HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hero and Leander (, ) is the Greek myth relating the story of Hero (, ''Hērṓ''; ), a priestess of
Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...
(
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
in Roman mythology) who dwelt in a tower in Sestos on the European side of the Hellespont, and Leander (, ''Léandros''; or Λείανδρος), a young man from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait.


The myth

Leander falls in love with Hero and swims every night across the Hellespont to spend time with her. Hero lights a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way. Leander's soft words and charms—and his argument that Aphrodite, as the goddess of love and sex, would scorn the worship of a virgin—convince Hero, and they make love. Their secret love affair lasts through a warm summer, but when winter and its rougher weather looms, they agree to part for the season and resume in the spring. One stormy winter night, however, Leander sees the torch at the top of Hero's tower. He attempts to go to her, but halfway through his swim, a strong winter wind blows out Hero's light, and Leander loses his way and drowns. When Hero sees his dead body, she throws herself off the tower to join him in death. Their bodies wash up on shore together, locked in embrace, and are then subsequently buried in a lovers’ tomb.


Attestations

Scholarship indicates that the myth is attested in Ovid's ''Heroides'', in
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
's ''
Georgics The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek language, Greek word , ''geōrgiká'', i.e. "agricultural hings) the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from bei ...
'' and in poet Mousaios' (or Musaeus') epic poem. The '' Double Heroides'' (attributed to
Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
) treats the narrative in 18 and 19, an exchange of letters between the lovers. Leander has been unable to swim across to Hero in her tower because of bad weather; her summons to him to make the effort will prove fatal to her lover.


Cultural references

The myth of Hero and Leander has been used extensively in literature and the arts:


In classical antiquity

* Ancient Roman coins of Abydos (Troas):
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...
,
Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (; ), was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then r ...


In music

* Arrigo Boito composed an opera, ''Ero e Leandro'', but destroyed it. His libretto was later set by Giovanni Bottesini (1879) and Luigi Mancinelli (1897). * Francisco Quevedo mentions Leander in "En crespa tempestad del oro undoso" *
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
allegedly perceived his "In der Nacht" from Fantasiestücke as depicting the story of Hero and Leandros. * Franz Grillparzer's 1831 tragedy ''Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen'' is based on the tale. *
Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...
(1759–1805) wrote the ballad ''Hero und Leander'' based on the tale. *
Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
's Ballade No. 2 in B Minor was most likely inspired by Schiller and other Romanticists adaptation and interest in the myth. * Georg Friedrich Handel's 1707 solo cantata in Italian, ''Ero e Leandro'' (HWV 150), is based on the tale. * Victor Herbert composed a tone-poem, ''Hero and Leander'' (1901). * Alfredo Catalani composed a tone-poem, ''Ero e Leandro'', based on the tale. *"The Ballad of the Oysterman", by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., has a reference to the myth. The titular oysterman comments that " eread it in the story-book, that, for to kiss his dear, / Leander swam the Hellespont..." *Jack Dean & Company played at the Whirligig Festival, Weston-super-Mare, September 12, 2021. *Eleni Violaris's album 'Rainstriker' includes the track 'A Lover's Tale', which is from Hero's point of view as she lights the beacon and prays for Leander as he swims to her.


In painting

*
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
painted a picture named "Hero and Leander" in 1604 based on the tale. * William Etty painted "Hero, Having Thrown herself from the Tower at the Sight of Leander Drowned, Dies on his Body" in 1829. He later said he considered the painting the "finest of my fine pictures". * Cy Twombly completed a painting in Rome in 1985 inspired by the story as told by
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...
. The painting is entitled ''Hero and Leander (To Christopher Marlowe)''. * Evelyn De Morgan painted "Hero Holding the Beacon for Leander" in 1885.


