On Atrax, Ataraxia, and Killing Kyzikos
Part Six of the Exegesis on Orpheus' Argonautika
This is Part Six of an ongoing series in which we examine the Orphic Argonautica. Here are the links for Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.
You can find links to buy/download our full translation of the poem in this post:
On Atrax
At the end of the previous essay, we saw the Argonauts set up an altar to Tritogeneia, “and there the Nymphs \ by the Atrakian spring beautiful streams gush forth”1. This spring is Atrakian, meaning ‘of Atrakia’ or ‘of Atrax’, a place in Thessaly. However, this is impossible, as we saw the Argonauts pass Troy before bringing Argo ashore to build the altar. How can they be in Anatolia and then be building an altar in Greece?
This geographical oddity suggest that we are not dealing with real-world locations in this passage. However, the etymology of ‘Atrax’ is no help as to its meaning here, since it seems uncertain. The city is named after the hero Atrax, the father of Caeneus, which would include his grandsons among the Argonauts. The hero’s name is also of uncertain origin. To borrow an argument used elsewhere by Socrates, “I think this admits of many explanations, if a little, even very little, change is made”2. Socrates is speaking of the σῶμα - σῆμα problem, claiming that the Orphic poets changed a letter from the word for “sign” or “tomb” (σῆμα) in order to create the word for “body” (σῶμα). A number of verses earlier, just after leaving Kheiron’s Cave, the Argonauts see the tomb (σῆμα) of Dolops3.
Perhaps we are meant to connect all of these things together and suppose that our Orphic poet is doing the same etymological magic here as Socrates suggests. If we do, the uncertainty of Atrax shifts it from a dead-end into a signal to keep searching: the author of Orpheus’ Argonautika, like earlier Orphic poets, took a word with meaning and shaped it into a different word to obscure that meaning. What then could the original word and meaning be? If we examine the context again:
But when on the sands we beached, and indeed among them Tiphys
steersman of the ship and Aison’s splendid son,
and together with them the other Minyans, for gray-eyed Tritogeneia
set up having lifted a heavy stone, and there the Nymphs
by the Atrakian spring beautiful streams gush forth
because for them sailing along the broad Hellespont
fair-weather calm met inside of the bay,
nor toward land did they throw the well-curved anchors,
as when being beaten by waves under wintery gales.4
The Argonauts have just beached the ship after calm, fair-weather sailing. They didn’t even have to anchor the ship: the winds do not beat them today. They are grateful for this, and they recognize that the weather is far outside of their control. Knowing that they don’t influence the weather, but that it is well within their grasp to be thankful for it, they build an altar to Tritogeneia, who by Hera’s commands built and animated Argo for Jason’s voyage.
On Ataraxia
“Ataraxia” is the end-goal of several schools of ancient Greek philosophy, among them Stoicism. The word itself means “undisturbed”, and the state that it is used to describe is one of absolute tranquility and freedom from worry. It is this word, it would seem, that best fits our Orphic swap-game.
Stoicism is a philosophy which teaches that it is best to focus only on what one can influence. Don’t stress out about the weather, you can’t change how people are but only how you react, that kind of thing.
This is exactly what the passage above describes: the Argonauts, aware that things could have gone very bad for them, are grateful to the Gods that this leg of their journey was smooth. In thanks, they build an altar, from which the Nymphs spring beautiful “Atrakian” streams. The following lines go back to describing why the altar was built, but they very clearly use the words “calm” and “beaten” in opposition to each other: the altar was built because they are thankful for receiving the calm and for avoiding being beaten.
The “Atrakian” streams that spring forth are thus ‘Ataraxian’ springs, tranquility that Tritogeneia has bestowed upon the Argonauts. However, this is also a clever signal from the Orphic poet to the ideal reader-initiate. The spring next to the altar signifies the same things that the poem as a whole is about: the Gods will reward one’s eventual achievement of pious Ataraxia with an eternal seat next to Them. This scene is a microcosm of the quest overall, foreshadowing Jason’s eventual Ataraxia and dwelling amongst the Gods.
On Killing Kyzikos
After dedicating the altar, the Argonauts are joined by the hero Kyzikos, who joined them in their celebrations and sacrifices, loving everyone as his peers5. Kyzikos is a mirror-version of Jason: a kind, well-adjusted King who respects his friends. But the important part of this section begins at nightfall:
But when into Okeanos’ stream was plunging the Titan,
and starry-chitoned Mene brought on black-gleaming darkness,
just then came war-hardened men who indeed dwelled
in the Northern mountains, astonished resembling beasts,
and heavy-handed Titans, and also resembling the Giants;
for six hands from each one’s shoulders were springing.
Whom then having looked upon, the irresistible kings
into battle rushing warlike armor donned;
and so some indeed with pines were defending themselves, but others with firs;
and they fell upon the Minyans throughout the dark fog.
Whom indeed rushing forth was slaying Zeus’ brave son,
with his bow shooting; and with them he destroyed Aineus’ child
Kyzikos, not at all intentionally, but constrained by thoughtlessness;
and for him indeed it was fated under Herakles to be subdued.
And immediately the Minyans stepped inside the hollow
of the ship, well-armed, and towards the rowing-bench they each settled.6
Where previously our poet has confused the Titans and Giants, here a distinction is made between them even though they are still being used in comparison. While the Titans are the ones usually said to have dismembered Dionysos, that act is attributed to the Giants earlier in Orpheus’ Argonautika. Here, the poet is making the distinction clear because of the fact that the war-hardened attackers, with their six arms, visually resemble the Giants or ‘Hekatonkheires’ (literally “Hundred-Handed ones”). These war-hardened men are described as “astonished resembling beasts” to convey that they are truly barbarians, cave-men not even capable of complex understanding. They know only violence and survival.
