 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Hypsipyle, the nurse of Opheltes, was an important mythological figure before she appeared in Nemea. She originally came from the island of Lemnos, where her father Thoas was king. When the women of the island neglected the rituals of Aphrodite, the goddess inflicted upon them a disease. Because of this, their husbands refused to come near them, and were soon driven to the mainland, where they captured some local women to be their concubines. One night the women, fueled by jealousy, killed all the males on the island, except for King Thoas, whom Hypsipyle hid in a chest and later helped to escape. Hypsipyle herself then assumed rule over the island, and hosted Jason and the Argonauts, on their (not always arduous) quest for the Golden Fleece. Hypsipyle later had two sons, Euneos and Thoas, by Jason. Shortly after this, she was captured by pirates and sold to Lykourgos of Nemea. In Euripides' Hypsipyle, the heroine is rescued from the wrath of Lykourgos by her two sons. After the death of Opheltes, Lykourgos was so furious with Hypsipyle that he contrived a horrible punishment for her: he announced that the winner of the stadion race at the games would not only receive the celery crown, but also the right to slay Hypsipyle on the altar of Zeus. The men who won the race were two mysterious stangers, who turned out to be Euneos and Thoas, her sons. After a miraculous recognition scene, the brothers saved Hypsipyle and took her back to Lemnos.
|
All materials from this site are copyrighted. Materials may be used with permission upon request.
This web site was designed and developed by Susannah L. Van Horn; please direct comments and inquiries to: nemeaucb@berkeley.edu