Olympic Medals

A fortnight back the world’s largest and by far the most extravagant sporting event started and tomorrow it comes to an end. During this last fortnight, the one single thing that was discussed the most were the medals that winners received, be it gold, silver or bronze. The larger the haul, the greater it is.

Let us take a closer look at the medal below is the two sides of a medal which has been handed over in the London Olympics 2012.

Two sides of London Olympics 2012 Medals

On the right hand side is the depiction of a goddess. This is Nike. Since 1896, Nike has always been depicted on one side of the medals at the Olympics.

Nike is the Greek goddess of victory. She was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the river Styx. She is always depicted as a winged goddess who carries a palm branch, a wreath and the staff of Hermes. She is also sometimes shown hovering around victors in a competition.

According to a legend, when Zeus was getting ready for a battle with the Titans, Styx brought her children to Zeus to side with the gods. Nike was appointed as his charioteer, and thus though she was the daughter of a Titan, she fought on behalf of Zeus in the war between the gods and the Titans. In classical Greek art, Nike is shown flying around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame.

According to another legend, the victory of the Battle of Marathon was to be communicated to the home city some 26 miles away from the battle-ground. The messenger was so exhausted that on reaching the destination, all he could say was “Nike”, implying victory, before he died out of exhaustion. Coincidentally, this is also the origin of the marathon as a long-distance race.

Today Nike has been made famous by the well known shoe company which took the concept of victory and associated it with their goods!

With this, its curtains down on London Olympics 2012 and so it is with my series on Olympics. 

Olympic Games – Mythical Origins

Last week, we read about the Ancient Olympics. Today we will read about the mythical origins of the Olympics.

There are a number of versions of the origin of the games, and let us go through some of them briefly.

One of the main versions is related to Pelops and King Oenamaus of Pisa or Olympia. Pelops was a handsome youth, who had learnt chariot racing from none other than Poseidon, the god of seas (and who was in love with Pelops). Pelops fell in love with the Hippodamia, the daughter of King Oenamaus. To marry his daughter, the suitor had to defeat the King in a chariot race and the loser would be put to death, and the King had already executed twelve suitors. (Many say that the King did not want anybody to marry his daughter as he himself was in love with her! However, another version says that he was aware of a prophesy, that his son-in-law would kill him). But Pelops was determined to win, by hook or by crook. So he invoked Poseidon and reminding him of his love for him, sought his help. Poseidon gave him a chariot with winged horses. However, Pelops was still not sure, so he bribed Oenamaus’s charioteer, who while preparing his chariot the night before the race, inserted wax linchpins instead of bronze ones in the axle of the chariots wheels.

During the race, just as Oenamaus was catching up Pelops, the wheels flew off and the chariot crashed, killing the King. Pelops then wed Hippodamia and became the King of Pisa. The games were held in commemoration of his victory over King Oenamaus. Some say that the games were held to thank the gods for helping Pelops, while some even say that the games were held as funeral games in the memory of King Oenamaus. (Please note that this myth does not just end here, but we will not go beyond the establishment of the Games)

Another version credits the origin of the Games to Hercules. Hercules was the son of Zeus and his mortal lover Alcmene. Due to some twists of destiny, Hercules was subjected to twelve labours, which were not only tough but also near impossible (giving rise to the well known phrase ‘herculean task’). As part of his fifth labour, Hercules was supposed to clean the Augeian Stables in a single day. Augeias was the King of Elis and he had thousands of cattle in his enormous stables which were not cleaned for ages. To complete this task in a single day was near impossible, so the King had agreed to part with one tenth of his cattle as a price for the cleaning. Hercules diverted the course of two rivers, Alpheius and Peneius to flow through the stables and cleaned the stables in no time. King Augeias however refused to honour his bargain and Hercules after completing his twelve labours waged a war on Elis and killed Augeias. Hercules is supposed to have instituted the Olympic Games in honour of his father Zeus. It is said that it was Hercules who taught men to wrestle and it was he who measured the length of the race by placing one foot in front of the other, six hundred times, measuring the length of the first footrace and also ascertaining the length of the stadium which was built for the Games. Hercules is also supposed to have planted the sacred olive tree which was later used for making the crown of the Olympic victors.

Yet another myth says that it was Zeus himself who had started the Games to celebrate his victory over Cronus. In the first games held, only the Gods had participated and Apollo was credited with most of the wins in the games. Apollo is also supposed to be the first victor of the first Olympic Games due to his blazing speed and great archery skills. These games of the gods were supposed to be the predecessor of the ancient Olympic Games. Zeus is supposed to have hurled his thunderbolt identifying the location of Olympia in Southern Greece, where a temple was built in honour of Zeus, which does not exist anymore.

All these myths only go on to lend credence to the divinity associated with the Ancient Games.

Next we will read about Women in Ancient Olympics.

Olympic Games

The world will usher in the next Olympics being held in London later today. As we all know that the Olympics were first held in Greece, and anything Greek, has to have its origin in Greek mythology. Before we look at the mythical origins of the Olympics, let us understand the Olympics as they were, which is better known as the Ancient Olympic Games as against the present format of the Games which we refer to as the Modern Olympics.

The Ancient Olympics were first held in 776 BC as per the available documented records. They were held in a city by the name of Olympia, a district in Southern Greece and were held every four years which began around the Summer Solstice. This four year period was referred to as Olympiad and was also used as a reference point for many important events in the Greek calendar.

