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61-436: Most of the information about Epicharmus comes from the writings of Athenaeus , Suda and Diogenes Laërtius , although fragments and comments come up in a host of other ancient authors as well. The standard edition of his fragments was made by Kaibel (1890) to which there has been various additions and emendments. There have also been some papyrus finds of longer sections of text, but these are often so full of holes that it

122-489: A lettuce plant while dining with her fellow Olympian, Apollo . This version was recorded by famed Italian mythographer Natalis Comes . Reconstructed Orphic beliefs may also present a different version of Hera's impregnation with Hebe. It should be remembered that this version of the myth of Hebe's birth is a speculative reconstruction, and therefore, it likely does not represent how the myth would have been known to its original audience. In another version, Hera sought out

183-557: A banquet held at the house of Larensius (Λαρήνσιος; in Latin: Larensis ), a wealthy book-collector and patron of the arts. It is thus a dialogue within a dialogue, after the manner of Plato , but the conversation extends to enormous length. The topics for discussion generally arise from the course of the dinner itself, but extend to literary and historical matters of every description, including abstruse points of grammar. The guests supposedly quote from memory. The actual sources of

244-455: A broad range, from exhortations against intoxication and laziness to such unorthodox topics as mythological burlesque , but he also wrote on philosophy , medicine , natural science , linguistics , and ethics . Among many other philosophical and moral lessons, Epicharmus taught that the continuous exercise of virtue could overcome heredity, so that anyone had the potential to be a good person regardless of birth. He died in his 90s (according to

305-454: A feast on Olympus and after he has his fill of nectar, he bestows his bow and arrows and club to them and leaves for his wife's chamber. Here the couple is presented as one of the paradigms for marriage of Philadelphus and Arsinoe with Heracles retiring to Hebe's chambers in a scene reminiscent of a wedding. Catullus in Poem 68 makes a positive reference to the legal marriage of Heracles to

366-577: A goddess of pardons or forgiveness; freed prisoners would hang their chains in the sacred grove of her sanctuary at Phlius. Pausanias described the Temple of Hebe: "A second hill on which the Phliasians [of Phlios in Argolis] have their citadel and their sanctuary of Hebe." He also described the cult of Hebe around the sanctuary: In art, Hebe is usually depicted wearing a sleeveless dress, typically she

427-672: A late opinion that Plato plagiarized several of Epicharmus's ideas. "[H]e [Plato] derived great assistance from Epicharmus the Comic poet, for he transcribed a great deal from him, as Alcimus says in the essays dedicated to Amyntas [of Heraclea]...." Laërtius then lists, in III, 10 , the several ways that Plato "employs the words of Epicharmus." Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis ( / ˌ æ θ ə ˈ n iː ə s / , Ancient Greek : Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, Athēnaios Naukratitēs or Naukratios ; Latin : Athenaeus Naucratita )

488-551: A poem for the celebration of the seventh day after the birth of a daughter to his friend Leon, used Apollo's gift of a song as a divine prototype for his own gift. In some traditions that were recorded by Servius , her father Zeus gifted her two doves with human voices, and one flew to where the Oracle of Dodona would be established. Hebe was initially seen in myth as a diligent daughter performing domestic tasks that were typical of high ranking, unmarried girls in ancient Greece. In

549-513: A pomegranate and sceptre with a cuckoo perched on top. A relief made of silver above an altar depicted the marriage of Hebe and Heracles. Both of these depictions have been lost, but Argive coins have been found showing these two statues side by side. It is possible the Hebe was worshipped as or represented the virginal aspect of Hera, or that her worship with her mother was similar to that of Demeter and Persephone , as both potentially represented

610-649: A prolific marriage to the mortal pair shown in the centre of the eastern frieze. Hebe may have been the Acroterion on the Temple of Ares in the Athenian Agora . Hebe may have also been depicted on a fragmentary votive relief that was excavated near the Erechtheion , which shows Heracles being crowned by Nike, who places her left arm around another goddess's shoulders. However, Hebe was not connected with Nike, leading most scholars to believe this goddess

