The Concept and Consequences of Hubris in 8 Greek Myths

 

 

The word, or term, Hubris, originates from the Ancient Greek word ὕβρις (húbris) and refers to arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, pretentiousness, vanity, pride, insolence and audacity.

I could go on and on here but I think you’ve got it, in general hubris means someone with an air of self-importance and most likely a superiority complex.

Hubris is usually recognized as a characteristic of an individual rather than a group although the group the offender belongs to may experience incidental consequences.

In Greek mythology, Hubris was the spirit and personification of insolence.

 She embodied the manifestation of excessive arrogance and audacity leading to the disrespect of the gods, which in turn resulted in divine retribution.

 

 

Hubris as a Crime In Ancient Greece

 

 

 

In Ancient Greece there were numerous different meanings of hubris, depending on the context.

 When it came to legalities, hubris could mean bodily assault or any or action which shamed and humiliated the victim, especially if that act was committed purely for pleasure or personal gratification.

Outrage and actions which violated natural order as well the theft of public property was also cited as Hubris.

However, the most common way hubris was committed as a crime in ancient Greece was when a mortal claimed to be better than a god in a specific skill or characteristic.

An accusation of hubris often meant that suffering or punishment will follow.

 

 

Nemesis

Goddess of Revenge

 

 

 

 In Greek mythology, Nemesis, the spirit of divine retribution, also known as the goddess Rhamnous, appears mainly as the avenger of crime and it is she who doles out punishment to those who have committed hubris.

Call it karma if you will.

 

 

The proverb “pride goes before a fall” (from the biblical Book of Proverbs, 16:18), sums up perfectly the modern use of hubris.

Greek myths have given us valuable lessons; they’ve taught us how to be courageous and to never give up.

They’ve taught us how to behave correctly, with that being said though, the ancient Greeks were not always of impeccable character and in some myths they made bad decisions and had to deal with the consequences.

These were examples of how mere mortals were not to behave!

 

 

Hubris in Greek Mythology

 Cautionary Tales

 

 

 

Hubris, or shall we say arrogance and pride, was a fatal flaw in the character of many leading characters in Greek mythology, especially the Greek heroes, who loved nothing better than to boast about their achievements, thinking themselves a cut above others.

The gods had a particular dislike of mortals and even demigods, who believed themselves equal to gods and were quick to show it by bringing tragedy upon them which more often than not led to their death.

These myths, telling the stories of unfortunates; their hubris and ultimately their downfall, are a somber reminder of human limits and mortality.

Below are eight cautionary tales surrounding various ancient Greek mythical mortals who “reaped what they sowed”!

 

 

1. Achilles

Hero of the Trojan War

 

 

 

 In Greek mythology, Achilles, a demigod, meaning he was half-mortal and half-divine, was the greatest of all the Greek warriors, a hero of the Trojan War and the main character in Homer’s Iliad.

As was usual in those times, Achilles was presented with, as spoils of war, a beautiful Trojan girl named Briseis.

When Briseis was stolen from him from him by Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, who commanded the Achaeans during the Trojan War, proud Achilles, feeling insulted and dishonored, refused to fight or lead his troops, the Myrmidons, alongside the other Greek forces.

This was a great setback for the Greeks.

 

Death of Patroclus

 

 

Patroclus, a childhood friend, wartime companion and possible lover of Achilles, begged his friend to let him go to let him go in Achilles’ place and lead the Myrmidons into battle.

 Grudgingly Achilles agreed and even gave Patroclus his own armor in order for Patroclus to impersonate Achilles.

Patroclus, was killed on the battlefield by the Trojan Prince, Hector.

Devastated over the death of Patroclus, Achilles ends his refusal to fight and heads for the battlefield in order to seek out Hector and kill him, which he does and then drags his corpse by its heels behind his chariot.

This act of dishonoring the body of Hector was a considerable display of hubris, an affront to the gods and human decency that invoked divine wrath.

Achilles’ disrespect for Hector and his general hubris enraged the gods but it was Apollo, the god of archery who essentially ended Achilles’ life.

 

Achilles Gets His Karma

 

 

Achilles would get his karma in the form of an arrow shot by the Prince of Troy and younger brother of Prince Hector, but guided by Apollo, god of archery.

Apollo guided Paris’ arrow to strike Achilles on his heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body as that is where his mother, Thetis, held him as she dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable.

What a dishonorable death for someone as great as Achilles; a divine punishment for his repeated acts of hubris.

 

 

2. Odysseus

Legendary King of the Island of Ithaca

 

 

 

Odysseus, a mortal hero, known for his intelligence and cunning, was a legendary hero in Greek mythology and king of the island of Ithaca who played the main part in Homer’s epic, the “Odyssey.”

