WELCOME TO CRETE
POEM
Not a friend to Reason, Rectitude, and Justice;
Nor a nine to Dante of Florence;
Only a short-lived acquaintance to Lauretta of The Decameron;
Ovid holds the key to the many tales of Crete.
Home of Kronos, Zeus, Icarus, King Minos, and the Minotaur;
Through Metamorphoses, Ovid takes your mind afar.
Mythical characters devour human flesh;
Poison and spells put reality to a test;
Transformations of human and animals arise;
Causing an Ovid/Crete innovation in disguise.
Raised in the Spileo Ideon Andron cave;
Remembered by the Icarian Sea;
Quartered in the Knossos;
Minoan history is left to be viewed by thee.
Empress of beauty, mercantilism, power, and migration;
Crete unlocks the door to change and bares her vulnerability out in the open.
WHERE THE HECK IS CRETE?
The beautiful island of Crete is located southeast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea. It is fifth largest island in the Mediterranean with a population well over 500,000 people and is also the center point of where the countries Europe, Asia, and Africa meet. This island is 257km in length from the east to the west and has a maximum width of 60km, with a large mountain range spreading across the entire island. Due to its location, Crete became a centre for trade, as well as, a melting pot.
Crete is divided into four prefectures: Chania, Rethimno, Heraklio, and Lassithi. These are the four largest cities in Crete.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY: THE METAMORPHOSES IN RELATION TO CRETE
King Minos of Crete Threatens War Against Athens
“…for Minos of Crete was making preparations for war. This king had a strong army, a strong fleet, but stronger than either was his rage at the fate of his son Androgeus. It was his death that that Minos was seeking to avenge by war that was fully justified.” (P.167)
The Birth of Minotaur
“In very truth, that unfaithful wife who tricked a fierce bull by means of a wooden model, and bore a child half animal, half human, was a fit mate for you.” (P.182)
The Construction of the Labyrinth
“….the strange hybrid creature had revealed his wife’s disgusting love affair to everyone. Minos determined to rid his home of this shameful sight, by shutting the monster (referring to Minotaur) away in an enclosure of elaborate and involved design, where it could not be seen. Daedalus, an architect famous for his skill, constructed the maze, confusing the usual marks of direction, and leading the eye of the beholder astray by devious paths winding in different directions.” (P.183)
The First & Last Flight of Icarus
“Drawn on by his eagerness for the open sky, he left his guide (referring to his father Daedalus) and soared upwards, till he came to close to the blazing sun, and it softened the sweet smelling wax that bound his wings together. The wax melted. Icarus moved his bare arms up and down, but without their feathers they had no purchase on air. Even as his lips were crying his father’s name, they were swallowed up in the deep blue waters which are called after him.” (P.185)
THE DECAMERON IN RELATION TO CRETE
The Third Story On The Fourth Day
Summary: Lauretta tells a story of three young men who fall in love with three sisters who have arranged marriages and elope with them to Crete. The oldest sister Ninetta ends up poisoning husband Restagnone out of jealousy; the middle sister gives herself to the Duke of Crete to save her oldest sister’s life, but is killed by her own lover for knowledge of her adultery, who flees to be with her older sister; The Duke believes the third sister and her lover did this and forced them to make a confession. In fear of death, they bribed a couple of guards appointed to watch them and fled to Rhodes, where they died of poverty and distress. (p.313)
ADDITIONAL MYTHS RELATING TO CRETE
The Birth of Zeus
Kronos, one of the seven titans bore from Uranus, married his sister Rhea. He was informed by his father Uranus that one of his six sons would dethrone him. Kronos decided that he wasn’t going to have anyone dethrone him, so he swallowed all of his children whole. Due to a scheme brought about by Mother Earth and Rhea, the life of their last born child Zeus, was spared. Rhea tricked Kronos into believing that he had swallowed Zeus, when he really had swallowed a rock. Rhea hid her son Zeus and had friends raise him in the cave Spileo Ideon Andron in Crete to protect him. When Zeus grew into a man, he came up with a poison to have his father drink, which caused Kronos to vomit up his brothers and sisters and reunite. (See Online Source)
TYING THE CULTURE AND LITERATURE TOGETHER
Crete has continued to experience growth of its population, cities, and tourists, due to its beauty, geographical location for trade, and historical sites. This island is prone to change, due to its location. Although it has become a melting pot over the years, which can lead to lack of customs, it has continued to uphold and maintain many of the historical icons of greek mythology, such as, the Knossos in Heraklio.
In tying the culture and literature of Crete together, I came up with one phrase to represent this union: “Power leads to turmoil”. In studying the history, we see that Crete is the center of trade for the countries surrounding it, leading it to have the power, wealth, and diversity. Unfortunately, this amount of power has led to some minor attacks and invasions on Crete from the surrounding lands, such as, the attacks made by the Dorians. Their power led to turmoil, which can also be seen in greek mythology.
In the book of Ovid, King Minos used his authority/power to attack Athens to revenge his son’s death, which brought turmoil on Athens. He also became conceded with his power and overtaking the throne that he claimed that the gods would answer any of his requests. Because of his cockiness, power, and lack of appreciation for his gifts, his wife bared the Minotaur, which led him to suffer humiliation and caused the lives of many others to be sacrificed. Daedalus also fits this phrase. He used his power of intelligence to try to escape the island of Crete, but in the end, his plan led to his son’s death.
This idea may be far fetched; however, tying reality and fiction together is almost impossible. Crete is known for its power because it is a centre of trade and change, but all of greek mythology involving Crete regards a tragedy. Hence, the reason I tied the two together.
The only other relation I noticed was that Crete is a center for constant change and Ovid is known for stepping outside your normal literary works and creating change, such as Metamorphoses. To express this idea, I created a poem.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boccacio, G.; The Decameron; Publisher: Penguin Group Penguin Books, Ltd; 1972; p.313-320.
Castleden, R.; Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete; Publisher: Routledge; 1990.
Ovid; Metamorphoses; Quotes: See Listed Above; Publisher: Penguin Group Penguin Books, Ltd; 1955; p.167, 182-185.
Willetts, R.F.; The Civilization of Ancient Crete; Publisher: University of California Press; 1976; p.104-114.
ONLINE SOURCES:
Online:http://www.crete.tournet.gr/; http://www.crete.tournet.gr/The_Birth_of_Zeus-is-31-en.jsp; The Birth of Zeus; 1997-2003.
Online:http://www.crete.tournet.gr/; http://www.crete.tournet.gr/crete-intro Location_and_Size-15-en.html; Size and Location; 1997-2003.
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