(C.P. Cavafy âTrojansâ; trans. E. Keeley and Ph. Sherrard)
1. The Legend
The mythical tradition surrounding the persona of Alexandros/Paris covers a wide range of events, including his exposure in infancy on Mount Ida, the Judgment of the goddesses, the abduction of Helen leading to the Trojan War, as well as his less known love story with the mountain nymph Oenone.1 Euripidesâ Alexandros treats the exciting events of the earlier phase of this legend leading to the recognition of the exposed and long-lost royal son Alexandros/Paris with his natal family and his return to the royal oikos of Troy.
This stage of the myth is reflected in [Apollod.] Bibliotheca 3.12.5 (dated to the Imperial period, between the late first century BC and the third century AD):2
ΎΔÏ
ÏáœłÏÎżÏ
ÎŽáœČ ÎłÎ”ÎœÎœáŸ¶ÏΞαÎč ÎŒáœłÎ»Î»ÎżÎœÏÎżÏ ÎČÏáœłÏÎżÏ
Ï áŒÎŽÎżÎŸÎ”Îœ áżŸÎÎșᜱÎČη ÎșαΞâ áœÏÎœÎżÏ
Ï ÎŽÎ±Î»áœžÎœ ÏΔÎșΔáżÎœ ÎŽÎčᜱÏÏ
ÏÎżÎœ, ÏοῊÏÎżÎœ ÎŽáœČ Ï៶ÏαΜ áŒÏÎčÎœáœłÎŒÎ”ÏΞαÎč ÏᜎΜ ÏáœčλÎčÎœ Îșα᜶ Îșα᜷ΔÎčÎœ. ΌαΞᜌΜ ÎŽáœČ Î Ïáœ·Î±ÎŒÎżÏ ÏαÏâ áżŸÎÎșᜱÎČÎ·Ï Ï᜞Μ áœÎœÎ”ÎčÏÎżÎœ, ÎጎÏαÎșÎżÎœ Ï᜞Μ Ï
ጱ᜞Μ ΌΔÏΔÏáœłÎŒÏαÏο· ጊΜ Îłáœ°Ï áœÎœÎ”ÎčÏÎżÎșÏ᜷ÏÎ·Ï ÏαÏᜰ ÏοῊ ΌηÏÏÎżÏᜱÏÎżÏÎżÏ ÎáœłÏÎżÏÎżÏ ÎŽÎčΎαÏΞΔ᜷Ï. ÎżáœÏÎżÏ Î”áŒ°ÏᜌΜ ÏáżÏ ÏαÏÏáœ·ÎŽÎżÏ ÎłÎ”ÎœáœłÏΞαÎč Ï᜞Μ ÏαáżÎŽÎ± áŒÏ᜜λΔÎčαΜ, áŒÎșΞΔáżÎœÎ±Îč Ï᜞ ÎČÏáœłÏÎżÏ áŒÎșáœłÎ»Î”Ï
Δ. Î Ïáœ·Î±ÎŒÎżÏ ÎŽáœł, áœĄÏ áŒÎłÎ”ΜΜ᜔Ξη Ï᜞ ÎČÏáœłÏÎżÏ, Ύ᜷ΎÏÏÎčÎœ áŒÎșΞΔáżÎœÎ±Îč ÎżáŒ°ÎșáœłÏáż ÎșÎżÎŒáœ·ÏαΜÏÎč Î”áŒ°Ï áżÎΎηΜ· ᜠΎáœČ ÎżáŒ°ÎșáœłÏÎ·Ï áŸżÎÎłáœłÎ»Î±ÎżÏ áœ ÎœÎżÎŒáœ±Î¶Î”ÏÎż. Ï᜞ ÎŽáœČ áŒÎșÏΔΞáœČÎœ áœÏ᜞ ÏÎżáœ»ÏÎżÏ
ÎČÏáœłÏÎżÏ ÏáœłÎœÎžâ áŒĄÎŒáœłÏÎ±Ï áœÏ᜞ áŒÏÎșÏÎżÏ
áŒÏÏᜱÏη. ᜠΎáœČ ÏÏζáœčÎŒÎ”ÎœÎżÎœ ΔáœÏᜌΜ áŒÎœÎ±ÎčÏΔáżÏαÎč, Îșα᜶ ÎșÎżÎŒáœ·ÏÎ±Ï áŒÏ᜶ Ïáż¶Îœ ÏÏÏ᜷ÏÎœ áœĄÏ áŒŽÎŽÎčÎżÎœ ÏαáżÎŽÎ± áŒÏÏΔÏΔΜ, áœÎœÎżÎŒáœ±ÏÎ±Ï Î áœ±ÏÎčÎœ. ÎłÎ”ÎœáœčÎŒÎ”ÎœÎżÏ ÎŽáœČ ΜΔαΜ᜷ÏÎșÎżÏ Îșα᜶ ÏÎżÎ»Î»áż¶Îœ ÎŽÎčαÏáœłÏÏÎœ ÎșᜱλλΔÎč ÏΔ Îșα᜶ áż„áœœÎŒáż Î±áœÎžÎčÏ áŸżÎÎ»áœłÎŸÎ±ÎœÎŽÏÎżÏ ÏÏÎżÏÏÎœÎżÎŒáœ±ÏΞη, λáżÏÏáœ°Ï áŒÎŒÏ
ÎœáœčÎŒÎ”ÎœÎżÏ Îșα᜶ ÏÎżáżÏ ÏÎżÎčÎŒÎœáœ·ÎżÎčÏ áŒÎ»Î”Ο᜔ÏαÏ. Îșα᜶ ΌΔÏâ Îżáœ Ïολáœș ÏÎżáœșÏ ÎłÎżÎœáœłÎ±Ï áŒÎœÎ”ῊÏΔ.
