# Hippolytus of Athens > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hippolytus_of_Athens > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hippolytus_of_Athens.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolytus_of_Athens > Source revision: 1354268868 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Son of Theseus in Greek mythology For other uses, see [Hippolytus (mythology)](/source/Hippolytus_(mythology)). "Virbius" redirects here. For the synonym of a genus of shrimp, see [Hippolyte (crustacean)](/source/Hippolyte_(crustacean)). This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Hippolytus of Athens" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Detail of the Hippolytus volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), c. 340 BC – c. 320 BC, British Museum. **Hippolytus** ([Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek_language): Ἱππόλυτος, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Ancient_Greek): *Hippolutos*, [lit.](/source/Literal_translation) 'unleasher of horses'; [/hɪˈpɒlɪtəs/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English))[1] in [Greek mythology](/source/Greek_mythology) is the son of [Theseus](/source/Theseus) and an Amazon, either [Hippolyta](/source/Hippolyte) or [Antiope](/source/Antiope_(Amazon)). His downfall at the hands of [Aphrodite](/source/Aphrodite) is recounted by the playwright [Euripides](/source/Euripides). Other versions of the story have also survived. ## Etymology The meaning of Hippolytus' name may be understood ironically. Ἱππό- translates to 'horse', and the element -λυτος (from λύω 'loosen, destroy') suggests the adjective [λυτός, -ή, -όν](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=lutos&la=greek#Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=luto/s-contents) 'which may be undone, destroyed'. His name thereby takes on the prophetic meaning 'destroyed by horses'.[1] ## Premise of the myth *Hippolytus and Phaedra*, antique fresco from [Pompeii](/source/Pompeii) Hippolytus is a hunter and sportsman who is more inclined towards hunting than towards marriage and love. In consequence, he scrupulously worships [Artemis](/source/Artemis), the virgin huntress, and refuses to honor [Aphrodite](/source/Aphrodite). Offended by this neglect, Aphrodite causes [Phaedra](/source/Phaedra_(mythology)), Hippolytus’ stepmother, to fall in love with him; Hippolytus rejects Phaedra's advances, setting events in motion that lead to his death in a fall from his [chariot](/source/Chariot). [2] ## Euripides *The Death of Hippolytus*, by [Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne](/source/Jean-Baptiste_Lemoyne_(sculptor)) (1679–1731), [Louvre](/source/Louvre) Euripides' tragedy *[Hippolytus](/source/Hippolytus_(play))* describes the death of the hero after a confrontation with his stepmother [Phaedra](/source/Phaedra_(mythology)), the second wife of Theseus. Cursed by Aphrodite, Phaedra falls so ardently in love with Hippolytus that she becomes physically ill and decides to end her suffering through suicide. Her nurse tries to save her by revealing the secret to Hippolytus and encouraging him to reciprocate. Hippolytus responds only with horror and disgust, humiliating Phaedra. In despair, and not wanting to admit the true reason for ending her life, she hangs herself and leaves a note for Theseus accusing his son, Hippolytus, of raping her.[2] Theseus, furious, uses one of the three wishes given to him by [Poseidon](/source/Poseidon), his father: Theseus calls on Poseidon to kill Hippolytus, who has fled the palace to go hunting. Poseidon sends a [sea-monster](/source/Sea_monster) to terrorize Hippolytus' chariot horses, which become uncontrollable and hurl their master out of the vehicle. Entangled in the reins, Hippolytus is dragged and suffers lethal wounds.[3] Artemis reconciles father and son by telling Theseus that Phaedra's accusation against Hippolytus was not true. Artemis comforts the dying Hippolytus with a promise to make him the subject of religious practice so that his memory will live forever. She assigns a band of Trozenian maidens the task of preserving the story of Phaedra and Hippolytus in a ritual song.[4] Versions of this story also appear in [Seneca the Younger](/source/Seneca_the_Younger)'s play *[Phaedra](/source/Phaedra_(Seneca))*, [Ovid](/source/Ovid)'s *[Metamorphoses](/source/Metamorphoses)* and *[Heroides](/source/Heroides)*, [Jean Racine](/source/Jean_Racine)'s *[Phèdre](/source/Ph%C3%A8dre),* and [Thomas Sturge Moore](/source/Thomas_Sturge_Moore)'s *[Aphrodite against Artemis](/source/Aphrodite_against_Artemis).* ## In Italy as Virbius Diana returning to Aricia Hippolytus resuscitated by Aesculapius During a later phase of [Hellenization](/source/Hellenization), Virbius, one of two figures associated with the ancient cult of [Diana Nemorensis](/source/Diana_Nemorensis) (the other being [Egeria](/source/Egeria_(mythology))), was assimilated to the Hippolytus, as a [metamorphosis](/source/Metamorphosis).[5] The version presented by Ovid in his *Metamorphoses*,[6] and by [Pausanias](/source/Pausanias_(geographer)), relates a story about Hippolytus that differs from the version presented by Euripides.[4] Here Hippolytus was brought back from the dead by [Asclepius](/source/Asclepius), but once revived he refused to forgive Theseus, went to Italy, became the king of the Aricians, and named a city after Artemis. He there ruled as "Virbius" from inside the shrine of Diana. (The sanctuary forbade horses from entering, which is why it is believed he lived there.) Euripides' Hippolytus remained permanently connected him to his tomb.[4] Virbius was also identified with the sun god [Sol](/source/Sol_(Roman_mythology))/[Helios](/source/Helios) (Phaedra's grandfather).