Ἡ διαδρομὴ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν Μύθων: Αἴας

Ἡ διαδρομὴ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν Μύθων στὴ Δυτικὴ Μεσόγειο.

   Ἀπὸ τὸν 7ο αἰ. π.Χ. οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐγκαταστάθηκαν στὴ Νότιο Ἰταλία καὶ τὴ Σικελία. Μαζί τους ἔφεραν τοὺς μύθους τῶν θεῶν καὶ τῶν ἡρώων τους.

   Ἕνας βωμὸς ἀπὸ ἄργιλο, τοῦ 530 π.Χ., πιθανότατα ἀπὸ τὴ Γέλα τῆς Σικελίας, φέρει παράσταση ἀπὸ ἕναν δραματικὸ μύθο, ἰδιαίτερα δημοφιλὴ στὴν ἀρχαία ἑλληνικὴ τέχνη: τὴν αὐτοκτονία τοῦ Αἴαντος. Μετὰ ἀπὸ τὰ μεγάλα κατορθώματά του κατὰ τὴ διάρκεια τοῦ Τρωικοῦ Πολέμου ὁ Αἴας ὑπέστη μία συντριπτικὴ ἧττα. Ἀκόμα κι ἄν εἶχε ἐμποδίσει νὰ πέσῃ τὸ σώμα τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως στὰ χέρια τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἦταν ὁ Ὀδυσσεύς, αὐτὸς ποὺ τιμήθηκε μὲ τὴν πανοπλία τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως... Ἐξοργισμένος ἀποπειράθηκε νὰ δολοφονήσῃ τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν. Τότε ἡ θεά Ἀθηνᾶ τοῦ προκάλεσε σύγχιση καὶ τὸν ἔκανε νὰ ξεσπάσῃ πάνω σὲ ἕνα κοπάδι πρόβατα. Ὅταν συνῆλθε τὸ πρωὶ καὶ διαπίστωσε σὲ πόσο οἰκτρὴ κατάσταση εἶχε περιπέσει, τερμάτισε τὴν ζωή του, πέφτοντας πάνω στὸ ξίφος του...

The route of the Greek myths to the Western Mediterranean

   From the 7th century BC onwards the Greeks settled in Southern Italy and Sicily. With them they brought their myths of gods and heroes.

   An altar of clay (C. 530 BC), probably from Gela in Sicily, bears a representation of a dramatic, popular myth in Greek art: the Suicide of Ajas. After his great exploits during the Trojan War Ajas suffered a crushing defeat. Even though he had prevented the body of Achilles from falling into enemy hands it was another Greek hero, Odysseus, who was awarded Achilles’ armour. Cheated and passed over, Ajas vented his rage on a flock of sheep. When the blood lust had abated and he realised what he’d done Ajas took his own life out of shame. The scene depicts Ajas at the moment of his death. The sword stands upright in the ground with Ajas impaled on its blade. 

Εἰκόνα -πληροφορίες: www.glyptoteket.com/