Macaria

Macaria or Makaria (Ancient Greek: Μακαρία, romanized: Makaría, lit. 'blessed one, blessedness') is the name of two figures from ancient Greek religion and mythology. Although they are not said to be the same and are given different fathers, they are discussed together in a single entry both in the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia the Suda and by Zenobius.^[1]

Mythology

Daughter of Heracles

In the Heracleidae of Euripides, Macaria ("she who is blessed") is a daughter of Heracles.^[2] Even after Heracles' death, King Eurystheus pursues his lifelong vendetta against the hero by hunting down his children. Macaria flees with her siblings and her father's old friend Iolaus to Athens, where they are received by Demophon, the king.

Arriving at the gates of Athens with his army, Eurystheus gives Demophon an ultimatum, threatening war upon Athens unless Demophon surrenders Heracles's children. When Demophon refuses and begins to prepare for war, an oracle informs him that Athens will be victorious only if a noble maiden is sacrificed to Persephone. Upon hearing this, Macaria sees that her only choice is immediate death on the altar or eventual death at the hands of Eurystheus. Since in neither case will she be granted a normal, happy life, she offers herself as the victim to save the welcoming city and its inhabitants, declining a lottery that would put other girls at risk. The Athenians honored her with lavish funeral rites, and the myth has an aetiological aspect: the spring where she died was named the Macarian in her honor.

Daughter of Hades

A character Macaria ('Μακαρία', literally 'blessed') is named in the Byzantine encyclopedia Suda.^[3] According to the Suda, this Macaria is the daughter of Hades (no mother is mentioned). She is neither explicitly stated to be an immortal goddess nor a mortal woman, or confirmed to live in the Underworld. Her name means 'blessed one' or 'happiness'; in relation to her name, the Suda mentions the figure of speech "be gone to blessedness" (as opposed to misery and utter destruction, which may be euphemistic, in the way that the dead are referred to as "the blessed ones"), an ancient Greek phrase equivalent to modern "a plague on you" or "go to hell".^[4] The phrase was proverbial, and used for those whose courage endangered them.^[5] Zenobius meanwhile connects this phrase to Macaria the daughter of Heracles, and claims it was originally used for those who sacrificed themselves with valor.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Zenobius 2.61 in Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum, edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.
^ Euripides, Heracleidae
^ Suda mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, mu 51.
^ "βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν". lsj.gr. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
^ Suda, beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, beta 74.

External links

Makaria at The Theoi Project
English translation of Euripides' Heracleidae

This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific Greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended Greek mythology article, if one exists.

[zen-1] Zenobius 2.61 in Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum, edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.

[2] Euripides, Heracleidae

[3] Suda mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, mu 51.

[4] "βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν". lsj.gr. Retrieved August 29, 2024.

[5] Suda, beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, beta 74.

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