671-570: A real eagle she borrowed from Cardinal de Bernis . The bird was furious at being brought indoors to her studio and badly frightened her, though it looks relatively harmless in the painting (now in the Hermitage Museum). An entirely nude depiction by Ignaz Unterberger was a huge success in Vienna in 1795, and bought by Emperor Francis II for a large amount; the artist was also made a court painter. In sculpture Hebe began to flourish as

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732-463: A sitting statue of Hera in the Temple of Hera at Mantinea in Arkadia, sculptured by Praxiteles . Hebe also appears to be worshipped jointly with other figures as well. There is a record of a priestess from the deme of Aexone who served both Hebe and Alkmene being rewarded with a crown of olive leaves for her service. Aelian also refer to Hebe being worshipped in a temple that was adjacent to

793-613: A statement in Lucian , he died at ninety-seven). Diogenes Laërtius records that there was a bronze statue dedicated to him in Syracuse, by the inhabitants, for which Theocritus composed the following inscription: As the bright sun excels the other stars, As the sea far exceeds the river streams: So does sage Epicharmus men surpass, Whom hospitable Syracuse has crowned. Theocritus' Epigram 18 (AP IX 60; Kassel and Austin Test. 18)

854-570: A subject slightly later, but continued longer. Hubert Gerhard created an early statue of Hebe in 1590 that is currently on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts , which depicts her naked, holding her dress in one hand and a cup raised above her head in another. She rests one foot upon a tortoise, a gesture associated with Aphrodite Urania . Antonio Canova sculpted four different versions of his statue of Hebe, and there are many later copies. This had no accompanying eagle, but including

915-630: A temple dedicated to her spouse Herakles in an unknown location. The temples, which were separated by a canal, housed roosters in Heracles's temple and hens in Hebe's temple. Chickens were not commonly associated with either deity and more typically associated with Apollo. Some scholars have indicated that in Assyria , Apollo was particularly associated with Hebe. Hebe also had her own personal cult and at least one temple in Greece dedicated to her. There

976-471: A way to become pregnant without assistance of Zeus by travelling to realm of Oceanus and Tethys at the end of the world. There, she entered the garden of Flora and she touched a sole, nameless plant from the land of Olene and became pregnant with Ares. Hera returned to the garden sometime after his birth and ate lettuce to become pregnant with Hebe. The consumption of lettuce in Ancient Greece

1037-644: A winged Hebe is by the Castelgiorgio painter on a cup, who pairs her with her mother and Ganymede analogously with Zeus; Ares stands in the center of the scene indicating familial harmony. It is possible that she is one of the winged figures from the Parthenon pediment in the British Museum , as the figure stands as an attendant to Hera and is near Zeus and Ares. The figure could also represent Iris or Nike , but contextual evidence arguably makes

1098-485: Is Athena. As the goddess of the brides, Hebe was often portrayed in wedding scenes. A notable depiction of Hebe comes from an Archaic Attic Black Figure dions dated to 580 – 570 B.C.E., which is attributed to Sophilos and held in the British Museum, depicts Hebe as part of a procession of gods arriving at the house of Peleus to celebrate his wedding to Thetis . Here Hebe is the most prominent goddess in

1159-450: Is a fragment by Callimachus that makes a reference to Eileithyia , Hebe's sister and the goddess of childbirth, attending to Hebe while in labour. One of Hebe's roles was to be the cupbearer to the gods, serving them ambrosia and nectar. In Classical sources, her departure from this role was due to her marriage. Alternatively, the Iliad presented Hebe (and at one instance, Hephaestus) as

1220-598: Is difficult to make sense of them. Plato mentions Epicharmus in his dialogue Gorgias and in Theaetetus . In the latter, Socrates refers to Epicharmus as "the prince of Comedy", Homer as "the prince of Tragedy", and both as "great masters of either kind of poetry". Aristotle ( Poetics 5.1449b5) writes that he and Phormis invented comic plots (μῦθοι, muthoi ). The 12th-century philosopher Constantine of Nicaea cites Epicharmus. All of his biographical information should be treated as suspect. Epicharmus' birthplace

