Hymenee’s myth is intimately linked to marriage. It is not known whether the word “hymen”, which corresponds to the membrane in the vaginal opening of virgin women, comes from the name of that god or whether the name of the god was created. of that word Chances are the second option is correct.
As usual in Greek mythology, there are several versions of hymenee’s myth, one of which recalls that this little god was the son of Dionysus, god of wine and fertility, and of Aphrodite, goddess of sex and beauty; another version specifies that he was the son of Apollo, god of beauty and music, and of one of the muses, probably Caliope, muse of epic poetry and eloquence.
- There is a third version of the origin of Hymenee’s myth.
- In which our character is not a god.
- At least in principle.
- But a mortal.
- Son of Magnes.
- In all three versions he is said to have been a young man of extraordinary beauty.
- Yet in this one.
- He was so handsome that Apollo fell in love with him and never left the house where the child lived.
“Marriage is the main cause of divorce. ” ? Groucho Marx?
The central legend of The Myth of Himeneus is part of the idea that he was a mortal. In fact, he was a young man of extraordinary beauty, but was born into a family without possessions. He had the misfortune of falling in love with the daughter of one of the richest men in Athens, and that meant an impossible love, as his humble origin excluded any possibility of marriage to the girl.
His love led him to follow the girl everywhere, without her noticing. Wherever she went, he admired her. She then learned that she, along with other women, would make a procession to Eleusis to offer a sacrifice to Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture.
He tells the myth of Hyménée that the young man saw it as an opportunity to approach the young woman, then decided to disguise himself as a woman and join the procession, since the presence of men was not accepted. Himeneu’s beauty was so great that he was easily mistaken for another woman and shipped without problems.
The ship departed with the procession, but was quickly intercepted by pirates. They recovered the ship and the women; in addition, they drove the ship to a deserted place off the coast. When they arrived, they were tired and decided to sleep. Himeneus was attentive and saw it as an opportunity.
The young man told his companions his true identity and organized them, together they attacked the pirates, managed to immobilize them and murdered them all, at this point, the woman he loved also fell in love with him.
Himeneus led the boat and left the women in a safe place, then went to Athens and recounted what happened, and announced that he would only return all the women if, in return, they handed over the woman he loved in marriage. He gladly accepted their application and, as they had agreed, preparations for the marriage began.
Hymenee’s myth says that marriage was prepared with great care; he and his wife were deeply in love at the time and all the Athenians were partying. On the day of the wedding, after the ceremony, Hymenaeus suddenly fell to the ground. . He was dead.
Immediately the deceased and the woman began to express sincere sorrow, both denied their chance and asked the gods not to take away their happiness, one of the guests at the wedding was Asclepio, god of medicine and healing, excited by the couple’s tears. , decides to intervene and manages to resurrect Himene.
Since then, he has been assigned to attend all weddings. Not doing so was considered an omen of bad luck for the couple. Is that why the Greeks, every time they had a wedding, screamed?Hymenee!? It was a way to make him present and thus bless the couple.