Some Observations on Religion and Magic in Sophocles’
WOMEN OF TRACHIS
Daniel B. Levine
(19 March, 2002)
Deianeira and Heracles form the two foci of this play. Though they never
meet on stage, the play centers on their relationship. Deianeira’s interest
in keeping her husband’s love brings her to a vain use of binding magic
in private, dark, and secret acts. Heracles, by contrast, appears in public
sacrificial roles, in the open, establishing traditional altars and sacrifices
to his father Zeus.
HERACLES’ PIETY
Heracles’ approach to his home is marked by his PIETY. When the Messenger
arrives to tell of Heracles’ imminent homecoming, he says that the victorious
hero is bringing APARCHAI (first-fruits) to the gods of the land in thanksgiving
for his victories (183). When Lichas tells of his master’s approach, he
says that at Mt. Cenaeum Heracles “is marking off altars and offering
due first fruits to Zeus”(238 BOMOUS TELE T’ EGKARPA). Deianeira can
think of two reasons why he might do this: because of a vow (EUKTAIA) or
an oracle (MANTEIAS). Lichas confirms her first suggestion. Lichas emphasizes
that Heracles will give the captive women to the gods, thus showing his
piety (245). Lichas emphasizes that Heracles is sacrificing holy victims
(HAGNA THUMATA) to ancestral Zeus for his capture of Oechalia (287). The
Chorus re-emphasizes Heracles’ piety in sacrificing prior to coming home
(THUTER, 659). Hyllus’ speech at 749ff re-emphasizes that Heracles was ‘bringing
the trophies of victory and the first fruits (TROPAIA K’AKROTHINIA) where
he was marking off altars and a sacred grove for Zeus his father (PATROIOI
DII BOMOUS HORIZEI TEMENIAN TE PHULLADA 754), where “he was about to
slaughter the many beasts for sacrifice (756).” When he is afflicted,
Heracles calls upon Zeus, and reminds him of the sacrifices and the altar
he established at Cenaeum, and asks if his current pain is proper answer
for these pious acts (996ff). He claims that Zeus alone can help to charm
or surgically remove his pains.
DEIANEIRA’S MAGIC
Deianeira uses the poisoned blood of Nessos as a love charm. It has
been hidden (KEKRUMMENON) in a bronze jar for a long time (555ff). The poison
of the Hydra is its main ingredient (574). Nessus described it a “charm
for the mind of Heracles, so that he shall never more see and love another
woman, instead of you.” (ESTAI PHRENOS SOI TOUTO KELETERION/TES HERAKLEIAS,
HOSTE METIN’ EISIDON STERKSEI GUNAIKA KEINOS ANTI SOU PLEON.). This sounds
very much like love charms on curse tablets.
Deianeira wants to use spells and charms (PHILTROIS … KAI THELKTROISI)
to win back her husband (584-85). She asks the Chorus if they think she
is acting in a foolish way, and they say that she should try it. They approve
of her means. Later, Deianeira calls the unguent “pharmakon” (drug/poison
685), and describes how it had been kept away from fire and sunlight. From
her observation of the dissolving wool, Deianeira figures out that Nessus
would not have given her a real love charm. Instead of her using a charm,
Nessus charmed HER into poisoning her husband (ETHELGE M’. 710).
When Deianeira realizes what she has done, the Nurse says, she stayed
away from everyone, and ‘falling upon the altars (BOMOISI), she cried out
that they would become desolate, and she wept whenever she touched any of
the things she, poor woman, had used in the past…” (904ff). Thus,
she realized that her secret magic had caused harm to the public symbols
of religion.
Hyllus explains to Heracles at play’s end that Deianeira ‘went wrong
thinking that she was applying a philtre (STERGEMA = love charm, from the
verb STERGO, I love 1138). Heracles replies with the question: ‘And who
among the men of Trachis is so great a sorcerer? (pharmakeus = poisoner
1140). Hyllus replies that “Nessus the Centaur long ago persuaded her
to inflame your passion with such a love charm (PHILTROI TON SON EKMHNAI
POTHON 1142).