1281-686: Is drawn largely from Casaubon . The encyclopaedist and author Sir Thomas Browne wrote a short essay upon Athenaeus which reflects a revived interest in the Banquet of the Learned amongst scholars during the 17th century following its publication in 1612 by the Classical scholar Isaac Casaubon . Hebe (mythology) Hebe ( / ˈ h iː b iː / ; Ancient Greek : Ἥβη , romanized :  Hḗbē , lit.   'youth'), in ancient Greek religion and mythology , often given

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1342-510: Is marrying a goddess, referencing her own marriage to Heracles. Hebe is also a prominent figure on a 5th-century epinetron by the Eretria Painter depicting preparations for the wedding of Harmonia . The bride sits in the centre of the scene on a stool and is surrounded by her friends who prepare her for her wedding as her mother, Aphrodite , oversees the process. The depiction reinforces Hebe's connection to weddings and brides. Hebe

1403-582: Is not known, but late and fairly unreliable ancient commentators suggest a number of alternatives. The Suda (E 2766) records that he was either Syracusan by birth or from the Sikanian city of Krastos. Diogenes Laërtius (VIII 78) records that Epicharmus was born in Astypalea , the ancient capital of Kos on the Bay of Kamari , near modern-day Kefalos . Diogenes Laërtius also records that Epicharmus' father

1464-506: Is said to sit on a throne beside Hera and Hebe upon obtaining immortality. Hebe was particularly associated with the worship of her mother Hera in Argos and in the Heraion of Argos , one of the main centres of worship of Hera in Greece. It was said that Hebe, in a statue made of ivory and gold, was depicted standing beside a very large statue of Hera, which depicted the goddess seated holding

1525-578: Is the daughter of Zeus and his sister-wife Hera. Pindar in Nemean Ode 10 refers to her as the most beautiful of the goddesses, and being by her mother's side in Olympus forever. In some traditions that were recorded by Servius , her father Zeus gifted her two doves with human voices, and one flew to where the Oracle of Dodona would be established. In a rare, alternative version of Hebe's conception, her mother Hera became pregnant merely by eating

1586-610: Is the one to bring her future husband, Heracles, to Olympus from Earth upon his apotheosis , a role traditionally fulfilled by Athena. A Krator in the Cleveland Museum may depict Hebe in chariot ready to leave Olympus to retrieve her husband in the presence of her mother, Artemis , and Apollo. The lost comedic play, Hebes Gamos ("The Marriage of Hebe") by Epicharmus of Kos , depicted the wedding feast of Hebe and Heracles. In Theocritus 's Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus , Heracles dines with Ptolemy I and Alexander at

1647-472: The thratta , a type of fish mentioned by Archippus and other comic poets, and of a history of the Syrian kings. Both works are lost. Of his works, only the fifteen-volume Deipnosophistae mostly survives. The Deipnosophistae , which means 'dinner-table philosophers', survives in fifteen books. The first two books, and parts of the third, eleventh and fifteenth, are extant only in epitome , but otherwise

1708-506: The Iliad, she did tasks around the household such as drawing baths for her brother Ares and helping Hera enter her chariot. Additionally, Hebe was often connected to Aphrodite , whom she was described dancing with and acting as her herald or attendant, linking the Classical association between beauty and "the bloom of youth". As the bride of Heracles, Hebe was strongly associated with both brides and her husband in art and literature. She

1769-552: The ability to restore youth to mortals, a power that appears exclusive to her, as in Ovid's Metamorphoses , some gods lament the aging of their favoured mortals. According to Philostratus the Elder , Hebe was the youngest of the gods and the one responsible for keeping them eternally young, and thus was the most revered by them. Her role of ensuring the eternal youth of the other gods is appropriate to her role of serving as cupbearer, as

1830-417: The ancient world would be missing, and many ancient Greek authors such as Archestratus would be almost entirely unknown. Book XIII, for example, is an important source for the study of sexuality in classical and Hellenistic Greece , and a rare fragment of Theognetus ' work survives in 3.63. The Deipnosophistae professes to be an account given by an individual named Athenaeus to his friend Timocrates of

