Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Ordering women in Hesiod's Catalogue
- 2 The beginning and end of the Catalogue of Women and its relation to Hesiod
- 3 Gods among men? The social and political dynamics of the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
- 4 Heracles in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
- 5 Mestra at Athens: Hesiod fr. 43 and the poetics of panhellenism
- 6 A catalogue within a catalogue: Helen's suitors in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women (frr. 196–204)
- 7 Pulp epic: the Catalogue and the Shield
- 8 The Megalai Ehoiai: a survey of the fragments
- 9 Ordered from the Catalogue: Pindar, Bacchylides, and Hesiodic genealogical poetry
- 10 The Hesiodic Catalogue and Hellenistic poetry
- 11 From genealogy to Catalogue: the Hellenistic adaptation of the Hesiodic catalogue form
- 12 The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women and Latin poetry
- 13 Or such as Ovid's Metamorphoses …
- Bibliography
- Index of passages discussed
- General index
4 - Heracles in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Ordering women in Hesiod's Catalogue
- 2 The beginning and end of the Catalogue of Women and its relation to Hesiod
- 3 Gods among men? The social and political dynamics of the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
- 4 Heracles in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women
- 5 Mestra at Athens: Hesiod fr. 43 and the poetics of panhellenism
- 6 A catalogue within a catalogue: Helen's suitors in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women (frr. 196–204)
- 7 Pulp epic: the Catalogue and the Shield
- 8 The Megalai Ehoiai: a survey of the fragments
- 9 Ordered from the Catalogue: Pindar, Bacchylides, and Hesiodic genealogical poetry
- 10 The Hesiodic Catalogue and Hellenistic poetry
- 11 From genealogy to Catalogue: the Hellenistic adaptation of the Hesiodic catalogue form
- 12 The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women and Latin poetry
- 13 Or such as Ovid's Metamorphoses …
- Bibliography
- Index of passages discussed
- General index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
The role of Heracles in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women has been little studied. This is surprising if we consider the potential interest the topic holds for students of Greek epic and tragedy. The present paper suggests that it is well worth having a closer look, not only for the ways in which this might enhance our understanding of Heracles in other texts, but also, more importantly, for what we might learn about the Catalogue itself.
I begin with an observation that is likely to strike any reader of the Catalogue of Women as it has been reconstructed by Reinhold Merkelbach and Martin West. Heracles lives his life backwards. The first major fragment that we can place deals with his death and apotheosis (fr. 25), the last one with his birth (fr. 195). In between, we move from the sack of Oechalia (fr. 26) back to that of Pylos (frr. 33–5), Cos (fr. 43a) and Troy (fr. 165). Finally, we arrive at the labours imposed on Heracles by Eurystheus (fr. 190). Then he is born. We may contrast the order of episodes as found in the Catalogue of Women with that in Apollodorus:
fr. 25 (death and apotheosis) = Apollodorus 2.7.7.7–12
fr. 26 (sack of Oichalia) = Apollodorus 2.7.7.5–6
frr. 33–5 (sack of Pylos) = Apollodorus 2.7.3
fr. 43a (sack of Cos and battle against Giants) = Apollodorus 2.7.1
fr. 165 (sack of Troy) = Apollodorus 2.6.4
fr. 190 (labours) = Apollodorus 2.5
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- The Hesiodic Catalogue of WomenConstructions and Reconstructions, pp. 85 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005
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