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Macaria or Makaria (Ancient Greek: Μακαρία, romanized: Makaria, lit. 'blessed one, blessedness') is the name of two figures from ancient Greek religion and mythology. Although they are not said to be the same and are given different fathers, they are discussed together in a single entry both in the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia the Suda and by Zenobius.^[1]

Mythology

Daughter of Heracles

In the Heracleidae of Euripides, Macaria ("she who is blessed") is a daughter of Heracles.^[2] Even after Heracles' death, King Eurystheus pursues his lifelong vendetta against the hero by hunting down his children. Macaria flees with her siblings and her father's old friend Iolaus to Athens, where they are received by Demophon, the king.

Arriving at the gates of Athens with his army, Eurystheus gives Demophon an ultimatum, threatening war upon Athens unless Demophon surrenders Heracles's children. When Demophon refuses and begins to prepare for war, an oracle informs him that Athens will be victorious only if a noble maiden is sacrificed to Persephone. Upon hearing this, Macaria sees that her only choice is immediate death on the altar or eventual death at the hands of Eurystheus. Since in neither case will she be granted a normal, happy life, she offers herself as the victim to save the welcoming city and its inhabitants, declining a lottery that would put other girls at risk. The Athenians honored her with lavish funeral rites, and the myth has an aetiological aspect: the spring where she died was named the Macarian in her honor.

Daughter of Hades

A character Macaria ('Μακαρία', literally 'blessed') is named in the Byzantine encyclopedia Suda.^[3] According to the Suda, this Macaria is the daughter of Hades (no mother is mentioned). She is neither explicitly stated to be an immortal goddess nor a mortal woman, or to live in the Underworld. Her name means 'blessed one' or 'happiness'; in relation to her name, the Suda mentions the figure of speech "be gone to blessedness" (as opposed to misery and utter destruction, which may be euphemistic, in the way that the dead are referred to as "the blessed ones"), an ancient Greek phrase equivalent to modern "a plague on you" or "go to hell".^[4] The phrase was proverbial, and used for those whose courage endangered them.^[5] Zenobius meanwhile connects this phrase to Macaria the daughter of Heracles, and claims it was originally used for those who sacrificed themselves with valor.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Zenobius 2.61 in Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum, edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.
^ Euripides, Heracleidae
^ Suda mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, mu 51.
^ "βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν". lsj.gr. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
^ Suda, beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, beta 74.

External links

Makaria at The Theoi Project
English translation of Euripides' Heracleidae

[zen-1] Zenobius 2.61 in Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum, edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.

[2] Euripides, Heracleidae

[3] Suda mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, mu 51.

[4] "βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν". lsj.gr. Retrieved August 29, 2024.

