his children, King Amphion committed suicide. With her children and her husband dead, Niobe fled from Thebes to Mt. Sipylon (or Sipylus).

After the killing of Niobe’s children, Zeus turned the people of Thebes into stone. As there was no one to bury the dead, the bodies of the slain children were left out in the weather for nine days. Only on the tenth day did Zeus and the gods, themselves, bury Niobe’s deceased children.

As for Queen Niobe hiding in the mountains, she could only cry. She eventually turned to stone, but her tears continued to pour—legend claimed that the Achelous River was created and sustained from Niobe’s ceaseless tears caused by the loss of her children.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Sources:

• The Iliad by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited by Peter Jones. New York: Penguin Classics, 2014. 
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Niobe-Greek-mythology 
• http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Niobe/niobe.html 
• http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/niobe.html
   

Legend Claims That King George III of Britain Turned His Back On The American Revolutionaries, Thomas Jefferson And John Adams, During A Reception In 1786

(Left to Right: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George III. All paintings are licensed as public Domain)

John Adams (the future second president of the United States) was appointed as the main ambassador and diplomat to England in 1785, two years after the success of the American Revolution. His difficult job was to attempt to bring the kin nations of the United States and Great Britain back into a working relationship—or, at least, to get the countries in speaking terms.

Upon John Adams’ arrival in London, King George III welcomed the revolutionary with a tense, but cordial, meeting. Aside from vocally praying that the United States would not suffer too much from their lack of monarchy, King George III held back his understandable bitterness. He even applauded John Adams for his lack of interest in all things French—an interest that was otherwise commonplace in revolutionaries like Thomas Jefferson.

While John Adams was politicking in London, Thomas Jefferson was doing the same in Paris. In 1786, however, Jefferson crossed the English Channel and met with John Adams in London. Together, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson received an audience with King George III. Unlike the first meeting between Adams and King George, this time the king let his distaste for the Americans show. Perhaps, the king specifically detested Thomas Jefferson for the man’s authorship of works like the U. S. Declaration of Independence, which labeled George III as a tyrant. Maybe, the king loathed Thomas Jefferson’s doting on French ideas and culture. Whatever the reason, George III acted rudely to the U. S. statesmen when they visited in 1786. Some accounts even claim that the king turned his back on Jefferson and Adams—though there is debate as to whether that was literal, or just a figurative description of King George III’s manners. In the book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, however, Joseph J. Ellis, an acclaimed historian of the U. S. founding fathers, seems to believe the event actually occurred.

Source:

• American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph J. Ellis. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. 

In The 16th Century, A Self-Proclaimed Prophet Named Melchior Hoffman Thought The World Would End In 1533

(Print of Melchior Hoffman c 1600, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Melchior Hoffman (1495-1543 CE) was a German fur trader who spent his time being a missionary and theologian of multiple Christian denominations. He preached Lutheranism in Scandinavia and in the various domains of North Germany. He was always on the fringe of the denomination he preached. The Lutherans eventually shunned his interpretations of scripture and he was even banned from proselytizing in Denmark. In response, he converted to Anabaptism—yet, even among the Anabaptists, Hoffman was considered a flamboyant, dangerous extremist. Nevertheless, some consider Melchior Hoffman to be the father of Dutch Anabaptism.

Melchior Hoffman claimed that God gave him elaborate visions and the power of prophetic sight. From these visions and prophecies, Hoffman divined that the end was nigh—the world was going to end in 1533. In connection with the end of the world, he predicted that the city of Strasbourg would become the new Jerusalem. Therefore, in 1533, Melchior Hoffman journeyed to Strasbourg to witness the end-times and to partake in the creation of the new holy city.

Upon arrival, his expectations were crushed by reality. Instead of witnessing Armageddon and creating a new Jerusalem, the world continued to exist as usual, and the city of Strasbourg arrested Hoffman and threw him in jail. He would spend the rest of his life in prison until his death in 1543 CE.