1891-633: The association with Hebe logical. Her equivalent Roman goddess is Juventas . The Ancient Greek : ἥβη is the inherited word for "youth", from Proto-Indo-European * (H)iēg -eh 2 - , "youth, vigour". The name Hebe comes from the Greek word meaning "youth" or "prime of life". Although she was not as strongly associated with her father, Hebe was occasionally referred to with the epithet Dia (see Cult), which can be translated to "Daughter of Zeus" or "Heavenly". Juventus likewise means "youth", as can be seen in such derivatives as juvenile . Hebe

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1952-556: The bird was a challenge accepted by several later sculptors. An elaborate marble group with a naked Hebe and the eagle with wings outspread was started in 1852 by the elderly François Rude but unfinished by his death in 1855. Finished by his widow and another it is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon and was very popular in bronze versions, with one in Chicago . Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse produced another spectacular group, with

2013-484: The clouds. In French there was a special term, " en Hébé ", for the costume. The personification appears in rococo , Grand Manner and Neoclassical styles. Even some very aristocratic models allowed a degree of nudity, such as exposing a single breast, though this was often much greater in non-portrait depictions. Jean-Marc Nattier painted a Rohan princess as Hebe in 1737, and then the royal Louise Henriette of Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans (1744) and another duchess

2074-454: The cup bearer of the gods with the divine hero Ganymede acting as Zeus's personal cup bearer. Additionally, Cicero seems to imply that either Hebe or Ganymede, who is typically seen as her successor, could serve in the role of cupbearer at the heavenly feast. The reasoning for Hebe's supposed dismissal was transformed into a moralizing story in the 1500s by the Church of England , where it

2135-502: The cycle of rebirth and renewal. Some scholars theorize that one of the Temples of Hera at Paestum may have been dedicated to Hera and Hebe rather than to Hera and Zeus, which is the more common consensus. Scholars point to the headless bust of a well-dressed young girl that may have served as the antefix or acroterion of the temple as possibly being a representation of Hebe. Hebe was also depicted, alongside Athena, standing beside

2196-745: The eagle perched above a sleeping Hebe (1869, now Musée d'Orsay , Paris). Jean Coulon (1853–1923) produced another group about 1886, with versions in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice , Nice and the Stanford Museum in California. Especially in America, figures of Hebe continued to be popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century for garden fountains and temperance fountains , and statues were widely available in cast stone . Tarentum , Pennsylvania , United States displays two such cast stone statues of Hebe. The mold for these statues

2257-465: The epithet Ganymeda (meaning "Gladdening Princess"), is the goddess of youth or of the prime of life. She functioned as the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus , serving their nectar and ambrosia . People of Sicyon also worshipped her as the goddess of forgiveness or of mercy. Hebe is a daughter of Zeus and Hera , and the divine wife of Heracles ( Roman equivalent: Hercules ). She had influence over eternal youth and

2318-446: The identification as Hebe more likely. The depiction of Eros with his mother Aphrodite on the same frieze have been equated to Hebe's position to Hera, as the group seems to pay attention to the young maidens approaching from the right side of the eastern frieze. The two pairs were connected with love and weddings/marriage respectively, which would allude to the young maidens who would soon be married. Another possible connection between

2379-541: The jurist was murdered by the Praetorian Guard , whereas Ulpian in Athenaeus dies a natural death. The complete version of the text, with the gaps noted above, is preserved in only one manuscript , conventionally referred to as A. The epitomized version of the text is preserved in two manuscripts, conventionally known as C and E. The standard edition of the text is Kaibel 's Teubner . The standard numbering

2440-505: The material preserved in the Deipnosophistae remain obscure, but much of it probably comes at second hand from early scholars. The twenty-four named guests include individuals called Galen and Ulpian, but they are all probably fictitious personages, and the majority take no part in the conversation. If the character Ulpian is identical with the famous jurist , the Deipnosophistae may have been written after his death in 223; but

2501-413: The pairs is that Hebe and Eros are portrayed as children who are still dependent on their mothers and stay close to them as a result. The identification of the figure as Hebe would also make sense due to the proximity to Zeus and Ares, her father and brother. Ares and Hebe here are represented as the product of a legal marriage, reinforcing the sacred marriage between Zeus and Hera, which gives an example of

