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LAME HEPHAISTOS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2016

Maura Brennan
Maura Brennan*
Affiliation:
University of Cincinnati
*
brennamu@mail.uc.edu
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Abstract

The Return of Hephaistos to Olympus was a popular scene in Attic vase-painting from the beginning of the sixth century through the end of the fifth century bce, and it is found occasionally on other forms of pottery as well. According to myth, Hephaistos was lame, and this disability is sometimes depicted on painted pottery, almost always in scenes of his Return. The most well-known example is the François Vase, which is often the only vase cited when discussing instances of Hephaistos's lameness on Athenian pottery. Although three other Attic vases are occasionally cited as showing the disability, one of which does not show his Return, but instead the Birth of Athena, there are actually quite a number more Attic vases that depict his lameness than have previously been recognised. In this paper I present seven new Attic examples that clearly display his lameness, and consider both the different ways in which his disability is rendered and how they relate to the various epithets associated with him For example, he is often associated with the epithet ‘clubfoot’, and while there was an established iconography of clubfoot Corinthian komasts, the god's disability is never rendered in this manner on Attic vases. Instead, he is depicted in ways more similar to other epithets associated with him. Most notably, four vases represent the disability in a fashion that seems to be connected with Hephaistos's most common Homeric epithet, ἀμφιγυήεις, or ‘with both feet crooked’.

Ὁ χωλὸς Ἥφαιστος

Η Eπιστροφή του Ηφαίστου στον Όλυμπο αποτελεί δημοφιλή σκηνή της αττικής αγγειογραφίας μεταξύ των αρχών του 6ου και του τέλους του 5ου αιώνα π.Χ. Η ίδια σκηνή ενίοτε απαντά και σε άλλα είδη αγγειοπλαστικής. Σύμφωνα με τον μύθο, ο Ήφαιστος ήταν χωλός, και σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις η εν λόγω αναπηρία απεικονίζεται σε επιζωγραφισμένα αγγεία, σχεδόν πάντα σε σκηνές της Eπιστροφής του. Το πιο διάσημο παράδειγμα είναι ο μελανόμορφος ελικωτός κρατήρας Francois, το μοναδικό αγγείο στο οποίο παραπέμπει συχνά η εκάστοτε πραγμάτευση της χωλότητας του Ηφαίστου, όπως αυτή απεικονίζεται στην αττική αγγειογραφία. Αν και οι ερευνητές παραπέμπουν ενίοτε σε τρία επιπλέον αττικά αγγεία που απεικονίζουν την εν λόγω αναπηρία, ένα εκ των οποίων δεν αναπαριστά την επιστροφή του, αλλά τη γέννηση της Αθηνάς, στην πραγματικότητα υπάρχουν αρκετά περισσότερα αττικά αγγεία που εικονίζουν τη χωλότητα του θεού σε σύγκριση με όσα είχαν ταυτιστεί στο παρελθόν. Στο ανα χείρας άρθρο παρουσιάζω επτά νέα αττικά παραδείγματα που αναπαριστούν εμφανώς τη χωλότητά του, και πραγματεύομαι τους ποικίλους τρόπους με τους οποίους εξεικονίζεται η χωλότητά του αφενός, και τον συσχετισμό τους με τα ποικίλα λατρευτικά επίθετα του θεού αφετέρου. Παραδείγματος χάριν, ο Ήφαιστος σχετίζεται με το επίθετο “ῥαιβός”, και ενώ υπήρχε διαμορφωμένη εικονογραφία ραιβών Κορίνθιων κομαστών, η αναπηρία του θεού δεν αποδίδεται με τον τρόπο αυτόν στα αττικά αγγεία. Πιο αξιοσημείωτο είναι το παράδειγμα τεσσάρων αγγείων που απεικονίζουν την αναπηρία με τρόπο που υποδηλοί τον συσχετισμό της με το στερεότυπο ομηρικό επίθετο του Ηφαίστου “ἀμφιγυήεις” ή “στραβοκάνης”.

Μετάφραση: Μαρία Γ. Χανθού

Type
Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 111 , November 2016 , pp. 163 - 181
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2016 

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