LOVE
Sophocles emphasizes the irresistible powers Eros and Aphrodite, and
the strength of POTHOS (longing, desire, yearning, love) and HIMEROS (longing,
yearning, love, desire). This begins with the messenger speech at 351, where
he tells Deianeira that of the gods, Eros alone charmed him to undertake
the spear-deed. The word ‘bewitched’ (355) is THELXEIEN: the quintessential
verb for magic. Deianeira, finding out that Heracles was in love with Iole,
testifies to the absolute power of Eros: “Whoever stands up to Eros
like a boxer is a fool; for he rules even the gods just as he pleases, and
he rules me: how should he not rule another woman like me?” (441).
This is, as she later says, a ‘vain struggle against the gods” (492).
Lichas confirms this when he says that Heracles excelled in all other matters
‘has been altogether vanquished by his passion (EROS) for this girl”
(489). The Chorus underlines this in their hymn to the great power of Aphrodite
(497ff). Deianeira calls her husband ‘sick’ with a ‘malady’ for being in
love (544, a standard description of persons thus afflicted by passion).
The Chorus, learning of Heracles’ destruction, concludes their song before
the Nurse’s entrance by saying that Aphrodite (KUPRIS), “silent in
attendance, is reveled as the doer of these things” (860).
ZEUS
Zeus appears in this play in several guises, and with several epithets.
As ‘the god of contests’ (AGONIOS), he oversaw the contest between Heracles
and Achelous for Deianeira’s hand in marriage (25).
In addition, Zeus appears as the traditional god who gives humans their
good and bad lots and cares for them generally. Chorus: “Not even the
son of Kronos, who ordains all things, has given mortals a fate free from
pain… for who has seen Zeus so lacking in counsel for his children? “(126ff).
He is the god who has an ‘uncut meadow on Mt. Oeta’ (200), which must
have been a sacred precinct. This will be the place where Heracles will
leave the earth, a spot to be made more holy by his immolation there. Deianeira
later invokes him as “Zeus whose lightning strikes the lofty glades
of Oeta” (436), a reference to the spot on the mountain rendered holy
by Zeus’ own touch (his lightening strike). Deianeira calls him “Zeus,
god of trophies” (O ZEU TROPAIE), when she sees the pitiable condition
of the captive women, and prays that such a lot would never be hers. Elsewhere
he is simply called ‘mighty’ Zeus (MEGAS ZEUS (399), invoked by Lichas to
testify to the truth of his account. In regard to Heracles, he is spoken
of as ZEUS PATROIOS ‘Zeus the father-god’, appropriate for Heracles (743).
When he is afflicted, Heracles calls upon Zeus, and reminds him of the
sacrifices and the altar he established at Cenaeum, and asks if his current
pain is proper answer for these pious acts (996ff). He claims that Zeus
alone can help to charm or surgically remove his pains. Hyllus, speaking
of Heracles’ affliction, says: “Such is the lot that Zeus assigns him”
(1022). Zeus is the god of Mt. Oeta, and is known there as ZEUS HYPSISTOS
(1191), and often received sacrifice there from Heracles’ son Hyllus (1193
THUTER). This is where Heracles must be burned, as a sacrifice of sorts
(1193-1202); otherwise, he will be ‘a grievous curse upon you even below
the earth!” Heracles repeats this curse upon his son if he should disobey
his commands to marry Iole (1239), and calls the gods to witness (1248).
Zeus’ oracles from Dodona had predicted all that happened to
Heracles (see below, PROPHECY).
Hyllus obeys his father, and calls to the Chorus: “Do not be left
behind in the house, maiden; you have lately seen terrible deaths, and many
sufferings unprecedented, and none of these things is not Zeus” (1275-78).
Zeus had foretold what would happen to his son, and it was done. Hyllus
is right: Zeus controls all.