While he was imprisoned, Hoffman wrote down his visions and ideas in his work, “Concerning the Pure Fear of God” (1533). His ideas would go on to inspire other extreme Anabaptist leaders. Most notably, Melchior Hoffman’s theology was adopted by Bernard Rothmann, Mathijs and Jan of Leiden, who attempted to set up their own new Jerusalem in the city of Münster (read about that HERE).

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Source:

• The European Reformations (Second Edition) by Carter Lindberg. Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.  
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melchior-Hofmann

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, The New Bolshevik Leaders Handed Over A Huge Amount Of Territory And Resources To Germany

(Approximate German and Austria-Hungary gains from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918, created by Esemono, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

At the time of the Russian Revolution, most major world powers (including Russia) were brawling in the First World War. Once the Russian revolutionaries overthrew and killed their monarch, they had a lot of problems to deal with—namely, implementing their new government and defeating the Russian generals who resisted communism. The leaders of the revolutionary government believed they could not accomplish their agenda in Russia while they were still fighting in the trenches of WWI. Therefore, the revolutionaries signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918, ending the war between Russia and Germany.

The treaty, however, was enormously one-sided in favor of Germany. Russia ceded approximately ¼ of its land to Germany. Around 44% of Russia’s population in 1918 lived in those regions. Besides land and manpower, the Russians also handed over more than half of some of their important resource-producing regions—the Russians lost 73% of its iron ore and 75% of its coal because of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. For context, some of the regions that Russia ceded to the Central Powers of WWI are now known as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.  Russia also gave land to Turkey, and was forced to grant independence to Ukraine, Georgia and Finland.

Of course, when the Allied Powers won WWI and imposed the Treaty of Versailles on the Central Powers, Germany lost all of the land it gained from Russia. The independent nations of Poland, Finland and Georgia, however, remained independent.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Source:

• Warfare in the Western World: Military Operations Since 1871 (Volume II), by Robert A. Doughty and Ira D. Gruber et al. Massachusetts: D. C. Heath and Company, 1996. 

In Norse Mythology, The Sun And Moon Are Perpetually Being Chased By Wolves

(The Wolves Pursuing Sol and Mani, by    John Charles Dollman (1851–1934), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

According to a Norse myth, a man named Mundilfari had two beautiful children—a daughter and a son. Inspired by the beauty of his children, Mundilfari gave his son the name of Mani (or Moon) and named his daughter Sol (or Sun). The Norse gods took offense that a man named his children after the beautiful celestial objects, the sun and moon, so the gods stole the children and put them in charge of their namesakes. Sol was given the task of driving the chariot of the sun across the sky and her brother Mani kept the moon in motion while also overseeing the lunar cycle.

Despite being taken from their father and sentenced to manage the sun and moon until the end-times, there is more to the story of Sol and Mani. For extra incentive to keep the sun and moon in motion, two wolves born by a giantess prowled the heavens in pursuit of Sun and Moon. In the works of Snorri Sturluson, when wise Odin was asked about why the sun races so quickly across the sky, he bluntly explained, “There are two wolves, and the one who is chasing her is called Skoll. He frightens her, and will eventually catch her. The other is called Hati Hrodvitnisson. He runs in front of her trying to catch the moon. And, this will happen” (The Prose Edda (Gylfaginning) by Snorri Sturluson. Translated by Jesse Byock, Penguin Classics, 2005).

Like most of the deities in Norse mythology, even the Sun and the Moon were doomed to die during the end-times of Ragnarok. At least Norse myth provided a glimpse of hope—for after Ragnarok a daughter of the Sun would continue her slain mother’s daily journey across the sky to illuminate the new world.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Watch our YouTube video on Snorri Sturluson HERE or read a short biography about him, HERE.

Check out other articles on mythology, HERE. 

Source:

• The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, translated by Jesse Byock. New York: Penguin Classics, 2005.

