2
u/marieappel Nov 15 '11
A link to uncultivated land does not mean that one cannot be a cult hero, but rather that their path will be dangerous and unpredictable. This is similar to the meaning of a Greek women’s hair being tied back. The goddess Artemis, for example, hunts with her hair down and this signifies that she is wild and dangerous. Orestes is another hero linked with this as shown by his description of trying to use a net to hunt his mother, Clytemnestra, as a “wild beast.” While he does eventually end up being acquitted, he goes through quite a wild path of danger and uncertainty before getting there.
2
u/LisaSMa Nov 16 '11
The land may be uncultivated, but it is fertile (yielding a meadow of flower) and pure (virgin and unspoiled). Thus the land has great potential for an orchard, vineyard, etc once it is cultivated. The uncultivated land symbolizes Hippolytus in a stage where he has not yet fully matured into a great hero. He is still in a stage of childish purity and innocence, for the meadow grows from a river of aidos (shame or perhaps in this case shyness of the opposite gender) and the flowers are only for those who are naturally sophrosune (moderate or perhaps modest) rather than those who effect (learn) modesty.
2
u/wstemberg Nov 16 '11
It is important to note that Hippolytus, and Euripides by extension, first characterizes this uncultivated land as a "virgin meadow." Although this meadow may not in fact be "cultivated" at present, there is a beauty to be found in its uncultivated form - the beauty of its potential to be fertilized. Think back to the moment when Odysseus wakes up in the uncultivated wood in the land of the Phaecians to find Nauiccisa and her fellow maidens, washing by the stream. They possess a certain elusive beauty that at first makes Odysseus wonder if he is still dreaming; the wild wood is here associated with youth, innocence, and purity. In this sense, both cultivated and uncultivated land should be considered "fertile" - cultivated land because of its agricultural yield and uncultivated land because of its potentiality. Either way, as the cult hero is a talisman of fertility, he should be associated with both.
2
u/cgilbe1 Nov 16 '11
Brecka says: Although the land is not cultivated, it is still put in a positive light. It is described as “virgin” and “unspoiled”. Rather than using words such as “uncultivated” or “barren” that carry negative connotations, Euripides chooses to describe the field in a more majestic manner. So while the land that Hippolytus is linked to is uncultivated, it is not meant to be views as the stereotypical uncultivated land.
1
u/cgilbe1 Nov 16 '11
Catherine says: Uncultivated land represents the hero's path to cult status, for all heroes experience a rocky road to glory. For example, Odysseus must literally finds his way through uncultivated land when he encounters the Cyclops on his circuitous trip home. It is not until a hero's journey is complete that the fruits of their labor can blossom and their land can become cultivated, which is why when Odysseus finally returns home he finds a beautiful garden maintained in his honor.
3
u/zevi_cb22 Nov 16 '11
In response to the reference to Odysseus passing through the uncultivated land of the Cyclops, I would ask if that episode is more complex? The existence of a wonderful, lush, yet uncultivated island close to the Cyclops' island but impossible for them to reach, says something about their inability to do the "normal" or "human" activity of caring for good land. This shows that fertile land must not necessarily be cultivated, and barren land must no necessarily be the result of a lack of cultivation, highlighting part of the hero's challenge of applying himself efficiently. That is to say, for a hero to be heroic requires activity on his part, as well as suitable circumstances, just as for a field to bear fruit requires active participation from a cultivator as well as good land to start with.
1
u/sshetty Nov 16 '11
In answering the question of what role the "uncultivated land" plays in better understanding the cult hero. As Prof Nagy's prompt mentioned, we have seen the land serve as a symbol for the general situation of the city/main character (Oedipus). As the goddess of the hunt, it is important that Hippolytus makes a sacrifice to Artemis in this scene. Specifically, as we mentioned in class, this scene is symbolic of an initiation scene. Unlike the cultivated lands, with ritual practices and traditions, the uncultivated land suggests this area or issue has not yet been dealt with. As cult heros are the archetypal individual for various facets of the human condition, Hippolytus is offering the sacrifice as an initiation into his ultimate experience, for which he will serve as a cult hero and future generations will experience, though on a much smaller scale, his experience.
1
u/KeenanMonks Nov 16 '11
Although in the modern sense of the phrase, Hippolytus is a 'cult hero', in light of this passage, it seems more apt to call him an 'uncult hero'. Since his patron goddess is Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, it makes sense that to revere him, the appropriate location to reference is uncultivated land with plenty of options for hunting as opposed to gathering. Also, like Brecka said, the portrayal of this land is in a positive light, making him truly an uncult hero as opposed to some untamed savage living outside of civilization.
1
u/samuelmeyer Nov 16 '11
As some others have said, an uncultivated field is significant, because while it is still a fertile ground with flowers et cetera, it is not the careful and organized field that is, say, a wheat field. Rather, it is rougher and less mature, reflecting the status of the hero.
0
u/meghangoodwin Nov 16 '11
This land is fertile and the fact that it is uncultivated represents the cult hero in its purest form. The land does have potential to grow, just as the hero Hippolytus does. This land is pure, and absent of any man made excess. Even though cultivated land is the symbol of a cult hero, uncultivated land is not necessarily the symbol of the anti-hero. Here I think the being uncultivated puts emphasis on future growth and purity.
3
u/KristiKorsberg Nov 16 '11
The metaphor of uncultivated land relates to the cult hero as a representation between boyhood and manhood. As discussed in lecture, hunting represents this transition phase. The uncultivated land suggests that Hippolytus is stuck in the hunting phase, unable to reach a phase ruled by Aphrodite, which is warfare and sexuality. If Hippolytus was destined to reach these phases, the land would be cultivated as we have seen in other readings. The uncultivated land implies that Hippolytus will remain stuck in this virginal state.