Myth, Iconography, Cult and Utility of a Malefactor
The Giant Tityos between Euboea and Central Greece
Abstract
In this paper we are presenting a series of considerations on the myth, the iconography and, surprisingly, the cult of Tityos – a marginal, transgressive and rather complex figure of the Greek mythological tradition. A close analysis of ancient Greek literary sources (covering a time span ranging from Homer’s Odyssey to Nonnus’Dionysiaca) shows that Tityos possesses several attributes and characteristics that resemble him (to some extend) to a wide range of mythological characters such as Erichthonios, Dionysos, Orion, Aktaeon, the Aloads or Prometheus. Perfectly illustrating the role of a behavioural antimodel that should not be imitated, Tityos constituted a specially useful character for the instructive iconography that was typical of the Greek sanctuaries, from at least the 6th cent. BCE. It is also worth noting that both the polis of Panopeus in Central Greece and a community in Euboea devoted public spaces in honour of Tityos, the former as a prophylactic and propagandistic measure (we deal with the supposed tomb of this Giant) and the latter to perform cult rituals (we deal with his heroon). In this study, we intend to explore both mechanisms. We also provide an explanation for the construction of both the tomb and the heroon.
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