Macaria (daughter of Hades)
Macaria (Ancient Greek: Μακαρία, romanized: Makaría, lit. 'blessed one, blessedness') is an obscure figure in ancient Greek mythology and religion, reportedly the daughter of Hades, god and king of the Underworld. Macaria is only mentioned in a medieval source of the tenth century, which offers little documentation on her character and personhood. She has no accompanying mythology of her own.
Etymology
[edit]The ancient Greek noun μακαρία translates to "happiness", "bliss" or "blessed one", but alternatively it can also mean "foolishness".[1][2]
The Suda
[edit]This Macaria is attested in a single source, the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda, according to which she is a daughter of Hades, the king of the Underworld;[3] no mother is mentioned. Nothing else is known about her, as she is neither explicitly stated to be an immortal goddess nor a mortal woman, nor confirmed to live in the Underworld with her father.
Possible connections
[edit]In the same entry in the Suda, two more Macarias are discussed, apparently independently from the daughter of Hades; an ancient Greek proverb and Macaria, the daughter of Heracles who sacrificed herself to save her kin and city.[4] According to the author, the ancient Greek figure of speech "be gone to blessedness" meant to go "into destruction", in a euphemistic manner (as the dead were traditionally referred to as "the blessed ones");[3] it was counterpart to the modern "go to hell".[5] The phrase was proverbial, and used for those whose courage endangered them.[6] According to the sophist Zenobius, this phrase was actually connected to Macaria the daughter of Heracles,[7] and was originally said positively for those who sacrificed themselves with courage and valor.[8]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Liddell & Scott 1940, s.v. μακαρία.
- ^ Liddell & Scott 1940, s.v. μάκαρ.
- ^ a b Sudas (January 24, 2004). "Macaria". Suda On Line. Translated by Katrina Ball. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Käppel, Lutz (October 1, 2006). "Macaria". In Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmuth (eds.). Brill's New Pauly. Kiel: Brill Reference On line. doi:10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e718630. ISSN 1574-9347. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν". lsj.gr. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Sudas (April 13, 2002). "Ball' es Makarian". Suda On Line. Translated by Jennifer Benedict. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Smith 1873, s.v. Macaria.
- ^ Zenobius 2.61
Bibliography
[edit]- E. L. von Leutsch; F. W. Schneidwein, eds. (1839). Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum. Vol. 1. Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht. p. 48.
- Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Online version at Perseus.tufts project.
- Smith, William (1873). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London, UK: John Murray, printed by Spottiswoode and Co. Online version at the Perseus.tufts library.
External links
[edit]