In contrast to other Greek heroes, Odysseus’ pride did not bring about his death, just a whole lot of trouble over nothing.

In general, the journey home for most of the participants of the Trojan War, as they only had to sail across the Aegean Sea, took them about a week.

It should have been the same for which Odysseus; instead, it took him ten years!

One of the many obstacles prolonging his journey home was his confrontation with Polyphemus, the Cyclops.

 

Odysseus and Polyphemus

 

 

 During Odysseus’ journey home from Troy, upon reaching the island of the Cyclopes, a race of one-eyed giant shepherds, Odysseus and twelve of his men were somehow captured by these one-eyed giants.

The giants then imprisoned Odysseus and his men in the cave of the Cyclops named Polyphemus, who was absent at the time, and blocked the entrance to the cave with a giant boulder.

By the time Polyphemus returned to his cave, Odysseus, famous for his cleverness and cunning mind (this was the source of his pride) had come up with a life-saving trick.

 

Odysseus Tricks Polyphemus

 

 

When Polyphemus eventually returned to his cave, Odysseus was ready and waiting to put his plan into action.

He got the Cyclops very drunk, with the Cyclops’ own store of wine, causing Polyphemus to become rather friendly and talkative and when Odysseus asked for his name, Odysseus cleverly told him, “Outis” which means “Nobody.”

The party continued until Polyphemus fell into a drunken stupor, giving Odysseus the chance to stab him in the eye, blinding the Cyclops.

At once Polyphemus awakend and screamed out to his fellow Cyclops for help.

 When the other Cyclops came running to help, shouting to Polyphemus to tell them who was hurting him, Polyphemus shouted back; “outis (nobody) is hurting me!”

You can’t blame his friends for walking away from the cave can you?

 

The Great Escape

 

 

The next morning, Odysseus and his men, escaped from Polyphemus’ cave by hiding under the bellies of his sheep, as the Cyclops unsuspectingly remove the boulder, to let them out to pasture.

However, before sailing away from the island, hubris got the better of Odysseus; he wanted recognition for his clever trick, and he made the mistake of revealing his true identity by shouting out to Polyphemus:

 “My true name is Odysseus the son of Laertes!”

Polyphemus retorted angrily that his father, the mighty sea God Poseidon, would heal his eye.

Then, Odysseus made things ten times worse for himself; he insulted a god.

 High on his success, he taunted that the sea god could not heal his eye!

Polyphemus then implored Poseidon to make the journey home for Odysseus as difficult as possible.

 Poseidon, angry at the pride of Odysseus, complied.

 

 

3. Bellerophon

Hero Famed for Taming the Flying Horse Pegasus

 

 

 

In his youth, Bellerophon honoured the gods and won their favour, nevertheless, eventually his pride got the better of him and led to his downfall.

Before teaming up with Pegasus, Bellerophon had been given the task of killing the fire-breathing Chimaera, a terrifying creature with the body and head of a lion, a snake for a tail, and a goat’s face protruding from its body.

 

The Search for the Chimaera

 

 

The evening before Bellerophon was to depart upon his search for the Chimaera, he prayed to the goddess Athena for her assistance.

His prayers were answered when she told him where to find the winged horse Pegasus who would carry him on his journey.

Athena had also left beside Bellerophon a golden bridle; only with the use of this may the wild and rebellious Pegasus be tamed.

 With this help from Athena, Bellerophon was able to find and tame the animal.

 

 Pegasus and Bellerophon Defeat the Chimaera

 

 

Bellerophon was now on a roll!

He had tamed Pegasus, he had defeated the Chimaera; nothing could stop him now.

Bellerophon, who was now the man of the day, felt entitled to a place to call his own on Mount Olympus, home of all the Greek gods, and so he ordered Pegasus to head for home.

The gods didn’t like that, to them, Bellerophon was clearly overstepping his place as one of the mortal Greek heroes.

 

The Downfall of Bellerophon

 

 

Zeus, king of Greek gods, angered by Bellerophon’s audacity, decided to teach him a lesson.

He sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus as he was carrying Bellerophon to Mount Olympus, causing Pegasus to throw Bellerophon from his back and to his death.

The riderless Pegasus flew on, finally reaching Mount Olympus where he remained for many years in the service of Zeus, who employed him to carry his thunderbolts, for which Zeus rewarded him with a constellation, bearing his name.

In the constellation Pegasus is depicted with only the top half of his body; nevertheless it is one of the largest constellations in the sky; seventh in size.

 

 

4. Phaethon

Son of Helios the Sun God

 

 

Phaethon was the mortal child of the sun god Helios.

Owing to his ancestry, he was given the name Phaethon as it means “The shining one”

Despite his name, no one believed that Phaethon was actually the son of the Helios, the revered sun god.