PROPHECY
Prophecies (MANTEIA) play a role in the play. For example, Deianeira
tells her son Hyllus that Heracles left trusted prophecies about his need:
“That either he is about to come to the end of his lif , or he will
accomplish this ordeal and for the future live from now on happily.”
The play itself shows how this prophecy plays out: this struggle (ATHLON
80 will be his last). Hyllus calls the prophecies THESPHATA (86), and takes
them most seriously. Deianeira speaks of the prophecies (heimarmena 169)
of Heracles’ death as being confirmed by her husband’s trip to Zeus’ oracle
at Dodona, through the ancient oak and the two doves there. When
they learn of Heracles’ downfall, the Chorus say that all has been accomplished
according to prophecy: “See maidens, how swiftly there has come upon
us the oracular saying of the ancient prophecy, which declared that when
…” (821).
Heracles realizes that he must leave, and asks Hyllus to summon people
to learn “the last message of the oracles I know!” (1150 THESPHATON
HOS’ OID’ EGO). In fact, Zeus had predicted to his son long ago that he
would die at the hands of one in Hades. Thus, the divine prophecy (TO THEION
PROPHANTON) came true. In addition, he tells again about his trip to Dodona,
where he visited the Selloi who ‘live in the mountains and sleep upon the
ground’ (1166) who predicted the end of his labors, all of which prophecies
he sees now ‘clearly being fulfilled’ (1174).
RETRIBUTION
Hyllus calls upon Justice (DIKE) and the Fury (ERINYS) to punish his
mother for her action in Heracles’ demise (808-09).
PURIFICATION
Heracles served Omphale as a slave, and then underwent purification
(258) before raising an army to attack the city of Eurytus. Lloyd-Jones:
‘but once he had been purified…’ The Greek says, ‘but when he was pure’
(implying purification after being sullied).
OTHER RELIGIOUS EXPRESSIONS
The parodos song of the Chorus (94ff) consists of prayer to Helios,
who sees all, asking him to reveal where Heracles is. This song reminds
us that Deianeira misses her husband terribly, wearing herself out with
sorrow on a husbandless bed, while Heracles wanders over the world, in “a
Cretan sea of life that is full of troubles”. The paradigm of Odysseus
probably lies in the background of this song: the tearful and faithful Penelope
awaits her long-wandering husband, whose lies often portray him as a Cretan.
The Chorus’ song of gladness at hearing of Heracles’ approach calls for
a song in honor of Apollo the protector (PROSTATES) and the paean in his
honor (209-10), as well as thanks to Artemis and Dionysos, who is to be
invoked with his own ritual cry (EVHOI). Though Deianeira’s main trust in
this play is in the magic powers of the ‘love charm’ from Nessos, she also
exhibits ‘normal’ religious actions. She prays to the gods (theois aromai
48) that the tablet she got from Heracles will not spell disaster. As part
of her trick to make Heracles wear the charmed robe, she feigns that she
had made a vow (EUGMEN 610) that she would give Heracles a tunic if he returned
home safely, to make Heracles into a ‘new sacrificer (THUTERA KAINON) in
a new robe (KAINOI EN PEPLOMATI 613). This is ironic, as he will turn into
a sacrificer — of himself.
AMPHICTYONIC LEAGUE reference:
The Chorus (634ff) calls out to the “Dwellers by the harbour and
the hot springs by the rocks and Oeta’s heights and by the gulf of Malis
in the centre and the coast belonging to the maiden of the golden distaff,
where lie the famous places of assembly of the Greeks at the Gates (PYLATIDES)
…” This is obviously reference to the Amphictiony, which met at Thermopylae.
See Harper’s Dictionary of Antiquities, from our web site:
“The most famous and extensive union of the kind was that called,
par excellence, the Amphictyonic League, whose common sanctuaries were the
temple of Pythian Apollo at Delphi, and the temple of Demeter at Anthela,
near Pylae or Thermopylae. After Pylae the assembly was named the Pylaean,
even when it met at Delphi, and the deputies of the league Pylagorae. “
Return to Main Page: CLST 4003H. Ancient Greek
Religion. Spring, 2002.
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