In literature

* The 6th-century
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
poet Musaeus also wrote a poem;
Aldus Manutius Aldus Pius Manutius (; ; 6 February 1515) was an Italian printer and Renaissance humanism, humanist who founded the Aldine Press. Manutius devoted the later part of his life to publishing and disseminating rare texts. His interest in and preser ...
made it one of his first publications (c. 1493) after he set up his famous printing press in Venice (his humanistic aim was to make Ancient Greek Literature available to scholars). Musaeus's poem had early translations into European languages by Bernardo Tasso (Italian), Boscán (Spanish) and Clément Marot (French). This poem was widely believed in the Renaissance to have been pre-Homeric:
George Chapman George Chapman ( – 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman is seen as an anticipator of the metaphysical poets of the 17th century. He is ...
reflects at the end of his completion of Marlowe's version that the dead lovers had the honour of being "the first that ever poet sung". Chapman's 1616 translation has the title ''The divine poem of Musaeus. First of all bookes. Translated according to the original, by Geo: Chapman''. Staplyton, the mid-17th century translator, had read Scaliger's repudiation of this mistaken belief, but still could not resist citing
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
's 'Musaeum ante omnes' (''Aeneid'' VI, 666) on the title page of his translation (Virgil's reference was to an earlier Musaeus). *Renaissance poet
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...
(1564–1593) began an expansive version of the narrative. His story does not get as far as Leander's nocturnal swim, and the guiding lamp that gets extinguished, but ends after the two have become lovers ( ''Hero and Leander'' (poem)); *
George Chapman George Chapman ( – 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman is seen as an anticipator of the metaphysical poets of the 17th century. He is ...
completed Marlowe's poem after Marlowe's death; this version was often reprinted in the first half of the 17th century, with editions in 1598 (Linley); 1600 and 1606 (Flasket); 1609, 1613, 1617, 1622 (Blount); 1629 (Hawkins); and 1637 (Leake). *Sir Walter Raleigh (–1618) alludes to the story, in his "The Ocean's Love to Cynthia", in which Hero has fallen asleep, and fails to keep alight the lamp that guides Leander on his swim (more kindly versions, like Chapman's, have her desperately struggling to keep the lamp burning). *It is also the subject of a novel by Milorad Pavić, ''Inner Side of the Wind'' (1991). * Leander is also the subject of Sonnet XXIX by Spanish poet Garcilaso de la Vega of the 16th century; *
John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...
(1572–1631) has an
epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia ...
summing up the story in two lines: ''Both robbed of air, we both lie in one ground,'' ''Both whom one fire had burnt, one water drowned''. *The myth is central to John Keats' 1817 sonnet, "On an Engraved Gem of Leander." *
Myths and Hymns ''Myths and Hymns'' (originally known as ''Saturn Returns'') is a song cycle by composer Adam Guettel, based on Greek myth and lyrics found in an antique hymnal. ''Myths and Hymns'' was first performed Off-Broadway, under the title ''Saturn Return ...
(1998), by Adam Guettel, contains a song entitled after the pair. *
Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...
's 1819 poem ''Hero and Leander'' is based on the myth. * Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem ''Leander and Hero'' first appeared in 1823. Significantly, she reversed the usual order of names and used it as an example of mutual constancy. *
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
references Leander in "Written After Swimming From Sestos To Abydos"; the myth of Hero and Leander inspired his own swim across the Hellespont (i.e., the Dardanelles) in May, 1810. Byron also alludes to his feat, with further reference to Leander, both in '' The Bride of Abydos'' (1813) and in ''Don Juan'' (1819–1824), canto II, stanza 105. *In Chapter XVII of " Two Years Before the Mast" (1840), Richard Henry Dana Jr. relates an anecdote of the ship's cook, who had so bonded with a sow, "Old Bess", who had stayed aboard the vessel all the first months of the voyage, that after the sow had been taken ashore in San Diego, the cook "could hardly have been more attentive, for he actually, on several nights, after dark, when he thought he would not be seen, sculled himself ashore in a boat with a bucket of nice swill, and returned like Leander from crossing the Hellespont". *'' Les Misérables'' (1862), by
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
, has a reference to the myth in Jean Valjean, Book V. Referring to the reaction of a duchess when she heard of the fate of her lover who died by drowning in the quicksand in Paris' sewers, Hugo comments that "Hero refuses to wash Leander's corpse." *In the collection of short stories and essays by Lafcadio Hearn, ''In Ghostly Japan'' (1899), the author is told the popular story of a girl who swims to her lover guided by a lantern, and he comments on the similarities with the western story: '—"So," I said to myself, "in the Far East, it is poor Hero that does the swimming. And what, under such circumstances, would have been the Western estimate of Leander?"' *
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
(1865–1936) started his poem "A Song of Travel" with the words: "Where's the lamp that Hero lit / Once to call Leander home?" * Alfred Tennyson's poem "Hero to Leander" has Hero begging her lover not to leave until the morning when the sea has calmed "Thou shalt not wander hence to-night, I'll stay thee with my kisses" *Poem XV of A. E. Housman's ''More Poems'' (1936) is devoted to the myth. It describes how, " Sestos town, in Hero's tower / On Hero's heart Leander lies..." * Diana Wynne Jones's meta-fantasy novel ''Fire and Hemlock'' (1984) makes an early reference to Hero and Leander, both to foreshadow the plot and as a namesake for the heroine's alter-ego.