 

Confirming his Heritage

 

 

In order to have his parentage confirmed, Phaethon travels to the sun god’s palace in the east where Helios confirms he is indeed his father and to prove he would grant Phaethon one wish, anything his heart desired.

Ecstatic with his father’s promise, Phaethon requests the privilege of driving his father’s chariot across the heavens for one day.

Greek myth has it, that Helios would bring the sun into the sky during the day in order to  heat the land, and then pull it below the ground at night, allowing the cool night air to settle.

Despite Helios’ warnings and attempts to dissuade his son, by telling him of the many dangers he would face on his journey through the heavens, and reminding Phaethon that he, Helios, was the only one who could control, he could not persuade his son to change his mind.

 

The Great Downfall

 

 

Helios was bound to his promise; he had no choice but to grant Phaethon his wish and handed over the chariot’s reins.

The ride was a nightmare; the horses were not used to his command and as a result, he drives the chariot too close to the Earth, burning it, and then, too far from it, freezing it.

Before Phaethon could cause any more damage, the god Zeus struck him down with a lightning bolt, killing him instantly

 And so, as you see, through not heeding his father, Phaethon’s hubris caused his ultimate downfall.

 

 

5. Arachne

Mythological Weaver Who Was Transformed Into a Spider

 

 

 

Arachne, a mortal woman, was the first spider; however, before she became a spider, she was a woman with expert weaving skills.

Arachne, who came from humble beginnings, had learnt the art of weaving as a young girl and quickly became an expert in her field; she was particularly renowned for her exquisite tapestries.

One day, upon viewing Arachne’s excellent work, someone commented to Arachne that she must have been blessed by Athena, the goddess of craft and weaving.

 

Arachne Succumbs to Hubris

 

 

Arachne succumbed to hubris, immediately ridiculing the idea and persisted that her work was all her own talent and that she had no need of any blessings from any god.

As if this were not disrespect enough to the gods, Arachne went one step further.

Unbeknownst to her, the giver of the compliment was none other than Athena, the goddess herself, whom Arachne then challenged to a weaving competition!

 It was at this point that the goddess Athena revealed herself but as determined as ever to prove that her skill was superior, Arachne did not retract her challenge and the weaving began.

 

The Weaving Competition between Arachne and Goddess Athena

 

 

Athena wove a delightful scene portraying the gods best moments; Zeus on his mighty throne, Poseidon bringing forth spring water, Athena being bestowed the city of Athens,Victory bestowing celebratory crowns and Queen Hera striking down offenders.

As if in defiance, Arachne wove a depiction of the gods committing their worst acts.

 She wove dreadful scenes of lust and violence; the gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Dionysius to name but a few, all up to no good.

She showed how they deceived women in order to sleep with them by disguising themselves as bulls, flames and showers of gold, etc.

 

Arachne Receives Her Comeuppance

 

 

Athena, mortified by what she saw in front of her, tore Arachne’s tapestry to shreds.

Angered, and maybe just a little jealous, of both the excellence of Arachne’s skill and her refusal to give Athena due credit for blessing her with the skill, Athena transformed Arachne into a spider.

 

 

6. Icarus

Son of Daedalus

 

 

 

Icarus was the mortal son of Daedalus; master craftsman, hired by King Minos of Crete, to construct a labyrinth, underneath his palace, where he wanted to imprison the half man, half bull creature, the Minotaur.

After learning of how Daedalus had given his daughter Ariadne a ball of string, to help his enemy, Theseus, defeat the Minotaur and escape from the labyrinth, King Minos had Daedalus and his son Icarus, imprisoned in a tower above his palace in Knossos.

Daedalus saw that the only way of escape was by flying off the top of the tower and over the palace towards freedom.

 

Escape from the Labyrinth

 

 

Daedalus, ever the wise craftsman, formulated a plan to escape.

He collected up feathers and waxed them together to create wings.

Once the wings were ready, one pair for Daedalus and one for Icarus, Daedalus gave Icarus some strict instructions:

On no account was Icarus to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt the wax holding the wings together, nor was he to fly too close to the sea, as the water would cause the wings to become wet and heavy.

Excited at the prospect of flying and escaping imprisonment, Icarus hastily agreed to his father’s warnings.

 And so, Icarus and Daedalus began their flight.

 

The fall of Icarus

 

 

 At first, Icarus followed his father, staying clear of the waves and not flying too close to the sun.

However, as the exhilaration of freedom and flight coursed through young Icarus, he became reckless with pride and began to swoop higher and higher until the hot rays of the sun began to melt the wax that was holding his wings together.

As one by one the feathers fell away, Icarus desperately flapped his arms about, in order to remain airborne but to no avail, he tumbled into the sea below and drowned.

Icarus was lost to the sea.

 Daedalus called for him again and again, but soon noticed the feathers drifting around on the waves.

