Stesichorus facts for kids
Stesichorus (born around 630 BC, died 555 BC) was an ancient Greek poet. He came from a region in Southern Italy called Calabria today. He was famous for telling long, exciting stories, much like epic poems, but he used a different style of poetry called lyric poetry.
People in ancient times told many stories about Stesichorus. One famous story says he became blind after writing a poem that insulted Helen of Troy. Later, he wrote another poem praising Helen, and his eyesight was magically restored!
Stesichorus was considered one of the nine most important lyric poets by scholars in ancient Alexandria. Even so, not many of his poems have survived to our time. However, new discoveries on ancient Egyptian papyrus have helped us learn more about his work. His poems helped connect the epic stories of Homer with the lyric style of later poets like Pindar. Stesichorus also influenced how myths were shown in art and how plays developed in ancient Athens.
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Who Was Stesichorus?
Stesichorus was born in a place called Metauros (now Gioia Tauro) in Southern Italy around 630 BC. He died in Katane (modern Catania) in Sicily in 555 BC. Some people thought he was from Himera in Sicily, but he only moved there later in his life.
His original name was Tisias. He was called Stesichorus because he was the first to "establish" (stesai) a group of singers who performed with a cithara (a type of lyre). He had two brothers: Mamertinus, who was good at geometry, and Helianax, who was a law-maker.
His poems were written in the Doric dialect and were collected into 26 books. The story about him becoming blind after insulting Helen and then regaining his sight after praising her is a well-known legend.
When Did Stesichorus Live?
Stesichorus lived a long life, possibly up to 85 years old. He was alive at the same time as other famous figures like the poet Sappho and the ruler Phalaris. The philosopher Aristotle even mentioned a speech Stesichorus supposedly gave. In this speech, he warned the people of Himera about Phalaris, who wanted to become a powerful ruler.
Where Did Stesichorus Live and Write?
Stesichorus's poems, which often retold epic stories, were very popular in Western Greece (Southern Italy and Sicily). This was because people in these areas loved stories about heroes. For example, there were special groups who honored heroes like Philoctetes and Diomedes.
His most famous poem, "The Palinode," which praised Helen, was also popular here. Helen was an important figure in the Doric areas of Greece. Stesichorus's poetry showed influences from both Doric and Ionian Greek styles. This fits with the idea that his birthplaces, Metauria and Himera, were founded by people from both groups.
Stesichorus also seemed to be involved in politics. Besides warning the people of Himera, he also warned the people of Locri. One story even says he once stopped two armies from fighting by singing a song.
What Was Stesichorus's Style Like?
Ancient writers often compared Stesichorus's beautiful poetry to the song of a nightingale. One writer said that when Stesichorus was born, a nightingale landed on his lips and sang a clear song.
Another writer praised Stesichorus for the grand way he set up his stories and how well he kept the true nature of his characters. Some even called him "the most Homeric" of authors, meaning his style was very similar to Homer's epic poems.
Modern experts agree that his poems were very long. For example, his poem Geryoneis was about 1500 lines long and would have taken about four hours to perform! This suggests that he might have performed his poems alone, perhaps playing a lyre, much like Homer did.
Stesichorus often used a special three-stanza structure (strophe, antistrophe, and epode) in his poems. This structure allowed him to adapt the rhythm of Homer's epic poems to his own lyric style. He didn't just change the form of epic poetry; he also changed the stories themselves. For instance, in his "Palinode," he told a new version of the Trojan War. In this version, the real Helen never went to Troy; only a magical image of her did, while she stayed home or went to Egypt.
A Famous Example of His Style
Stesichorus was known for his detailed descriptions. Here is a description of where the monster Geryon was born, as quoted by an ancient geographer:
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- σχεδὸν ἀντιπέρας κλεινᾶς Ἐρυθείας
- <
- > Ταρτησ-
- σοῦ ποταμοῦ παρὰ παγὰσ ἀπείρονας ἀρ-
- γυρορίζους
- ἐν κευθμῶνι πέτρας.
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This can be translated to give you an idea of his rich language:
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- Where monster Geryon first beheld the light,
- Famed Erytheia rises to the sight;
- Born near th' unfathomed silver springs that gleam
- 'Mid caverned rocks, and feed Tartessus' stream.
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How He Was Like Homer
Stesichorus's connection to Homer is clear in a part of his poem Geryoneis, which describes the death of the monster Geryon. Stesichorus made Geryon more human-like. His death in battle is described in a way that reminds us of the death of Gorgythion in Homer's Iliad.
Homer wrote:
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- He bent drooping his head to one side, as a garden poppy
- bends beneath the weight of its yield and the rains of springtime;" (Iliad 8.306-8)
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Stesichorus adapted this idea to describe Geryon's death:
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- Then Geryon rested his neck to one side
- As might a poppy when it mars
- The tenderness of its body shedding
- Suddenly all of its petals... (Geryoneis)
- Then Geryon rested his neck to one side
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This shows how Stesichorus used Homer's ideas but made them his own. His art was so powerful that even the philosopher Socrates, just before he died, wanted to learn one of Stesichorus's songs. He said he wanted to "know something more when I depart from life."
What Poems Did Stesichorus Write?
Ancient sources say Stesichorus's works were collected into 26 long narrative poems. Here are some of the titles we know:
- Helen: This poem might have been the one where he first showed Helen of Troy in a negative way.
- Helen: Palinodes: There were likely two "Palinodes" (poems taking back what was said before). In these, he changed the story of Helen. One version said she never sailed to Troy, and another said only an image of her went to Troy, while the real Helen was in Egypt.
- Sack of Troy: This poem was about the fall of the city of Troy.
- Wooden Horse: This might have been another name for "Sack of Troy," focusing on the famous Trojan Horse.
- Nostoi (The Returns): This poem told the stories of the Greek heroes returning home after the Trojan War.
- Geryoneis: This poem was about Heracles stealing the cattle of the monster Geryon. Many parts of this poem have been found, showing us his detailed descriptions of places and emotional speeches.
- Cerberus: This poem was about Heracles's journey to the underworld to capture Cerberus, the three-headed dog.
- Cycnus: This poem told the story of Heracles's fight with Cycnus.
- Skylla: This poem likely involved the sea monster Scylla.
- Thebaid or Seven Against Thebes: A long poem found on a papyrus in Lille, France, is thought to be one of these. It includes a speech by a Theban queen, possibly Jocasta.
- Eriphyle: This poem was about Eriphyle and might have included a story about Asclepius bringing people back from the dead.
- Europa: This poem told a different version of the story of Cadmus, Europa's brother, and how he sowed dragon's teeth.
- Oresteia: This poem came in two parts and was about the story of Orestes.
- Boar-hunters: This poem was probably about Meleager and the Calydonian Boar hunt.
- Funeral Games of Pelias: This poem described the games held in honor of Pelias.
Poems Not Written by Stesichorus
Some poems were wrongly thought to be by Stesichorus in ancient times. These included poems about country life and some love songs. It's possible these were written by another poet named Stesichorus who lived much later.
Tabula Iliaca
The Tabula Iliaca is an ancient stone monument found near Rome, now in the Capitoline Museum. It shows scenes from the fall of Troy in carvings. It has an inscription that says, "Sack of Troy according to Stesichorus."
Experts disagree on whether the monument truly shows scenes from Stesichorus's poem Sack of Troy. For example, one scene shows Aeneas and his father leaving for "Hesperia" (the West) with sacred objects. This part might be more related to the Roman poet Virgil than to Stesichorus.
See also
In Spanish: Estesícoro para niños
