Pirithous' Wedding: A Tragic Affair

Pirithous, the King of the Lapiths in Greek mythology, married Hippodamia, daughter of Atrax or Butes. At the wedding, a battle broke out between the Lapiths and the Centaurs—the former being cousins of Pirithous, born to Ixion or to a son of Ixion. The battle, known as the Centauromachy, was sparked by the drunken Centaurs, who attempted to abduct the women, including Hippodamia. The Lapiths, led by Pirithous and his comrades, emerged victorious, driving the Centaurs from Mount Pelion.

Pirithous' wedding to Hippodamia

In Greek mythology, Hippodamia, or Hippodameia ("she who masters horses"), was the daughter of Atrax or Butes and the bride of King Pirithous of the Lapiths. Pirithous was the son of "heavenly" Dia, fathered either by Ixion or Zeus.

At their wedding, the centaurs, who were guests, got drunk and tried to abduct Hippodamia, the other female guests, and the young boys. The intoxicated centaur Eurytion or Eurytus carried off Hippodamia. Pirithous and his friend Theseus led the Lapiths to victory over the centaurs in a battle known as the Centauromachy. Pirithous and Hippodamia had a son, Polypoetes, but Hippodamia died shortly after giving birth.

The wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia was a popular motif in Greek art, and the subject of a fresco from Pompeii, now in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. It was also depicted in a set of panels by Lattanzio Gambara, which were originally painted for the Palazzo Pedrocca-Scaglia in Brescia.

The Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs

The centaurs, who were cousins of Pirithous, were invited to the wedding. They were known for their wild nature and their reputation for carrying off women. As the wedding feast progressed, the centaurs drank copious amounts of wine, and their inhibitions faded. When the bride, Hippodameia, was presented to greet the guests, the intoxicated centaur Eurytion or Eurytus jumped up and attempted to abduct her. The other centaurs followed suit, each trying to violate the women and boys who were present at the wedding.

Pirithous, along with his comrades, including the heroes Theseus, Peleus, and Nestor, quickly took up their weapons to defend the wedding guests. A mass battle ensued, pitting the Lapiths against the centaurs. The Lapiths, with their superior skills and weapons, emerged victorious. Many centaurs lay dead on the battlefield, and those who survived were driven out of Thessaly to more remote areas of Ancient Greece.

The abduction of Hippodamia

The theme of the struggle between rationality and bestiality, or civilised behaviour and primitive instincts, was a popular one in 19th-century European art. One notable depiction of The Abduction of Hippodamia is a sculpture by 19th-century French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, modelled c. 1877 and cast thereafter. The sculpture captures the moment of highest tension, with the centaur turning and thrusting both up and back, while Hippodamia twists and stretches, forcing energy out from the centre. The expressive intensity of the sculpture, particularly in the musculature and expression of the centaur, suggests the influence of Auguste Rodin, who worked in Carrier-Belleuse's studio in the 1870s and may have contributed to the work.

Another sculpture with the same title, The Abduction of Hippodamia, dates from the late 16th century and is made of lead-glazed earthenware. It is possibly by the workshop of Orazio Fontana or a follower of Bernard Palissy. This sculpture was based on a 1542 engraving by the Italian printmaker Enea Vico. A painting by Rubens also depicts the abduction of Hippodamia.

The Centauromachy

The Lapiths were ruled by Ixion, whose son Pirithous succeeded him as king. After Ixion's death, a power vacuum was created, and while Pirithous dealt with it initially, the drunken Centaurs started a vicious fight at his wedding. The Centaurs were unused to wine, and when they sensed the sweet-smelling drink at the wedding, they got drunk. When Hippodamia was presented to greet the guests, the wildest of the wild centaurs, Eurytion, grabbed her and tried to carry her away, with other Centaurs following suit. The Lapiths responded immediately, and a violent battle broke out—the Centauromachy.

The Athenian hero Theseus, Pirithous' closest friend, was a guest at the wedding and came to Hippodamia's aid. He jumped at Eurytion, rescued the bride, and killed the centaur. The Lapiths, with the help of Theseus, emerged victorious, but not without suffering dozens of injuries and fatalities. The defeated Centaurs were expelled from Thessaly and forced to move to Peloponnese, where they were finished off by Heracles.

Pirithous' imprisonment in the Underworld

Pirithous, the King of the Lapiths and close friend of Theseus, found himself imprisoned in the Underworld due to his ambitious and blasphemous plan to kidnap Persephone, the wife of Hades and daughter of Zeus. This plan was formed after the death of his wife, Hippodamia, and his visit to Theseus in Athens, where he discovered that Theseus' wife, Phaedra, had also died. The pair decided that only daughters of Zeus were worthy of them and, after Theseus kidnapped Helen of Sparta, Pirithous insisted on kidnapping Persephone, despite the objections of his friend.

The pair descended into the Underworld, and were welcomed by Hades, who presented them with a banquet and bade them to sit on stone seats. However, as they sat down, the stone came alive, imprisoning them. The Furies were then sent to torture the pair. Pirithous and Theseus were discovered by Heracles, who was in the Underworld to complete his final labour – to bring back Cerberus. Heracles managed to free Theseus, but when he tried to do the same for Pirithous, the earth shook, and it seemed that Hades believed Pirithous' crime to be greater than that of Theseus. According to a scholium on Aristophanes, in a lost play by Euripides, Hades had Pirithous fed to Cerberus as punishment for his impiety.

Pirithous remained imprisoned in the Underworld forever, never emerging. However, there are alternative versions of the myth, with some claiming that Heracles did rescue Pirithous, and others stating that the pair never went to the Underworld, but instead travelled to Epirus, the land of the Molossians and Thesprotians, where they were imprisoned by King Aidoneus, another name for Hades.

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