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2562-604: The plant with motherhood. This version of Hebe's paternity is referenced by American author Henry David Thoreau in his work Walden , where Hebe is described as the daughter of Juno and wild lettuce. A fragment by Callimachus describes Hera holding a feast to celebrate the seventh day after her daughter Hebe's birth. The gods have a friendly argument over who will give the best gift, with Poseidon , Athena , Apollo , and Hephaestus specifically mentioned as presenting toys or, as in Apollo's case, songs. Callimachus, who composed

2623-460: The princess ( basileia ), is responsible for immortality. This is another justification for her marriage to Heracles, as it ensures not only his immortality but also eternal youth, which were not viewed as equivalent in myths, such as with the case of Tithonus . In Euripides ' play Heracleidae and in Ovid 's Metamorphoses , Hebe grants Iolaus ' wish to become young again in order to fight Eurystheus . In Euripides' play Orestes , Helen

2684-409: The procession, appearing alone and without a cloak covering her shoulders like most of the other goddess in attendance. She wears an elaborate dress with the patterns of animals and geometric shapes and wears earrings. Her hair is shown to be bound with three braids worn over her shoulder. Her prominent position may be due to her association with feasts, being the patron of brides, or because a mortal man

2745-544: The rustic lifestyle, and Hebes Gamos ("The Marriage of Hebe "), in which Heracles was portrayed as a glutton. He also depicted Odysseus as an unheroic figure of burlesque by parodying the Homeric image for comic effect in his Odysseùs Autómolos (Ulysses the Deserter). Additional works include Reproducing a mid-4th century BC accusation from Alcimus , Diogenes Laërtius in his Lives of Eminent Philosophers conserves

2806-577: The same year as Hebe, the latter with a breast exposed. François-Hubert Drouais painted Marie-Antoinette , when Dauphine, en Hébé in 1773, and Angelica Kauffman and Gaspare Landi both painted several Hebes. Notably, the Mercure de France addressed Marie-Antoinette as Hebe upon her marriage. Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun tells in her memoirs how she painted the 16-year-old Miss Anna Pitt, daughter of Thomas Pitt, Lord Camelford , as Hebe in Rome, with

2867-426: The virginal goddess Hebe to contrast with the poet's secret affair with a married woman. Propertius also makes a reference to Heracles feeling a blazing love for Hebe upon his death at Mount Oeta, altering the traditional myth where Heracles marries Hebe after ascending to divinity. Hebe had two children with Heracles: Alexiares and Anicetus . Although nothing is known about these deities beyond their names, there

2928-411: The word ambrosia has been linked to a possible Proto-Indo-European translation related to immortality , undying, and lifeforce . In art, she is typically depicted with her father in the guise of an eagle, often offering a cup to him. Eagles were connected with immortality and there was a folklore belief that the eagle (like the phoenix ) had the ability to renew itself to a youthful state, making

2989-521: The work seems to be complete. It is an immense store-house of information, chiefly on matters connected with famous cooks, dining, but also containing remarks on music, songs, dances, philosophy, games, courtesans , and luxury. Nearly 800 writers and 2,500 separate works are referred to by Athenaeus; one of his characters (not necessarily to be identified with the historical author himself) boasts of having read 800 plays of Athenian Middle Comedy alone. Were it not for Athenaeus, much valuable information about

3050-401: Was a remarkably popular subject in art in the period from about 1750 to 1880, having attracted little artistic attention before or after. In the later period, many depictions were portraits of ladies as Hebe, for which at a minimum the only modifications to a normal costume needed were a flowing white dress, some flowers in the hair and a cup to hold. Most artists added an eagle and a setting amid

3111-561: Was alternately praised and denounced for ridiculing the great mythical heroes . At the time it would have been dangerous to present comedies in Syracuse like those of the Athenian stage, in which attacks were made upon the authorities. Accordingly, the comedies of Epicharmus are calculated not to give offence to the ruler. They are either mythological travesties or character comedies. His two most famous works were Agrōstīnos ("The Country-Dweller," or "Clodhopper"), which dealt humorously with

