Now, the games were important to the Ancient Greeks. By this I mean that their Olympic Games had to have originated from mythology. It’s where everything in Ancient Greece came from.
Does that mean that the Games we watch today are the result of Greek Mythology? Well, I think, they could be.
In Ancient Greece everything came from the gods, so it was obvious that this is where the games came from. Interestingly, there are several claims as to the origins of the games, nobody is certain as there are several legends vying.
Such as:
Dactyl Heracles
A Greek historian called, Pausanias, tells the story of Dactyl Heracles (he was not the son of Zeus and the Roman god Hercules) but he did have four his brothers, Paeonaeus, Epimedes, Iasius and Idas. Now the story goes that they raced at Olympia to amuse the newborn Zeus. The winner was then crowned with an olive wreath, and this became a peace symbol.
The other Olympian gods (so named because they lived permanently on Mount Olympus) would then engage in wrestling, jumping and running contests.
The story of Pelops
The story of PelopsThis is another story about the origin of the games.
At the time, Oenomaus, the king of Pisa, had a daughter named Hippodamia, again, we are back in Greek mythology. You see an oracle foretold that the king would be killed by his daughter’s husband.
Oenomaus therefore devised a plan with the aim of putting off all potential suitors of Hippodameia. He said that the first person to outrun his own chariot in a race would win his daughter’s hand. However, if they didn’t then once they had left King Oenomaus would chase them in another chariot, when he caught up with them, he said he would spear the suiter and their head placed upon a spike in front of the palace.
Now, it wasn’t a fair race, as the king’s horses were a present from the god, Poseidon, and therefore incredibly fast. King Oenomaus knew he was onto a winner.
Inevitably, the king’s daughter fell in love, he was a man called Pelops, who knew of the terms.
Pelops therefore persuaded Myrtilus, Oenomaus’ charioteer, to change the bronze axle pins on the king’s chariot to wax ones. Obviously, during the race, the wheels got hot, the wax melted, with the result that the king fell from his chariot and was killed.
After his victory, Pelops felt that he needed to be cleansed for the King’s death. Therefore, he decided to organize a series of chariot races as a thanksgiving to the gods. Have you noticed they always thanked the gods! Then to further cleanse himself and honor King Oenomaus he held it at Olympia. Guess what it is claimed this was the inspiration for the Olympic Games?
Pelops went on to become a great king, a local hero, and he gave his name to the Peloponnese, which a peninsula in southern Greece.
Heracles, the son of Zeus
This is another myth, attributed to Pindar, states that the festival at Olympia involved Heracles, the son of Zeus. According to Pindar, Heracles established an athletic festival to honour his father, Zeus, after he had completed his labours.
Who was Pindar?
He is interesting. He is a Greek lyric poet who composed odes to celebrate victories the Ancient Olympic Games. He actually wrote fourteen Olympian Odes, glorifying victors at the Ancient Olympic Games. The first is in the collection by Aristophanes of Byzantium, which included praise for the games. There was also one for Pelops, who first competed at Elis, a city-state, so perhaps the King should have done his research, before the race. This was the most quoted ode in this period, in fact some have called it the “best of all the odes”.
Pindar poems were in those days called an epinicion. This means that they were choral lyric, performed when they celebrated of an athletic victory in Games or to honour of a victory in war.
Now what’s interesting about all these myths is that Greeks understood that the games had their roots in religion. They believed athletic competition was tied to worship of the gods and would bring peace, harmony and a return to the origins of Greek life.
So, when you next watch the Olympics on the television reminder you are watching a 3,000 year old Mythology. That is a study and interpretation of sacred tales or fables of a culture known as myths, that has led to what we watch today!
Our sister site Educational Musicals have published a musical The Ancient Olympics – The Legend of Callipateira which you can download by clicking on The Ancient Olympics – The Legend of Callipateira
As only men were allowed to compete in the Ancient Olympics, girls and unmarried women could attend, but not married women. This is a musical based around Pausanias’ original story of about Callipateira, a married woman, who wanted to go to the Olympic Games.
Isn’t history fun?
Some questions to ask:
- How do various Greek myths, such as the stories of Dactyl Heracles and Pelops, contribute to the origins of the Ancient Olympic Games?
- What role did the gods play in the establishment of the Olympic Games according to Greek mythology?
- Discuss the significance of Pelops’ victory and the subsequent chariot races in relation to the origin of the Olympic Games.
- How does the story of Heracles, as recounted by Pindar, tie into the religious and mythical aspects of the Ancient Olympic Games?
- Explore the connection between athletic competition and religious worship in Ancient Greece, as reflected in the myths surrounding the Olympic Games.
- What were some common themes and beliefs about the Olympic Games in Ancient Greek culture, as portrayed in myths and legends?
- How did the Ancient Greeks view the Olympic Games as a means to honor their gods and bring about peace and harmony?
- Discuss the symbolic significance of the olive wreath crown awarded to winners of the Olympic Games, as depicted in Greek mythology.
- In what ways did the Ancient Greeks intertwine mythology, religion, and athletic competition through the institution of the Olympic Games?
- How has the understanding of the origins of the Ancient Olympic Games through mythology influenced the modern interpretation and celebration of the Olympics?
For some more information click on:
https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml
https://www.sportsengine.com/olympics/history-of-the-ancient-olympic-games
https://greekreporter.com/2022/07/22/olympic-games-origin-ancient-greece/