Olympias

[dean]

Hello,I suppose in a modern day society we would feel sorry for her- poor Olympias- she has had to put up with a husband who has been more off at war than at home and on top of that when he is at home he is going from one drunken orgy to another and then to top it all off he marries every year or so a beautiful younger looking bride under the pretext that it is a good "political" move.In our monogomous western society Philip's behaviour would seem terrible yet 350 BC would his behaviour have been judged morally wrong or just a normal acceptable way of carrying on? Would it have taken Olympias by surprise Philip's behaviour and should she have felt very much the scorned woman that she is sometimes painted out to be?I just mention this because Olympias I think especially in historical fiction is depicted very much as a victim so much so that she is often accused of having had Philip murdered in revenge but is this realistic? Best regards,
Dean.

[jan]

Hi Dean, I like this question, as I do not believe that Olympias is guilty of arranging the murder of Philip, but apparently was so relieved by it that she had to place some kind of ornamentation on the head of Pausanius to thank him for it. Had she been truly guilty of the crime, I do not believe she would have incriminated herself so much.Like a lionness, she protectected her only cub, Alexander, and I believe that is her real motivation regarding Philip, that her son will succeed his father in the kingdom. She did not seem to need Philip much even for conceiving Alexander, so I do not believe that she is the real victim, but rather that Philip is more likely the victim in this relationship. He simply turned to other women as most men seem to do when the wife rejects him. Since she overstresses that Alexander was seeded by Zeus, this story seems to credibly support Philip's own fears about his son's parentage. I honestly believe that Olympias created her own problems, and should not be considered a victim at all.

[ruthaki]

I agree that she was not a 'victim'. And I think the historians have given her a lot of bad press.
I've done quite a bit of research about her (including some written in Greek which I had translated). She was an amazing, strong woman. In that day and age it was take care of yourself or be killed and she did what she had to do, although someof her actions were rash (according to our times) and vindictive (can you blame her?) I plan to write a story about her and have done a lot of research, just waiting for my current w.i.p. to get done, which will be soon, I hope.

[marcus]

Hi Jan,Of course, it's not really clear whether Olympias *really* put about the story that Alexander was fathered by Zeus. Even if she did, I wonder how 'worried' Philip would have been - I've always had the impression that such a claim was never really taken at face value, for a start; and also that it was rather a compliment to the child's earthly father.Of course, a very jealous husband could always take 'Zeus' to mean 'not you' - a sort of ancient milkman, if you like. :-)All the bestMarcus

[Nax]

ONLY cub? What happened to Cleopatra?Philip wouldn't need an excuse to have other women because his wife rejected him... he had his pick of several wives (or whatever), buddies and such

[dean]

Hi Jan,
" He simply turned to other women as most men seem to do when the wife rejects him"This statement would seem to imply that Philip was in a monogomous relationship- did Philip not have several other wives at the time?. Or maybe it was just that Philip's marriage to Olympias was the one that was more important than all the rest.I do agree with you that Olympias' main concern was regarding the succession of Alexander. And is probably the reason why her letters followed him all across Asia.It just seemed to me that she is too often made out to be the obsessed, scorned woman- her association with the celebrations to Dionysus, blamed for the mental retardation of Arrideus, the murder of Eurydice- Philip's last wife(although I think that she was guilty of that if I am not mistaken) and of course accused of being the mastermind of Philip's murder. Ah yes, and of course, Arrideus' murder.Best regards,
Dean.

[jan]

I don't know the term for female cubs, maybe cubette? Cleopatra never gets the same amount of attention as Alexander, and I think it so thoughtful of you to remind me of her. Thanks!

[jan]

Hi Marcus, Isn't there a story about Necbetano, who is supposed to have resurrected himself, and some think had the magical powers to turn himself into a snake, and thus, impregnated Olympia too? Others think that Alexander had been the resurrection of him, too, but dates prove that only the earlier theory of his witchcraft could be possible. It is mindboggling! All the stories that apparently could be the cause for the story that the Virgin Mary had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit through her ear! I read that story in Arthur Weigall's book, mind you. There is supposed to be a painting even of that conception!
Always,
Jan

[jan]

What a family! Well, I agree that she is accused of all of this, and the worst is that of killing Philip's wife and child also. Must be the bloodlines, for then Alexander kills Kleitos, Parmenio, and Philotas, and countless others, and finally, Roxanne kills Stateira! It almost makes the de Medici's look kind and thoughtful! HMMM! I just can't think of the perpetrators of so many murders as victims, but rather just the opposite! But your point of view does make a certain kind of sense. Jan

[Nax]

I don't think there's any dif. A cub is a cub.
But yeah, people tend to focus so much on the Big A that everybody else gets lost in the shuffle!

[ruthaki]

Yeah, but that's what you did in those days or someone would do it to you...

[jan]

Exactly! That is the entire point! Everybody lived by the same law...get them before they get you. Nothing has changed as that is still true today too, isn't it? Even in modern marriages in America...Laci Peterson story and Lori Hacking too!

[ruthaki]

Janet, that's not exactly what I meant because I'm not sure that Olympias was ever in any danger from Philip such as those two women you mention were. I mean that in those times when there were feuds, family or otherwise, you watched your own back and made sure you were not the victim even if it meant killing your rivals before they had chance to do you in.