Princess Anna Komnene of Constantinople Recorded Impressive Feats Of Divination In Her History, The Alexiad

(Flammarion Engraving by Camille Flammarion, L'Atmosphère- Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888), pp. 163, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

When Anna Komnene neared the end of her historical account detailing the war between her father, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081-1118), and the Norman invader, Robert Guiscard, she diverged from politics and battle to comment on the emerging popularity of astrology and divination. She quickly told her readers that she thought the ‘sciences’ of astrology and occult divination to be foolish distractions, and she emphasized that her father, the emperor, had supported the more beneficial sciences, mathematics, philosophies and histories. Nevertheless, Anna Komnene went on to describe—with hesitant admiration—several astrologers and diviners who attempted to predict future events during her father’s imperial reign.

Anna proposed that a man named Eleutherios Zebelenos was possibly the most prominent astrologer in the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople. Yet, she did not mention many of his accomplishments other than agreeing that the man’s predictions were often accurate. She also named Symeon Seth, a philosopher, scholar and writer who dabbled heavily in astronomy. In The Alexiad, Anna Komnene claimed that Seth predicted the death of Robert Guiscard. He wrote the prophecy down on paper and sent the prediction in a sealed envelope to the confidants of Emperor Alexios. Seth told them to keep the letter sealed, but when the death of Robert occurred, he ordered them to open the envelope. Inside was a fortune-cookie-like statement that many believed accurately predicted the death of Robert Guiscard. Anna Komnene claimed Seth’s prophecy stated: “A great enemy from the west, who has caused much trouble, will die suddenly” (Anna Komnene, The Alexiad, Book VI).

The next astrologer Anna showcased was an Athenian known as Katanankes. Like Seth, Katanankes attempted to predict the deaths of important figures. First, he boldly stated that Emperor Alexios would die on a certain day. Fortunately for Alexios, the astrologer’s prediction was flawed and the emperor survived the day—yet, a majestic lion that happened to be held in the palace did die on the specified date, causing the masses to proclaim that Katanankes’ prediction came true. The astrologer quickly rebounded from his bittersweet victory. The Athenian astrologer attempted to prophesy Alexios Komnenos’ death again, stating yet another date on which the emperor would surely die. The day came—and yet again—Emperor Alexios lived. The emperor’s mother, Anna, however, died on the predicted date, once more causing the masses to praise Katanankes’ skill.

After Anna Komnene concisely told the stories of Seth, Eleutherios and Katanankes, she quickly returned back to her main narrative concerning her father’s successful reign as emperor of Constantinople.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Sources:

• The Alexiad by Anna Komnene, translated by E. R. A. Sewter. New Yok: Penguin Books, 2009.  
•   The Occult Sciences in Byzantium, by Paul Magdalino and Maria Mavroudi. Geneva: La Pomme d’or, 2006.

Hephaestus’ Wife In ‘The Iliad’ Was A Different Woman Than In ‘The Odyssey’

(Relief of the Charites Aglaea, Thalia and Euphrosyne, from the island Paros, ca. 570–560 BC, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

In The Iliad, Hephaestus, the smith of the Greek Gods, has a wife named Charis. It is thought that this ‘Charis’ that Homer mentioned in the epic poem was the youngest of three sisters known as the Charites—Charis’ actual identity was likely Aglaia (or Aglaea), a goddess of grace, beauty and splendor.

The name of Hephaestus’ betrothed, however, changed in Homer’s second epic, The Odyssey. Within the lines of poetry describing the life of Odysseus, Hephaestus was no longer married to Charis, but was instead married to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

So what happened? That is a question that is still unclear even thousands of years after The Iliad and The Odyssey were written. Hephaestus’ change of spouses between the two texts has spawned multiple theories as to what brought about the shift from Charis to Aphrodite. Some claim that Charis in The Iliad can be associated with Aphrodite since they were both goddesses of beauty. Others assert that the change in spouses only occurred because of Homer’s use of different oral folklore sources. Whether the change in Hephaestus’ marital status came about because of differences in the sources Homer used, or by an undetailed divine divorce, all anyone can do is theorize.

Sources:

• The Iliad by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited by Peter Jones. New York: Penguin Classics, 2014.  
• The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited by D. C. H. Rieu. New York: Penguin Classics, 2009.