Othryades
Othryades | |
---|---|
Native name | Ὀθρυάδης and Ὀθρυάδας |
Allegiance | Sparta |
Battles/wars | Battle of the 300 Champions |
Othryades (
Biography
The Spartans and Argives were fighting for possession of
Neither side could gain an advantage in the battle and, in the end, only three soldiers of the 600 survived the battle: Orthyades, for the Spartans, and Alcenor and Chromius, for the Argives. After the battle, the two surviving Argives left the field to report their victory. Orthyades, on the other hand, remained and looted the bodies of the fallen Argives (as was customary).
The following day, the Spartan and Argive army returned to see who had been victorious, but each side claimed victory: the Argives because more Argives had survived and the Spartans because the Argives had retreated. The disagreement resulted in general fighting between the armies and in which the Spartans were the victors. Othryades, ashamed to return to Sparta as the sole survivor of the 300, committed suicide on the battlefield.[2]
In art
- Othryades the Spartan, Dying, is a sculpture by Johan Tobias Sergel in the Louvre's Northern European Sculpture Collection.[4]
- Dying Othryades is a sculpture by David d'Angers at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Angers.[5]
In literature
- Ovid mentions Othryades in Fasti II.663.[6]
- In the Greek Anthology there are some poems dedicated to the battle and to the Othryades.[7][8][9]
References
- ^ Suda, omicron, 86
- ^ a b E Elder M.A. -. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Volume 3. J. Murray, 1873. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ^ Herodotus. Histories. p. Book 1, Chapter 83.
- Louvre Museum. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ Ovid. "Fasti".
- ^ Greek Anthology Book 7, 7.430
- ^ Greek Anthology Book 7, 7.431
- ^ Greek Anthology Book 7, 7.526