XAPIS for Chariclo: From Narrative to Ritual in Callimachus’ Hymn to Athena

Keyne Cheshire (Davidson College)

This paper proposes a fresh reading of Callimachus’ fifth hymn by treating the tale of Teiresias’ blinding as the hymnist recommends, from the perspective of the women preparing to bathe Athena’s statue at Argos. Recent scholarship on the hymn has regularly criticized Athena’s consolation of Chariclo for her son’s blinding as, for example, a “bleak climax” (Bulloch 1985, 52) or “woefully inadequate” (Depew 1993, 69). Heyworth (2004) 154 rhetorically demands, “What sort of consolation can this be for the mother of a blinded son?” This negative reading of Athena’s speech, however, threatens to undermine the positive significance of the narrative for those participating in the hymn’s ritual. I seek, therefore, to discuss how the tale in fact encourages the Argive women to look forward to the personal and civic benefits that their imminent ritual participation can bring.

The focus of this tale is, importantly, not the blinding of Teiresias, but the relationship between his mother Chariclo and Athena. The narrative begins by establishing at length the close friendship between the two (57-67), but when Athena blinds Chariclo’s son for stumbling upon their bath, Chariclo shouts at her and accuses her of betraying this friendship (τοιαῦται δαίμονες ἐστὲ φίλαι, 86). Athena does pity her companion (ἐλέησεν ἑταίραν, 95), but she also rebukes her for her anger (ὀργάν, 97) and explains that the laws of Cronus (98-102) and fate (103-105) demanded Teiresias’ punishment.

This is admittedly little consolation for the blinding of her friend’s son, but scholarly criticism has focused mainly on what follows, an account by Athena of Actaeon’s gruesome death for his similar intrusion on the bath of Artemis (107-118). If Athena’s speech is read solely as a consolatio designed to make Chariclo feel grateful that her son is blind and not dead, then the example of Actaeon would indeed seem, to use Haslam’s words, “positively sick” (1993, 123). As an affirmation of Athena’s friendship and loyalty, however, the example suits well: by Athena’s kinder interpretation of Cronus’ laws, she has proven herself a companion more loyal than Artemis.

Athena further affirms her friendship with a climactic play on her favorite’s name, as she grants “for your [Chariclo’s] sake” (τεῦ χάριν, 120) enormous compensation to her son: prophetic gifts, immortality in song, a long life, and sentience and honors after death. The centerpiece of these blessings stresses their civic boon (125-126), and thereby prepares for the hymn’s return to the context of civic ritual at Argos, where the women may hope to win both personal and civic blessings by bathing the statue of Athena.

The narrative of Hymn 5 thus offers a genuinely positive account of Athena’s χάρις. While misfortune is often fated, Athena’s grace can, as for Teiresias, mitigate it and even offer compensation. The traditional hymnic closing, χαῖρε (140, 141), recalls in this context Chariclo’s name and her special friendship with Athena. In so doing, it expresses the hymnist’s final prayer that the goddess will show similar χάρις to these women, their city Argos (140), and all Danaans (142).