[5] Suda, beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, beta 74.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Greek myth}}
-'''Macaria''' or '''Makaria''' ({{lang-grc|Μακαρία|Makaria|blessed one}}) is the name of two figures from [[Religion in ancient Greece|ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]]. Although they are not said to be the same and are given different fathers, they are discussed together in a single entry both in the 10th-century [[Byzantine]] encyclopedia the ''[[Suda]]'' and by [[Zenobius]].<ref>[[Zenobius]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=OUMOAAAAYAAJ&q=%CE%9C%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BD 2.61] in ''Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum'', edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.</ref>
+'''Macaria''' or '''Makaria''' ({{lang-grc|Μακαρία|Makaria|blessed one, blessedness}}) is the name of two figures from [[Religion in ancient Greece|ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]]. Although they are not said to be the same and are given different fathers, they are discussed together in a single entry both in the 10th-century [[Byzantine]] encyclopedia the ''[[Suda]]'' and by [[Zenobius]].<ref name="zen">[[Zenobius]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=OUMOAAAAYAAJ&q=%CE%9C%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BD 2.61] in ''Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum'', edited by E.L. von Leutsch and F.W. Schneidwein (Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht, 1839), vol. 1, p. 48.</ref>
-== Daughter of Heracles ==
+== Mythology ==
+=== Daughter of Heracles ===
 In the ''[[Heracleidae (play)|Heracleidae]]'' of [[Euripides]], Macaria ("she who is blessed") is a daughter of [[Heracles]].<ref>Euripides, ''[[Heracleidae (play)|Heracleidae]]''</ref> Even after Heracles' death, King [[Eurystheus]] pursues his lifelong vendetta against the [[Greek hero|hero]] by hunting down his children. Macaria flees with her siblings and her father's old friend [[Iolaus]] to [[Classical Athens|Athens]], where they are received by [[Demophon of Athens|Demophon]], the king.
 Arriving at the gates of Athens with his army, Eurystheus gives Demophon an ultimatum, threatening war upon Athens unless Demophon surrenders Heracles's children. When Demophon refuses and begins to prepare for war, an [[oracle]] informs him that Athens will be victorious only if a noble maiden is sacrificed to [[Persephone]]. Upon hearing this, Macaria sees that her only choice is immediate death on the altar or eventual death at the hands of Eurystheus. Since in neither case will she be granted a normal, happy life, she offers herself as the victim to save the welcoming city and its inhabitants, declining a lottery that would put other girls at risk. The Athenians honored her with lavish funeral rites, and the myth has an [[aition|aetiological]] aspect: the spring where she died was named the Macarian in her honor.
-== Daughter of Hades ==
+=== Daughter of Hades ===
-A character Macaria ('{{lang|grc|Μακαρία}}', literally 'blessed') is named in the Byzantine encyclopedia ''[[Suda]]''.<ref>''[[Suda]]'' mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, [https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-cgi-bin/search.cgi?db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=mu,51 mu 51].</ref> According to the ''Suda'', this Macaria is the daughter of [[Hades]] (no mother is mentioned).<!--PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS IN THIS PARAGRAPH: NEITHER PERSEPHONE NOR ANYONE ELSE IS NAMED AS THE MOTHER; it's a reasonable assumption, however, since Persephone is the consort of the ruler of the underworld, and you may be able to find a MODERN SECONDARY SOURCE that will conjecture Persephone for you; if so, please add the info AND CITE YOUR SOURCE--> Although not explicitly stated to be an immortal goddess, she seems to have been connected to [[blessing|blessed]] death; the ''Suda'' connects her name to the [[figure of speech]] "be gone to blessedness," instead of misery or damnation, which may be [[euphemism|euphemistic]], in the way that the dead are referred to as "the blessed ones." The phrase was proverbial for those whose courage endangered them.<ref>''[[Suda]]'', beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, [http://www.stoa.org/sol-bin/search.pl?login=guest&enlogin=guest&db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=Beta,74 beta 74.]</ref>
+A character Macaria ('{{lang|grc|Μακαρία}}', literally 'blessed') is named in the Byzantine encyclopedia ''[[Suda]]''.<ref>''[[Suda]]'' mu 51; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, [https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-cgi-bin/search.cgi?db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=mu,51 mu 51].</ref> According to the ''Suda'', this Macaria is the daughter of [[Hades]] (no mother is mentioned).<!--PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS IN THIS PARAGRAPH: NEITHER PERSEPHONE NOR ANYONE ELSE IS NAMED AS THE MOTHER; it's a reasonable assumption, however, since Persephone is the consort of the ruler of the underworld, and you may be able to find a MODERN SECONDARY SOURCE that will conjecture Persephone for you; if so, please add the info AND CITE YOUR SOURCE--> She is neither explicitly stated to be an immortal goddess nor a mortal woman, or to live in the Underworld. Her name means 'blessed one' or 'happiness'; in relation to her name, the ''Suda'' mentions the [[figure of speech]] "be gone to blessedness" (as opposed to misery and utter destruction, which may be euphemistic, in the way that the dead are referred to as "the blessed ones"), an ancient Greek phrase equivalent to modern "a plague on you" or "go to hell".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://lsj.gr/wiki/βάλλ'_ἐς_μακαρίαν | website =  lsj.gr | title = βάλλ' ἐς μακαρίαν | access-date = August 29, 2024}}</ref> The phrase was proverbial, and used for those whose courage endangered them.<ref>''[[Suda]]'', beta 74; Greek text with English translation at Suda On Line, [http://www.stoa.org/sol-bin/search.pl?login=guest&enlogin=guest&db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=Beta,74 beta 74.]</ref> Zenobius meanwhile connects this phrase to Macaria the daughter of Heracles, and claims it was originally used for those who sacrificed themselves with valor.<ref name="zen"/>
 == See also ==
 {{portal|Mythology|Ancient Greece}}
+* [[Zagreus]]
 * [[Melinoë]]
 * [[Menoeceus]]
@@ Line 28: / Line 30: @@
 * Makaria at [http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Makaria.html The Theoi Project]
 * English translation of [http://classics.mit.edu/Euripides/heracleidae.html Euripides' ''Heracleidae'']
-{{Greek religion}}
-{{Greek mythology (deities)}}
 {{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Heracleidae]]
-[[Category:Greek goddesses]]
+[[Category:Children of Hades]]
-[[Category:Underworld goddesses]]
 [[Category:Children of Heracles]]
-[[Category:Chthonic beings]]
+[[Category:Women in Greek mythology]]