[7][8] The nature of Virbius' function remains enigmatic, but his cult maintained that [Artemis](/source/Artemis) asked [Asclepius](/source/Asclepius) to resurrect the young man since he had vowed chastity to her. Followers of Hippolytus' cult cut off a piece of their hair to dedicate their chastity to him before marriage.[9] ## Gallery - *Esculape rend la vie à Hippolyte* by [Abel de Pujol](/source/Abel_de_Pujol) - *Hippolytus, Phaedra and Theseus*. German School, 18th century - Part of the mosaic of Hippolytus in the [Archaeological Park of Madaba](/source/Madaba#Archaeological_finds), Jordan - Hippolytus set – [Seuso Treasure](/source/Seuso_Treasure) - *The Death of Hippolytus*, by [Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema](/source/Sir_Lawrence_Alma-Tadema) (1836–1912) ## See also - [Rex Nemorensis](/source/Rex_Nemorensis) - [The Golden Bough](/source/The_Golden_Bough) - [Phaedra complex](/source/Phaedra_complex) - *[Ippolito ed Aricia](/source/Ippolito_ed_Aricia)* - *[Hippolyte et Aricie](/source/Hippolyte_et_Aricie)* ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) Virgil; Ahl, Frederick (October 2007). [*Aeneid – Virgil – Google Boeken*](https://books.google.com/books?id=xyDrBEe7tEMC&q=hippolytus+destroyed+by+horses&pg=PA395). Ebsco. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780191517785](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780191517785). Retrieved 2013-10-16. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_2-1) ancientadmin. ["Hippolytus - Euripides - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature"](https://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_euripides_hippolytus.html). *Ancient Literature*. Retrieved 2020-10-21. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Rice, Bradley N. (2017-03-31). Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.). [*Coming Back to Life: The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean*](http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvmx3k11) (2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20](https://doi.org/10.2307%2Fj.ctvmx3k11.20). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-77096-222-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-77096-222-4). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [j.ctvmx3k11](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvmx3k11). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-worldcat.org_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-worldcat.org_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-worldcat.org_4-2) *Coming back to life : the permeability of past and present, mortality and immortality, death and life in the ancient Mediterranean*. Daniel-Hughes, Carly, 1974–, Tappenden, Frederick S,, Rice, Bradley N,, Coming Back to Life: Performance, Memory, and Cognition in the Ancient Mediterranean (Conference) (2014 : Montréal, Québec). Montréal, QC: McGill University Library. 2017. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-77096-222-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-77096-222-4). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [975051675](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/975051675).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: others ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_others)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Georges Dumézil](/source/Georges_Dum%C3%A9zil), *la religion romaine archaïque,* [Payot](/source/Payot) 1974 p.410. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Ovid. *Metamorphoses, Book XV*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Servius](/source/Maurus_Servius_Honoratus), *Commentary on Virgil's Aeneid* [7.776](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053%3Abook%3D7%3Acommline%3D776) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy](/source/Joseph_Fontenrose) (1981). [*Orion: The Myth of the Hunter and the Huntress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=tD4lJxC95mEC). [University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press). p. [199](https://books.google.com/books?id=tD4lJxC95mEC&pg=PA199). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-520-09632-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-09632-0). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Waldner, Katharina; Rice, Bradley N. (2017). "Hippolytus and Virbius:: Narratives of "Coming Back to Life" and Religious Discourses in Greco-Roman Literature". In Tappenden, Frederick S.; Daniel-Hughes, Carly (eds.). [*Coming Back to Life*](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvmx3k11.20). The Permeability of Past and Present, Mortality and Immortality, Death and Life in the Ancient Mediterranean (2 ed.). McGill University Library. pp. 345–374. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.20](https://doi.org/10.2307%2Fj.ctvmx3k11.20). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [j.ctvmx3k11.20](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvmx3k11.20). Retrieved 2020-12-09. ## External links - Media related to [Hippolytus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hippolytus) at Wikimedia Commons - [Hippolytus](https://web.archive.org/web/20040729112331/http://www.verbumvanum.org/adel/) for details on the figure of Hippolytus and a classicist's philological study of the evolution of Hippolytus as a [chastity](/source/Chastity) [paradigm](/source/Paradigm) in [Euripides](/source/Euripides), [Seneca](/source/Seneca_the_Younger), [Racine](/source/Jean_Racine); extensive bibliography (in [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language)) Authority control databases International VIAF 2 3 4 GND FAST National United States Sweden Israel Catalonia People DDB Other IdRef Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hippolytus of Athens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolytus_of_Athens) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolytus_of_Athens?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.