medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Bernard Knox wrote a fine essay demonstrating puns on the name of
Oedipus in the play, I believe, in /The Heroic Temper: Essays on
Sophoclean Tragedy/. The discussion was included in his teaching of
Oedipus at Yale [former student of his resident in this household], and
in various lectures over the years [which I heard in Washington, DC as a
Knox groupie.]. Oida- does refer to swollen, but it is also the word
for saw/know, which is absolutely crucial in the play.
DW
Christine Gray wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> For Oedipus, I thought oida- meant swollen and -pus referred to foot.
>
> Christine Gray
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
> culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Diana Wright
> Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 5:03 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [M-R] deformed ruler
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> For the Byzantines, it was blinding, because a blind person could not be
> an emperor or a priest. I think the nose thing was just insulting.
> Blinding was important. The Byzantine Emperor had first to be accepted
> by the army [then by the Senate] & presumably the army did not accept
> one incapable of leading the army.
>
> I have ever understood why blinding is considered emasculation. That is
> so often said about Oedipus, too, but the Greeks really could tell the
> difference. In Oedipus, blinding has to do with knowing -- the first
> part of the name Oida- means "I saw" and "I know," & Oedipus has taunted
> T-whose-name-I-cannot-spell with blindness. I think blinding for the
> Byzantines combines a memory of that with the OT requirement that
> sacrificial animals be unblemished. I could be wrong. But physical
> impediments did not necessarily prevent one from becoming emperor --
> there was Michael the Stammerer [though it more reliably translates as
> speech-impaired -- we don't know if he stammered or lisped or what].
>
> DW
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Kevin Teo wrote:
>
>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>
>> As far as I know, the mutilation of the body specifically the nose) in
>>
> Byzantine culture, when committed upon a dethroned basileus, was a form of
> "emasculation", and it was a means of statement with regards to the
> inability of the deformed basileus to rule anymore.
>
>> Kevin Jang
>>
>> --- Ms B M Cook <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
>>> culture
>>>
>>> But does it have anything to say about moral depravity (eg incest)
>>> or mental
>>> retardation ?
>>>
>>> BMC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> I find nothing about birth defects in:
>>>>
>>>> Edward Peters, The Shadow King: Rex inutilis in medieval law and
>>>> literature (Yale UPr, 1970).
>>>>
>>>> Tom Izbicki
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> culture
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Hi folks,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I was wondering if the fact that a heir in a county, duchy or
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> even
>>>
>>>
>>>>> kingdom
>>>>> was deformed, f.i. hunchbacked, could prevent him from
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> succeeding? Could
>>>
>>>
>>>>> that have been a biblical or canonical nono? Still a duke like
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> Godfrey
>>>
>>>
>>>>> III
>>>>> of Lotharingia (+1076) was called the Hunchback. Or was that
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> based on
>>>
>>>
>>>>> misinformation at the chronicler's-level?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Henk
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _____
>>>>>
>>>>> Mijn Postvak In wordt beschermd door SPAMfighter
>>>>> 2866 spam-mails zijn er tot op heden geblokkeerd.
>>>>> Download de gratis SPAMfighter <http://www.spamfighter.com/lnl>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> vandaag
>>>
>>>
>>>>> nog!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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