 He later found Icarus’ body and named the nearby island after his lost son, Icaria, a harrowing addition to the Greek tragedy.

The story warns us of the dangers of excessive pride, when not taking heed of good advice.

Today, the sea into which Icarus fell is called the Icarian Sea and the nearby island, Icaria.

 

 

7. Niobe

The Queen who Wept Forever

 

 

 

Niobe, was the mortal daughter of Tantalus, king of a town above Mount Sipylus in Anatolia, and sister to Broteas and Pelops, who would later be a legendary hero and would give his name to Peloponnese.

Niobe married Amphion, king of Thebes, after which a series of tragic events followed, giving her a prominent place in one of the most tragic dramas of Greek mythology.

 Niobe and Amphion went on to produce fourteen children; seven sons and seven daughters, who came to be called the Niobids.

(The number of children varies in different myths)

 

A moment of Hubris

 

One day, whilst attending a ceremony held in honor of Leto, the mother of the divine twins, Apollo and Artemis, Niobe, in a moment of arrogance, not only bragged about having fourteen children but went as far to say that fact made her far superior to Leto, who was mother to only two children.

When the twins heard about this insult, they were enraged and immediately descended to Earth in order to kill the children of Niobe.

 

The Revenge of Apollo and Artemis

 

 

As punishment for her display of hubris, Apollo, the god of light, music and archery, is said to have killed all seven of Niobe’s sons with his powerful arrows right in front of their mother’s eyes.

Artemis, goddess of nature and hunting, Apollo’s sister, is said to have killed Niobe’s seven daughters with her lethal arrows.

The bodies of Niobe’s children were left lying unburied for nine days.

Distraught by the slaying of his children, Amphion took his own life.

(Some versions say that he too was killed by Apollo when he tried to avenge his children’s deaths.)

 

Zeus Turns Niobe to Stone

 

 

 In anguish Niobe anguish ran to Mount Sipylus where she begged the gods to put an end to her pain.

Zeus, feeling sorry for the grieving mother, transformed her into a rock, to make her immune to any sort of feeling.

However, even as a rock, Niobe continued to weep rivers of tears; a moving reminder of a mother’s eternal mourning.

To this day, Niobe is still mourning for her children, some believe her faint image can still be seen carved on a limestone rock cliff on Mount Sipylus and that the water seeping  out of the porous rocks bear an allusion to her ceaseless tears.

 

 

8. Narcissus

Fell In Love with His Own Reflection

 

 

 

The myth of Echo and Narcissus is one of the saddest ancient Greek love stories.

Narcissus had the looks to make any Greek god jealous and in his neighborhood, was considered quite the catch, all the village girls dreamed of being the one to take his fancy.

Narcissus, though, had no time for girls; he was too taken up with himself and scorned the advances of all, including the poor nymph, Echo (who could talk the hind legs off a donkey), who was head over heels in love with him.

Beautiful in her own right, Echo was chased by both Apollo and Pan but would shun their advances, and although Zeus did not chase after Echo, he made use of the mountain nymph.

Whilst Zeus would have his way with other nymphs, Echo would talk for hours with Hera, queen of goddesses and wife of Zeus, to distract the goddess from Zeus’ indiscretions.

 

Hera Curses Echo

 

 

 Hera would eventually recognise the role Echo was playing in enabling her husband’s affairs and so Hera cursed Echo so that she no longer had a voice of her own, and the nymph was only able to repeat the words of others.

Echo tried her best to gain the attention of Narcissus, to no avail, at her wits end, seeing him alone in the woods one day, Echo drew up her courage and threw her arms around him.

Narcissus, taken by surprise, exclaimed ‘Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!’

Mortified with shame, Echo ran to hide in the woods and from that time on, lived in a cave, her body wasting away from sadness; her bones changed into rocks, there was nothing left but her voice, with which she repeated anything she heard called out by passersby, she had become her namesake, Echo.

 

The Revenge of Nemesis

 

 

When, Nemesis, the goddess of revenge heard of Narcissus’s abominable behavior towards Echo, she wanted retribution, she enticed Narcissus to a pond, where he saw his own reflection and instantly fell madly in love with it.

Totally absorbed in his reflection in the water, Narcissus lost his footing and tumbled into the pond, where he drowned.

In the spot where Narcissus had sat gazing at his reflection in the water, there appeared a flower, the narcissus, a flower symbolizing selfishness and cold-heartedness.

 The nymphs erected a funeral pyre for Narcissus but when they came to place his body upon it, it was nowhere to be found, all that remained was a flower; the Narcissus flower.

 

 

What Lessons Have We Mere Mortals Learnt From These Tragic Greek Myths?

 

 

 

 Well, lesson number one; we’ve all learnt that to be humble is a virtue and number two:

Karma never loses an address!