Pindar's ''First Pythian Ode'' is an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

epinicion The ''epinikion'' or ''epinicion'' (: ''epinikia'' or ''epinicia'', Greek , from ''epi-'', "on", + '' nikê'', "victory") is a genre of occasional poetry also known in English as a victory ode. In ancient Greece, the ''epinikion'' most often too ...

praising Hiero of Syracuse for a victory in the

Pythian Games The Pythian Games () were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. Founded circa the 6th century BCE, the festival was held in honor of the god Apollo and took place at his sanctuary in Delphi to commemorate the mytho-historic slayin ...

. It was to be sung at a grand musical festival, celebrating Hiero of Syracuse's achievements and the founding of the new city, Aetna. Most of Pindar's signature characteristics and signature style appear in this poem. Pindar utilizes religion, local mythology, and his poetic genius to create an ode that outlasts the occasion itself. The motif of the ode is harmony: harmony of the lyre and moral harmony of a life formed by justice, liberality, and the pleasure of the gods. The one follows the other and link together as one true source of imperishable honor of a man.

Hiero of Syracuse

Hiero, tyrant of

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, had been the recipient of

Pindar's First Olympian Ode The Greek lyric poet Pindar composed odes to celebrate victories at all four Panhellenic Games. Of his fourteen ''Olympian Odes'', glorifying victors at the Ancient Olympic Games, the First was positioned at the beginning of the collection by Ar ...

in 476 BC. His victory in the Pythian games comes in the wake of a number of significant military accomplishments: his defeat of the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

at the Battle of Himera and of the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...

in the naval

Battle of Cumae The Battle of Cumae is the name given to at least two battles between Cumae and the Etruscans: * In 524 BC an invading army of Umbrians, Daunians, Etruscans, and others were defeated by the Greeks of Cumae. * The naval battle in 474 BC was be ...

. Both events are alluded to in the poem. Special attention, however, is afforded to Hiero's foundation of the city of Aetna. He had founded the settlement near

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...

for his son to rule and proclaimed himself one of its citizens upon winning the chariot race at

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

Typhon

Most of Pindar's victory odes contain a mythical narrative as part of their encomiastic strategy. ''Pythian'' 1 features the story of

Typhon Typhon (; , ), also Typhoeus (; ), Typhaon () or Typhos (), was a monstrous serpentine giant and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology. According to Hesiod, Typhon was the son of Gaia and Tartarus. However, one source has Typhon as t ...

, a mythical giant who challenged Zeus' primacy and was consequently buried beneath Mount Etna. The poem envisions his imprisonment as the cause for a

volcanic eruption A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior h ...

of Etna, which it then goes on to describe. The eruption constitutes an elaborate

ecphrasis Ekphrasis or ecphrasis (from the Greek) is a rhetorical device indicating the written description of a work of art. It is a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined. Thus, "an ekphrastic poem ...

and has been considered by critics to be central to the poem's interpretation.Fearn (2017) 184–9.

Structure

The structure of the poem features of an oratorio with rapid transitions from one tone energy to another. From vibrancy to tranquility, from joy to sadness, held together by harmonies of rhythm and language. The mood is Dorian and the rhythm is dactylo-epitrite. Of the five triads, first two deal with harmony; the third and fourth consists of Hiero's work as a founder and warrior, and the last triad is praise disguised under sage counsel. Overall structure follow: Str.1 - Ant.1 - Ep.1; Str.2 - Ant.2 - Ep.2; Str.3 - Ant.3 - Ep.3; Str.4 - Ant.4 - Ep.4; Str.5 - Ant.5 - Ep.5 Musical phrases within the larger rhythmic period of the strophe and anti-strophe are uniformly balanced off against one another in points of constituent metrical feed, in the pattern: I 2.5; 4; 5.2; II 4.2; 3.4; 4.2; III 5.3.5 But in the epodes the pattern is: I 5.2.5.3; II 4.4; III 3.2; 2.3.2; 2.3; IV 4.4; 3; 4.4

English translations

* Pythian 1, translated into English verse by Gilbert West (1749) * Pythian 1, translated into English verse by C. A. Wheelwright (1846) * Pythian 1, translated into English prose by Ernest Myers (1874)

References

Bibliography

*Fearn, D. (2017) ''Pindar's Eyes'' (Oxford) * *Nisetich, F. (1980) ''Pindar's Victory Songs'' (Baltimore) *Race, W. (1997) ''Pindar:'' Olympian Odes. Pythian Odes (Cambridge, MA) {{Authority control Panhellenic Games Poetry by Pindar