(ed. Wagner 19262)
And when a second baby was about to be born, Hecabe dreamed that she had given birth to a firebrand and that the fire spread over the whole city and burned it. When Priam learned of the dream from Hecabe, he sent for his son Aisakos, for he was an interpreter of dreams, having been taught by his motherâs father Merops. He declared that the child was begotten to be the ruin of his country and advised that the baby should be exposed. When the baby was born, Priam gave it to a servant to take and expose on Mount Ida; the servant was named Agelaos. Exposed by him, the infant was nursed for five days by a bear. And when he found it safe, he took it up, carried it away, brought it up as his own son in his farm and named him Paris. When he grew to be a young man, Paris excelled many in beauty and strength and was afterwards surnamed Alexandros, because he repelled robbers and defended the flocks. And not long afterwards he discovered his parents.
(trans. Frazer 1921 with adjustments)
Hecabeâs ill-omened dream, the exposure of the baby, his humble upbringing and return to the Trojan palace are reported in most of the relevant literary and mythographical sources.3 According to the Bibliotheca, it was the seer Aisakos, Priamâs son, who interpreted Hecabeâs dream. This is also reported in Lyc. 224â25, in Euphorion fr. 79 (Lightfoot), in the ancient scholium on Lyc. 224 (Scheer) and in Serviusâ scholium on Verg. Aen. 2.32 (Thilo-Hagen), whereas Euripides in Andr. 296â98 assigns this role to Cassandra. Ennius (Alexander fr. 18.55â57 J./ TrRF I fr. adesp. 76.6â8 Schauer: see Appendix) mentions that Priam consulted Apolloâs oracle. Later sources vaguely attribute the intepretation of the dream to seers.4
The infant was exposed in the wilderness and was probably expected to perish, being devoured by wild beasts, which, according to some sources (e.g. h.Hom.Ven. 68), abounded in Mount Ida. The intended death of the baby explicitly emerges from D-schol. Il. 3.325 (van Thiel) and Tzetz. Prooimion Allegor. 145 reporting that it was thrown to the beasts, as well as from other sources (Hyg. fab. 91 = Alexandros T7.7, Myth.Vat. 2.225) mentioning that the baby was handed over to be killed. This combination of elements suggests that exposure in the particular cases of ill-omened children, as Alexandros or, similarly, Oedipus and Perseus in other exposed hero story-patterns, was employed as veiled infanticide and as a means of avoiding the actual murder of the baby by its natal family.5
The babyâs nursing by an animal, as in the case of Alexandros,6 is a recurring element in several myths about children exposed at birth due to unfavourable circumstances. The exposed hero story-pattern is extensively represented in Euripidean drama, as the in-depth study of this motif by Marc Huys (1995a) has indicated. Typical instances of babies suckled by animals involve Hippothoon (Hyg. fab. 287, EÎ 473.46â48 Gaisford), whose story was dramatized in Euripidesâ Alope, and Melanippeâs twins, Aiolos and Boiotos, in Euripidesâ Melanippe the Wise and Captive Melanippe (hyp. Mel.S.: P. Oxy. 2455.17â18, Mel.D. fr. 489 K., Hyg. fab. 186).7 Well-known cases are also those of Aigisthos (Hyg. fab. 87, 252, Îel. VH 12.42), Telephos, according to certain versions ([Apollod.] 3.9.1, S. Aleadai fr. 89 R.8), Romulus and Remus (Liv. 1.3â4, D.H. 1.79.6, Plut. Rom. 4.2) and Kyros (Hdt. 1.122).9 The suckling animal is often considered to convey its qualities to the child whom it has nursed. Accordingly, Alexandrosâ physical strength, which is attested in the Bibliotheca and in several mythical sources (Serv. ad Verg. Aen. 5.370 Thilo-Hagen, Myth. Vat. 2.225, 3.11.24) and contributes to his athletic victory in the tragic treatments of the legend (see §2 and Alexandros frr. 15, 17, 18a, col. ii, 12â13), could be associated with his having been suckled by a she-bear. At the same time, the ambivalent nature of this animal may also account for Alexandrosâ insensitive behaviour, to judge from Lyc. 138 referring to his abduction of Helen: áŒÏÎșÏÎżÏ
