Thetis Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Život v zanikajícím oceánu Thetys Xiphactinus žil v období křídy před více než 80 miliony lety, tedy v době, kdy pevninu ovládali dinosauři. Tento až šest metrů dlouhý a tunu vážící predátor byl králem podvodního světa, přestože oceán... more

Život v zanikajícím oceánu Thetys Xiphactinus žil v období křídy před více než 80 miliony lety, tedy v době, kdy pevninu ovládali dinosauři. Tento až šest metrů dlouhý a tunu vážící predátor byl králem podvodního světa, přestože oceán obývaly i větší obludy. Příkladem může být osmimetrový žralok Cretoxyrhina. Xiphactinus však disponoval bojovým arsenálem v podobě zubů ostrých jak meče, jejichž čepele byly i 30 centimetrů dlouhé. Největší známá ryba, která žila na naší planetě, dostala, jméno Leedsichthys a žila v období jury. Zkameněliny tohoto neuvěřitelného tvora, který se živil převážně planktonem, byly poprvé objeveny u britského Peterborough v roce 1886. Obří prehistorická ryba mohla vážit až 45 tun a měřila okolo třiceti metrů na délku. V období třetihor, a to v oligocénu, bylo na území dnešní Moravy moře. V sedimentech z tohoto období-v tzv. menilitovém souvrství, lze nalézt řadu fosilních pozůstatků rybovitých obratlovců, a to jak žraloků (Selachii). Jenže pro ty byste museli s prutem až kamsi k Brnu.

Some of the monumental chamber tombs, which are numerous in Thrace, have painted or sculpted decoration. The appearance of these luxurious monuments of funerary art is related to the foundation of the realm of the Odrysae in the early 5th... more

Some of the monumental chamber tombs, which are numerous in Thrace, have painted or sculpted decoration. The appearance of these luxurious monuments of funerary art is related to the foundation of the realm of the Odrysae in the early 5th century BC, however, painted tombs are rare before the Hellenistic period. The participation of Thracian units in the military campaigns of Alexander and his successors provoked an influx both of money and new ideology, the decorated monumental chamber tombs of Thrace becoming perfect illustrations for the Hellenistic cultural koine: Thrace is situated on the crossroad between
Europe and Asia Minor, on a spot, where Greece met Anatolia. Thrace was also the closest neighbour of Macedonia, from where spread new principles and fashion in royal art. Thracian idiosyncrasies were manifested in the adaptation of Greek order ornamentation to the tholos
tomb shape and the interpretation of Greek iconography. The variety in iconography and style in Thracian tombs is impressive. While the Ostrusha paintings can be qualified as the most delicate, the composition of the frieze in the Kazanlak tomb is the most complex and
harmonious. Among the Thracian paintings there are a few of outstanding importance for the history of ancient painting: these are the representation of Thetis in the Ostrusha tomb, the rider from the composition in the lunette in the Sveshtari Tomb with caryatids, the painted coffered ceiling in Ostrusha tomb, the naked hunter from the frieze in Alexandrovo tomb. The decorated monumental tombs are a luxurious funerary art, but they are first and foremost the manifestation of self-representation of the Thracian rulers.

Among many doubts, one thing is certain: Thetis is the mother of Achilles. Homer gave her a solid position in the epic canon of Antiquity. The Ilias Latina even dubs Achilles “the Thetideian hero” (1) and Quintus’ Posthomerica (3rd AD)... more

Travelling is part and parcel of the Homeric world. Both mortals and immortals in human disguise invariably travel across lands and seas (often defying the laws of Physics whilst doing so). The motif of travelling / itinerant voyaging... more

Travelling is part and parcel of the Homeric world. Both mortals and immortals in human disguise invariably travel across lands and seas (often defying the laws of Physics whilst doing so). The motif of travelling / itinerant voyaging constitutes an inherently stereotypical feature of the Homeric tradition. Simultaneously, there is an additional parameter that permeates the Homeric world, which co-exists with and complements the travelling motif: this pertains to travels that never happened, journeys that were vividly visualized / imagined / longed for, but they were never realized (cf. de Jong's "if not-situations"). It is precisely cases and examples of this distinct parameter of unfulfilled travelling wishes that the present contribution highlights and studies (drawing from both within and outside the Homeric epics, but always from within the wider Homeric tradition). The Homeric hero who repeatedly dreams of his homeland and best exemplifies the motif of the unfulfilled wish for returning to it, is Achilles; for him (and also for others, e.g. Palamedes, Antilochus) the journey back home never becomes reality; instead, it ineluctably remains in the sphere of utopian desire (with the optative mode ominously conveying – on the level of syntax – limited possibility of realization).

In this paper, I examine the figure of Thetis in Tirso de Molina’s only mythological comedy El Aquiles, written around 1611/1612. The play, centred around the delay of Achilles and Ulysses in joining the Trojan War, features an... more

In this paper, I examine the figure of Thetis in Tirso de Molina’s only mythological comedy El Aquiles, written around 1611/1612. The play, centred around the delay of Achilles and Ulysses in joining the Trojan War, features an amalgamation of well-known mythological themes in a convergence of heightened classical stature. El Aquiles aptly displays the playwright’s predilection for ambiguous themes, such as cross-dressing (Paterson, 1993), equivocal characterisations (Stoll, 1998), and comedic twists in the story. Whilst most scholarly interest has naturally fallen upon the figure of Achilles and his heroic transformation (Hesse and McCrary, 1956; Madrigal, 1983; Shecktor, 2009), in this paper I shift the focus onto Thetis. I will first offer an overview of the goddess’ agency in the play, in order to see how her characterisation is manufactured throughout the drama. I will then trace her portrayal back in literary time, to see how her depiction both derives and differs from her previous appearances in the Classical tradition. Ultimately, this paper aims to see how Tirso de Molina draws upon, and assembles, different classical and non-classical accounts of the goddess, and to examine yet another representation of the alluring power of Thetis in the collective imagination.