In theatre

*
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
mentions the story in the opening scene of '' Two Gentlemen of Verona'', in a dialogue between Valentine and Proteus (the two gentlemen in the play): :VALENTINE: And on a love-book pray for my success? :PROTEUS: Upon some book I love I'll pray for thee. :VALENTINE: That's on some shallow story of deep love: How young Leander cross'd the Hellespont. :PROTEUS: That's a deep story of a deeper love: For he was more than over shoes in love. :VALENTINE: 'Tis true; for you are over boots in love, And yet you never swum the Hellespont. * Hero and Leander are again mentioned in ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' in Act III Scene I when Valentine is tutoring the Duke of Milan on how to woo the lady from Milan. Shakespeare also alludes to the story in ''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
'', both when Benedick states that Leander was "never so truly turned over and over as my poor self in love" and in the name of the character Hero, who, despite accusations to the contrary, remains chaste before her marriage; and in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' in the form of a
malapropism A malapropism (; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance. An exam ...
accidentally using the names Helen and Limander in the place of Hero and Leander, as well as in
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
(Act II, Scene II), Othello (Act III, Scene III), and
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
(Act II, Scene IV). The most famous Shakespearean allusion is the debunking one by Rosalind, in Act IV scene I of ''
As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...
'':
"Leander, he would have lived many a fair year, though Hero had turned nun, if it had not been for a hot midsummer night; for, good youth, he went but forth to wash him in the Hellespont and being taken with the cramp was drowned and the foolish coroners of that age found it was 'Hero of Sestos.' But these are all lies: men have died from time to time and worms have eaten them, but not for love."
*
Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...
's play ''Bartholomew Fair'' (1614) features a puppet show of Hero and Leander in Act V, translated to London, with the Thames serving as the Hellespont between the lovers. * Dion Boucicault mentions Leander in his play '' The Colleen Bawn'' (1860). Corrigan refers to Hardress Cregan and his nocturnal boat-rides to his secret wife as being "like Leander, barring the wetting". * The
song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...
''
Myths and Hymns ''Myths and Hymns'' (originally known as ''Saturn Returns'') is a song cycle by composer Adam Guettel, based on Greek myth and lyrics found in an antique hymnal. ''Myths and Hymns'' was first performed Off-Broadway, under the title ''Saturn Return ...
'', composed by Adam Guettel, references the myth in the seventh song of the cycle, "Hero and Leander".


