Foundation Myths of Olympic Games
The Isthmian games were primarily dedicated to the god Poseidon, but also had associations with Dionysus. These games took place in the city of Corinth on the year before and after the Olympic games. There are three myths which are connected with the founding of the games. One myth is that they were founded, “around 580 BC, to celebrate the death of the tyrant Kyselos” (thefreedictionary.com 1). Another myth, which is far more complicated, is the one involving Poseidon and Dionysus.
It begins with the orphaned Dionysus being given to his aunt and uncle to raise after Hera had tricked Zeus into killing Semele, Dionysus’ mother. Hera was so jealous of the affair that Zeus and Semele had been having, that she decided to go after Ino and Athamas, the aunt and uncle, as well as the rest of their family. What is agreed on in all renditions of this myth is that both parents were driven insane by the Furies. Athamas killed his oldest son, Learchus, thinking that he was either a deer, or according to Ovid, a Lion. After this, Ino took the younger son, Melikertes, and jumped into the ocean. Corinth was the traditional place where it was said that a dolphin brought the body of Melikertes to shore. Like in many other myths, the two tragic figures of Ino and Melikertes were turned into gods, Leukothea, and Palaimon. This is probably the oldest of the myths due to the fact that there seems to have been an older festival which held only night-time events. Of course, a simpler reason for the games association with Poseidon could be that Corinth was mainly a port city, and as such, would have been reliant upon the good grace of the sea god. The winners of these games would have been awarded with crowns of pine needles, or later, celery, which had some association with the foundation myths.
Yet, another myth has the hero Theseus, as the founder of the games in Corinth. Some said he started the games when he became king, while others thought that Theseus held the games in honor of a man he had killed. Those who believed the story of Melikertes held that Theseus began the daytime portion of the events later.
The Pythian games have a founding which is far less complicated in its origins. These games were held in Delphi, a city sacred to the god Apollo, and were held two years after, and two years before the Olympic games. These games were special in that, besides athletic competitions, they also included musical and poetic competitions. Here the winners were crowned with Laurel or bay leaves. The only myth of these games is a story where Apollo killed Python, a huge snake that lived on Mt. Parnassus. Later, a temple was built where Apollo killed the snake, and from here the Pythian oracle made her prophesies.
The Nemean Games were said to have been started by a king named Adrastos, but were later rededicated by Herakles after he defeated the Nemean lion. The defeat of the lion was the first task set by the gods for Herakles. It was said that the lion had an impervious skin, but of course the hero Herkeles was able to kill it, and then skin it with the lion’s own claws. The skin then became part of Herekles heraldry. After this task was complete, he dedicated the games to Zeus.
The more complex myth surrounding these games involves another royal family and the death of a child, like that which was connected to the Isthmian Games. The story goes that Lycourgos, a king, asked an oracle how to keep his son from being killed or dying, and the oracle said that the baby shouldn’t be allowed to touch the ground until he could walk. So the king gave a slave girl the responsibility of keeping the child off the ground. One day while she was out somewhere, the Seven Champions rode up and asked for water from the girl, and being a slave, she had to oblige. When she went to get water from the well, she put the baby down in a field of celery, where a snake came and killed the child. Because of this, the men instituted funeral games in honor of the child, Opheltes, and the victors would receive crowns of wild celery so as not to forget the reason for the games.
The largest and most famous of the Pan-Hellenic games was the Olympics, held at Olympia every four years, with evidence of the games beginning in 776 BC. These games also have several different myths as to their origins. The first myth once again has Herakles at its center. For his fifth labor, Herakles had to clean the stables of King Augeas. The king promised Herakles one-tenth of his cattle if Herakles completed this labor. In order to complete his task, Herakles diverted the rivers Kladeos and Alpheos, to run through the stables. Upon the completion of this labor, Augeas reneged on his promise, so Herakles sacked the city of Elis, which Augeas was the king of. In honor of his father Zeus, Herakles instituted the games of Olympia. There is another myth which states that the Altar of Zeus in Olympia is on the site where a lightning bolt thrown by Zeus landed.
The most popular story though of the founding of the Olympic Games is the story of the hero Pelops. In this story, Pelops is a Lydian prince who wishes to gain the hand of Hippodamia, who is the daughter of King Oinomaos of Pisa. To win her hand, Pelops must win a chariot race against Oinomaos; if he loses, he will be beheaded. In order to win, Pelops cheats, and changes the pins in Oinomaos’ chariot for wax ones. When the friction heats the wax, it melts it, and Oinomaos is thrown from the chariot and killed. After Pelops wed Hippodamia, he had the funeral games in honor of Oinomaos, and they were held every four years after that.
It would seem that the common link between all of these games, except for the Pythian, have their origins in funeral games. This would make sense when one reads Homer and sees the importance and honor associated with such games. The lack of monetary rewards from these games, also speaks to the emphasis the Greeks placed on the whole concept of ar�ªte. It is also important to remember that these were religious festivals as well as physical competitions, therefore, they would be closely associated with the gods, and it is no surprise then, that many of the myths surrounding the games include the gods.
Bibliography
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com. 11/29/04.
Swaddling, Judith. The Ancient Olympic Games. University of Texas Press.
http://missouri.edu. 11/29/04.
http://archaeology.org. 11/29/04.