The games were not just a set of games, but also a religious event for the people then. A temple dedicated to Zeus, the King of all gods, at the site of the games had a huge 42 feet high, gold and ivory idol of Zeus, which was also a part of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. During the games, no city-state could go for wars or even execute criminals. Part of the activities during the ancient games was altar rituals and sacrifices in honour of gods. In the middle of the games, about 100 oxen were sacrificed in honour of Zeus in an extravagant ritual known as the ‘hecatombe’.

The Ancient Games did not have too many events, except for a few races, jumps, discus and javelin throws, wrestling and boxing and horse-riding and chariot races. In all events, there was only one winner and his prize was a crown of leaves, olive or laurel leaves. Participating and winning in the Olympics was considered to be very prestigious. Many of the victors were treated like heroes and were accorded a very high status and some were taken care of and fed by the state for the rest of their lives. A victor could have his statue erected and even have poems written on him. They not only brought fame to themselves and their families, but also to their ‘poleis’ or city-states. Besides this, the participants were also trying to impress and win favour of some god or the other.

The Games were stopped by Theodosius in AD 393, after an existence of more than a thousand years, as he was a champion of Christianity and wanted to impose the same as the state religion. Part of his religious imposition meant bringing an end to such games which were held in honour of Greek Gods. The site of Olympia where the Games were held was destroyed in an earthquake in the 6^th Century AD. The Games were later reinstated in 1896 in the city of Athens.

Next, we will see the mythical origins of the Olympic Games.

Libidous Liaison

A number of recent cases of rape and scandalous relationships by high profile men has come to light and are being put under the scanner. Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his alleged rape of a Hotel maid, Silvio Berlusconi and his notorious Bunga Bunga parties (which were nothing short of sexual orgies), Muammar Gaddafi, and his female Amazonian Bodyguards, supposedly 40 of them and all virgins. The list is endless.

So what is so special about these? What makes these cases noteworthy is that the culprits were all powerful and influential men and many old and doddering. Dominique is (now was) the chief of IMF, Berlusconi is the Italian Prime Minister & Gaddafi is the leader of Libya (who is fighting to retain his leadership).

History has enough references of men with such high libidos and many of them were well known to have harems. Numerous wives, amorous relationships and behind the veil sexual escapades, has been a part of the popular lore. The same has been heard about the rich Zamindars later.

Such things have been said about many mythological characters too. Puranic Indra was known for his weakness for beautiful women. His Indrasabha was known to be a great place where fun and frolic with wine and apsaras being a given. Apsaras like Menaka, Urvashi and Rambha were there to entertain the gods and seduce mere mortals as and when needed. Indra was also attracted to mortals and didn’t have any qualms in violating their chastity for his own lustful needs. So was the Greek god Zeus who was known for his numerous liaisons with both the goddesses as well as mortals. Zeus’s lustful advances didn’t spare men too! Some of his acts like the abduction and rape of Europa and his affairs with Alcmene, Callisto, Danae, Leda and Io were just a few of his adulterous and extra-marital relationships. Not for nothing was Zeus referred to as Zeus the Adulterer! Mythology is replete with such adulterous, amorous and scandalous bits where a woman’s chastity has been violated quite nonchalantly and without remorse.

Just what makes these men in power do the undoable? At the risk of losing it all that has made them so powerful, why do they get into such scandals? Is it marital discord? Or is it the right to enjoy and live it up? Or is it the age-old culprit, testosterone to be blamed? Sexologists feel that it is unfair to blame testosterone as it is a healthy hormone which is responsible for many a good thing in human development, besides virility. Reckless and bestial behavior has nothing to do with testosterone levels in the culprit. Further, a high level of testosterone does not lead to such lusty behavior.

Psychologist feel Power is the main reason to take things for granted. Rather it seems that a combination of power, arrogance, lust and a canine-like libido is what makes for a heady concoction which leads to such acts by men, many of who are technically senior citizens! A feeling of being above-board adds to this behaviour and a personal high with such (sexual) gratification leads to a sense of mental orgasm which is so intoxicating that the powerful individual does not realize that the so-called high is taking him down.

But just as Lord Indra was not spared for his amorous acts and Zeus was constantly under the secret supervision of his wife Hera, such people should not be allowed to scot free. If the institutions they represent care for their reputation and if the women-folk are to be respected, then crime must be punished and higher the position of the individual, greater should the punishment be. The spouses of such people should not stand by them, but rebel and stand by the victim instead. Else simply leave.

Spouses, you have nothing to lose in abandoning your lecherous husbands – rather you stand to gain huge alimonies……ask Mrs. Tiger Woods!!

Do you know why a Turtle is the way it is?

According to Greek Mythology, for the wedding of Zeus (the King of gods) with Hera all were invited by Zeus’s messenger, Hermes. All went for the grand event, except one nymph (a fairy) by the name of Chelone, who not only did not attend the wedding, but even ridiculed the event.

Later, on asking why she did not attend, she mockingly said that there was no place as home to stay! As a punishment for not attending the grand wedding, she was turned into a turtle and sent to earth. For mocking and ridiculing the event, she was made to suffer eternal silence. As if all this was not enough, for her love for her home, Zeus condemned her to carry her home wherever she went!

Now you know why the poor turtle is the way it is!