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February 12th, 2009
09:33 am - Magical Girdles and Herculean Labours
Some may recall that I located a reference to a Roman military belt that is fitted with gold plates depicting the deeds of Hercules in a German text. I have had a thing for the Twelve Labours since I found statutes of eight of them at the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna in 2005.
Well, I've located the plates and, indeed, they're clearly Hercules (as a matter of note, I prefer the name "Heracles," but this is a Roman belt, after all. . .).
Clearly depicted are Cerberus (who I prefer to call "Spot"), the Stag, and the Girdle. I don't believe there's enough of the lower-left piece to figure out which one it might be, though since the guy holding the club doesn't appear to be wearing a lion skin, perhaps it's the Nemean Lion (a Labour that would make sense on a soldier's belt).
I can just imagine the feeling of power this soldier must have felt, wearing this belt into battle. It was like he was enacting the mythic drama of Hercules, and I suspect that the belt also reminded him that the duty of being a soldier was not without labour and work, as well, but that even the most basic task could be heroic, if done by the right person. It's a fabulous piece, and I wish more if it were still intact.
I love my library system here at OSU.
Statues of the Twelve Labours at the Hofburg Imperial Palace
The Nemean Lion
The Lernean Hydra
The Cretan Bull
The Belt of Hippolyte
The Apples of Hesperides
Cerberus
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Anyone know which these two are? I don't.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Rancho Deluxe", -JB
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![[User Picture]](https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/46638005/9126924) | | From: |  tesinth |
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| Date: | February 12th, 2009 02:54 pm (UTC) |
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Anyone know which these two are? I don't.
Hmmm, "Lover's Quarrel" and "Make-up Sex" I do believe. :)
Edited at 2009-02-12 02:54 pm (UTC) Huh, I wonder if those were two of the "lost labours" that Peisandros of Rhodes wrote about? *nods* I've often wanted to trace the use of the two names to see why the Roman became so much more popular, but haven't really had the time.
I'll bet there's some poor PhD's dissertation somewhere, gathering dust, entitled, "Hercules and Heracles: An Evolution of Preference and a Discussion of Greco-Roman Confusion in Post-Renaissance European Courts" I'm amused: the Wikipedia article on Hercules in popular culture indicates that it is indeed around the renaissance where they get conflated. I'm astounded! Who needs the library when you have Wikipedia? Or, we could just watch Hercules in New York and be done with it. Who needs Wikipedia when you have the Governator? Yes, you should read the plot synopsis. Heh. That's the direction my mind was headed in, but you got there first (and made a better crack, no doubt). I am sure you won't be surprised to find out that I took photos of those as well! :-D Not a bit! Did you find the ones I'm missing? For the life of me, I could not locate all 12! I have to go home to see which ones I have. I'll let you know when I look at the photos tonight! It appears you are correct! I am guessing that it's also not a labour, as I simply can't locate anything in it that looks iconic enough to actually designate it as such. Of course, do I remember if it was paired with the one of Heracles and the giant? No, I do not. *sighs* I'll be sifting through info on Heracles for a while, I suspect, looking for the smoking gun here. Good catch, and fixed. Thanks. . . I'm usually pretty anal about checking my links. I suppose work has gotten more complicated, if I'm neglecting to do even that. Second one looks like Heracles' battle against Antaeus.
Not sure on the first one. You, too, seem to win the prize for that second one. Haha. Score one on this test, then! That confirms it! (You did pass that test, right?) Thanks for posting this. I am a civilian re-enactor with a Roman Legionary group (Legio XX). They are always looking for this sort of stuff. (Yes, I have a life outside of ADF.) My pleasure. I knew others would be interested: it's a darn cool belt. The thing on the lower left looks like it is sideways. Don't you see an eagle in it, or some kind of big winged bird? I s'pose it could be: there were birds in those labours, after all. But that would put Heracles on his back, which doesn't sound too heroic.
Speaking iconographically, of course. There are plenty of heroic things one could do on their back. |
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