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3172-511: Was an altar for her in Athens at the Cynosarges . This site also contained gymnasium and altars for Herakles and joint altar to Alcmene and Iolaus In Sicyon , there was a temple dedicated to here and it was the center of her own cult. The Phliasians , who lived near Sicyon, honored Hebe (whom they called Dia, meaning "Daughter of Zeus") by pardoning supplicants. Hebe was also worshipped as

3233-408: Was an ancient Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century AD. The Suda says only that he lived in the times of Marcus Aurelius , but the contempt with which he speaks of Commodus , who died in 192, implies that he survived that emperor. He was a contemporary of Adrantus . Athenaeus himself states that he was the author of a treatise on

3294-410: Was connected to sexual impotency in men and women, with Plutarch recording that women should never eat the heart of a lettuce. Additionally, lettuce was associated with death, as Aphrodite laid the dying Adonis in a patch to potentially aid in his reconstruction. Despite these concerns, it was also believed that lettuce benefited menstrual flow and lactation in women, characteristics that may associate

3355-557: Was depicted with either one or both her parents, at her wedding ceremony, or with Aphrodite. Hebe was occasionally depicted with wings, which has led to confusion by modern scholars on whether depictions of winged female attendants are Hebe, Iris , or Nike . One confirmed depiction of Hebe with wings, as determined by the Η above the figure's head, is on a cup by Sosias. Hebe is presumably between enthroned parents as she waits for her future husband Heracles, who directed towards her by Athena, Apollo, and Hermes. Another notable depiction of

3416-638: Was donated to the borough by the Tarentum Book Club on 6 June 1912. In Vicksburg , Mississippi , the Bloom Fountain installed in 1927 near the municipal rose garden, thanks to a bequest of $ 6,500 in the will of Louis Bloom, features a Hebe of cast zinc. At Bowling Green , Kentucky , the Hebe fountain in Fountain Square follows Canova's model, in patinated cast iron, purchased in 1881 from the J. L. Mott Iron Works of New York, at

3477-486: Was stated in a note in an English-Latin dictionary that she fell while in attendance to the gods, causing her dress to become undone, exposing her naked body publicly. Although there is no Classical literary or artistic source for this account, the story was modified to function as a warning to women to stay modestly covered at all times, as naked women in particular were seen as shameful by the Church. During this period, she

3538-408: Was strongly associated with spring, so this addition of her falling to the myth was also allegorized to represent the change of season from spring to autumn. According to some Classical authors, Hebe was connected to maintaining the youth and immortality of the other gods. Philostratus the Elder states that she is the reason the other gods are eternally young, and Bacchylides alleges that Hebe, as

3599-526: Was the patron of brides, due to being the daughter of the goddess of marriage Hera and the importance of her own wedding. Hebe's role as the patron of brides is referenced in Edmund Spenser's Epithalamion , where the poem also connects her to the fertility of the bride. In some depictions on vase paintings, such as the Ricci Hydria dated to approximately 525 B.C.E., Hebe drives a chariot and

3660-611: Was the prominent physician Helothales, who moved the family to Megara in Sicily, when Epicharmus was just a few months old. Although raised according to the Asclepiad tradition of his father, as an adult Epicharmus became a follower of Pythagoras . It is most likely that sometime after 484 BC, he lived in Syracuse , Magna Graecia , and worked as a poet for the tyrants Gelo and Hiero I . The subject matter of his poetry covered

3721-706: Was written in his honour. The cosmopolitan scientist and traveler Alexander von Humboldt turned Epicharmus into the protagonist of the only literary text he ever published; it appeared 1795 in Friedrich Schiller 's journal Horen under the title "Die Lebenskraft oder der Rhodische Genius" [ The Vital Force or the Rhodian Genius ]. Epicharmos figures here as a natural philosopher and interpreter of art. Epicharmus wrote between thirty-five and fifty-two comedies, though many have been lost or exist only in fragments. Along with his contemporary Phormis , he

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