Greek of Greeks and House of Atreus Essay Example

were not only the founders of important families and colonies outside Greece, but also founders of cities within Greece. They were the creators of foundation myths, inventors of significant social rituals and customs, and referred to as cultural heroes. Additionally, their names often corresponded to features of the landscape. Today, these tales of foundation are an integral part of Athens' mythical tradition. Kekrops, the first king of Athens, was born from the earth rather than through a traditional biological union.

According to Apollodorus, during his reign, a contest was held between Athena and Poseidon to decide who would become the owner of the city. Poseidon arrived first in Athens and used his trident to create a saltwater sea on the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Athena planted an olive tree to stake her claim. The gods ultimately chose Athena as the winner and this angered Poseidon, causing him to flood the Thriasian plain northwest of Athens (Loraux, 23).

Kekrops, a culture hero, established bloodless sacrifices to the gods and founded the twelve townships of Attica. He also introduced the custom of marriage. Kekrops had three daughters (Pandrosos, Aglauros, and Herse) and a son (Erysichthon). However, he died and was succeeded by another king, Kranaos. According to Pausanias, the Athenians believed that Deukalion lived in Athens and built the sanctuary to Olympian Zeus. They also pointed out a crack in the earth where floodwaters flowed into the ground. Kranaos had a daughter named Atthis, and after her death, he named Attica after her. The next king after Kranaos was Amphictyon. Due to Erichthonios being born from the earth, the people of Athens had a special connection to their land compared to

those who came from elsewhere in Greece.

The concept of autochthony was an important aspect of Athenian thought. It was not only depicted on vases through the birth of Erichthonios from the earth, but also emerged in various literary works. Lysias explicitly mentions in his funeral speech that it was fitting for their ancestors to be remembered in the pursuit of justice. This is because their culture's beginning was just, they did not conform to others, and they inhabited their own land as autochthonous people who shared a common motherland and fatherland. Plato also emphasizes the significance of Athenian autochthony in Socrates' funeral speech. He initially praises their forefathers before honoring the deceased noble. These speeches presume that being autochthonous grants Athenians a special status in the Greek world, even though the explicit implications of this concept are not clearly stated.

The Athenian myths of autochthony serve as a means for the Athenians to comprehend their connection to their land, their assertion of being the most Greek of all Greeks, and their leadership role among the Ionian Greeks. These myths have influenced various aspects of Athenian life including the landscape, rituals, and thoughts. Erechtheus and Kekrops are distinguished heroes associated with Athenian statues, tribes, and the Agora (Cook, 54).

According to Pausanias, there existed a shrine to Hephaistos above the Kerameikos. The shrine also housed a statue of Athena. Pausanias also refers to Ion's tomb in Africa. While Athenians believed in their autochthonous status, considering themselves as the original inhabitants, not all Greeks shared this view. Some founders were immigrants, and myths of immigration played a crucial role in Greek mythology.

Among the immigrants who were well-known, Danaos, Pelops,

and Kadmos were prominent figures. However, alongside these, there were also indigenous founders who established themselves outside of Athens. In certain foundation myths, there is a blending of both migration and autochthony. There is a belief that Pelasgos, the precursor of the Arcardians, was born directly from the earth. Pausanias quotes a portion of a poem by Asios of Samos to support this notion, while Apollodorus argues that Hesiod made a similar claim. Apollodorus appears to favor Acusilaos' account which suggests that Pelasgos was actually the offspring of the nymph Niobe and Zeus (Castriota, 123). Pelasgos's son was Lykaon, who became the king of Arcadia, thus making the Arcadians immigrants in their own land.

The Arcadians in Arcadia were believed by the Greeks to have existed from the beginning. Therefore, the concept of autochthony can have multiple meanings. In the case of Arcadian autochthony, it implied that the Arcadians were primitive and uncivilized, while Athenian autochthony meant that Athenians were the most Greek out of all Greeks. Despite their opposing nature, both immigration and autochthony myths played a crucial role in the Greeks' understanding of themselves. Moreover, these myths of founders and their descendants created a connection between the storytellers and the heroic figures of the past. The Greek imagination often constructs genealogies that start in mythology and transition into history.