ÏÎčÎžÎźÎœÎ·Ï áŒÎșÎŒÎ”ÎŒÎ±ÎłÎŒÎÎœÎżÏ ÏÏÏÏÎżÏ
Ï.10
The servant who raised the exposed baby as his own son was a herdsman (Alexandros T1.5â7, 14, T7.8â9, IA 573â75, 1291â93, Asclepiad. FGrH 12 F12, schol. Andr. 293 Schwartz, D-schol. Il. 3.325, 12.93, 15.341 van Thiel, schol. Lyc. 86 Scheer).11 His name is reported to have been either áŒÎłÎλαοÏ, as occurring in the Bibliotheca, or áŒÏÏÎλαοÏ, as mentioned by Tzetzes (schol. rec. Lyc. 138 Scheer). Both names have been attributed to several mythical and historical figures.12 Their striking palaeographical and phonetic similarity may well account for the confusion between them. Though the scanty evidence cannot lead to any firm conclusion with regard to the original reading, it is worth making certain observations.
Firstly, Asclepiadesâ Tragodoumena (fourth century BC) is the earliest known work to have dealt with tragic myths13 and is also the earliest source to attest the name of Alexandrosâ foster-father, albeit in a corrupt passage. The Homeric scholium (schol. vet. Il. 3.325b Erbse) reporting Asclepiadesâ version runs as follows: Î ÎżÏÏ᜻ÏÎčáœčÏ ÏηÏÎčÎœ ጱÏÏÎżÏΔáżÎœ Ï᜞Μ ÎłÏᜱÏαΜÏα Ïᜰ ΀ÏÎ±ÎłáżłÎŽÎżáœ»ÎŒÎ”ÎœÎ± áœ
ÏÎč ᜠΞÏáœłÏÎ±Ï Ï᜞Μ ΠᜱÏÎčÎœ ÎœÎżÎŒÎ”áœșÏ â áŒÏÏÎčᜱλαÏâ áŒÎșαλΔáżÏÎż. The obvious emendation of the unintelligible reading ÎΥΧÎÎÎÎC would be ÎΥΧÎÎÎÎC, as A and Î are easily confusable in the uncial and easily transposed.14 Moreover, it is noteworthy that the reading áŒÎłÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ is also reported instead of áŒÏÏÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ (son of Temenos, the principal character in Euripidesâ Archelaos) in another passage of the Bibliotheca ([Apollod.] 2.8.5).15 This fact might favour the possibility that Ps.Apollodoros or perhaps a scribe may similarly have substituted áŒÎłÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ for áŒÏÏÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ in the case of the reference to Alexandrosâ foster-father, as well. It should additionally be noted that Tzetzes, who extensively derives the mythographical information of his scholia from Ps.Apollodoros,16 deviates from this passage of the Bibliotheca only in terms of the foster-fatherâs name, which he reports to have been áŒÏÏÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ instead of Ps.Apollodorosâ áŒÎłÎλαοÏ. On balance, the available evidence might tell in favour of the prominence of the name áŒÏÏÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ rather than áŒÎłÎÎ»Î±ÎżÏ in the mythographical tradition, though the sample is admittedly very meagre. In any case, the detection of the exact name of the foster-father is quite unlikely to bear serious implications for the tragic treatments of the legend, not least because minor characters usually remain unnamed in tragedy. Though they are often given names in the mythical tradition, in tragedy they tend to be âidentified not by name but by occupationâ17 (and the foster-father might conceivably have been reported as ÎČÎżÏ
ÎșÏÎ»ÎżÏ or ÎČÎżÏÎźÏ); an eloquent example is the case of the herald in the Heraclidae being unnamed in the play, though mentioned as âCopreusâ in the narrative hypothesis of this tragedy.18
The Bibliotheca mentions that Priamâs servant raised the baby as his own son naming him âParisâ (see also Alexandros T1.7, T7.9, schol. Lyc. 138 Scheer, Const. Manass. Comp. Chron. 1141). The origin of the name âParisâ is evidently non-Greek and possibly Luvian; it has plausibly been suggested that âParisâ is of the same etymology as âPriamâ (Pariya-muwas, âsupreme in ...