In folkloristics

In
folkloristics Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...
, the myth of lovers Hero and Leander becomes the Aarne-Thompson-Uther tale type ATU 666*, "Hero and Leander". Variants of the tale are also attested in Japan, where they appear as a local legends. In Hiroko Ikeda's index of Japanese folktales, the type is known as ''Tarai-bune no Momoyo Gayoi''. Philologist and folklorist
Julian Krzyżanowski Julian Krzyżanowski (4 July 1892 – 19 May 1976) was a Polish literature and folklore scholar, best known for his study of Polish proverbs. Participant of the Warsaw Uprising. Professor at the Warsaw University and others. Recipient of Order of P ...
, establisher of the Polish Folktale Catalogue according to the international index, located variants of the lovers' myth in Poland, which he classified as T 667, "Hero i Leander" ("Hero and Leander"). The myth seems to have inspired a literary version by Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola in his work ''
The Facetious Nights of Straparola ''The Facetious Nights of Straparola'' ( 1550–1555; Italian: ''Le piacevoli notti''), also known as ''The Nights of Straparola'', is a two-volume collection of 75Nancy Canepa. "Straparola, Giovan Francesco (c. 1480–1558)" in ''The Greenwood En ...
''.
Child ballad The Child Ballads are List of the Child Ballads, 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies ...
number 216 can be read as a variant.


Contemporary references

* There have been six ships of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
named HMS ''Leander'' with battle honors at the
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
,
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
,
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
, and the Kula Gulf. * LMS express steam locomotive 5690 is named "Leander", named after the ship HMS ''Leander''. It was built in 1936 and has survived into preservation, and still operates on the main line in Britain. * Numerous private ships have been named '' Leander'', including that of Sir Donald Gosling, whose yacht '' Leander G'' was chartered by the royal family following the decommissioning of the royal yacht HMY ''Britannia''. * There have been numerous ships named ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
'', although it's unclear if they were named for Leander's ''Hero'', or the classical definition of one who does heroic deeds. However the 1970s television drama series ''
Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...
'' specifically identifies its fictional HMS ''Hero'', a ''Leander''-class frigate, in honor of Leander's Hero. * Characters named
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
and Leander appear in the 1996-1998 comic series '' Superboy and the Ravers''. The pair is a gay couple who take part in a never-ending party that travels throughout the universe. * The story is mentioned in the season 1 episode of ''
Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...
'' entitled "Oceans Apart". Colin describes his love for Marina as like that of Hero and Leander, Daphne reminds him of the ending of the tale.


References


Further reading

* Gómez Garrido, Luis Miguel (2021). «Fuegos En La Noche Y Amores Contrariados: Entre El Mito De Hero Y Leandro Y El Cuento Oral ATU 666*». In: ''Boletín De Literatura Oral'' 11 (julio): 103-16
Fuegos en la noche y amores contrariados: Entre el mito de Hero y Leandro y el cuento oral ATU 666*
* . "Hero und Leander (AaTh 666*)" ero and Leander (ATU 666*) In: '' Enzyklopädie des Märchens'' Band 6: Gott und Teufel auf Wanderschaft – Hyltén-Cavallius. Edited by Rudolf Wilhelm Brednich; Hermann Bausinger; Wolfgang Brückner; Lutz Röhrich; Rudolf Schenda. De Gruyter, 2016 990 . * Minchin, Elizabeth. "Mapping the Hellespont with Leander and Hero: ‘The Swimming Lover and the Nightly Bride’". In: Greta Hawes (ed.). ''Myths on the Map: The Storied Landscapes of Ancient Greece''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. pp. 65–82. . * Montiglio, Silvia. ''The Myth of Hero and Leander: The History and Reception of an Enduring Greek Legend''. Library of Classical Studies, 19. London; New York: I.B. Tauris, 2018. . * Montiglio, Silvia. ''Musaeus' Hero and Leander: Introduction, Greek Text, Translation and Commentary''. Routledge, 2020. . * Oliver Murdoch, Brian. ''The Reception of the Legend of Hero and Leander''. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 27 May. 2019. .


External links

*
''Hero and Leander'', full text


* *
The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Hero and Leander)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero And Leander Mythological Thracian women Greek mythological priestesses Mythological lovers Love stories Greek mythology of Anatolia Drowning