Pentheus torn apart by Ino and Agave, Lekanis Lid, ca. 450 BC
As we all know, the term sparagmos roughly translates into "to tear, rend, and pull to pieces". Being students of mythology, there are many different tales that we can find which fit this description, the best known being the story of Pentheus. According to Ovid, Pentheus was viciously torn to pieces by the Bacchae (women under the influence of Bacchus) for being a headstrong "God mocker". Even Pentheus's aunt Autonoe got in on the action crying "Look at him. I'll tear arms, legs, all hanging parts from that rough body". Sounds painful right? Right. Punishments such as this seem to belong only in the dark and twisted tales that come from Ovid's Metamorphoses, but after some research is done, we see that this is not the case.
If you have ever read any stories that take place in England around the 1300's, then you have probably read the phrase "hanged, drawn, and quartered". This phrase describes the punishment that was inflicted upon men that had committed high treason against the crown. It started with the man being hung until he was almost dead and then he would have his stomach slit. Immediately following this, the guards would tie each limb to a different horse and have them run in different directions, tearing the man into "quarters". If this doesn't fit the term sparagmos, then I'm not sure what does. Sadly, acts such as this did not end in the 1300's. In 1993 there was an incident known as Black Hawk Down that happened in Mogadishu. Members of the U.S. military had their mutilated bodies drug through the streets after their helicopter crash during a mission. While this might not have the same "tearing" action that sparagmos literally means, this is still an action that hearkens back to the mutilation of Pentheus.
Pain, punishment, and sparagmos are things and experiences that occur in modern times that have a mythic feel to them. Not all actions that can be traced back to "origins" are pleasant. If you don't agree... Go ask Pentheus.
If you have ever read any stories that take place in England around the 1300's, then you have probably read the phrase "hanged, drawn, and quartered". This phrase describes the punishment that was inflicted upon men that had committed high treason against the crown. It started with the man being hung until he was almost dead and then he would have his stomach slit. Immediately following this, the guards would tie each limb to a different horse and have them run in different directions, tearing the man into "quarters". If this doesn't fit the term sparagmos, then I'm not sure what does. Sadly, acts such as this did not end in the 1300's. In 1993 there was an incident known as Black Hawk Down that happened in Mogadishu. Members of the U.S. military had their mutilated bodies drug through the streets after their helicopter crash during a mission. While this might not have the same "tearing" action that sparagmos literally means, this is still an action that hearkens back to the mutilation of Pentheus.
Pain, punishment, and sparagmos are things and experiences that occur in modern times that have a mythic feel to them. Not all actions that can be traced back to "origins" are pleasant. If you don't agree... Go ask Pentheus.
No comments:
Post a Comment