The Book Report episode 32: Sparta Rise of a Warrior Nation by Philip Matyszak: Origins: Sex and Violence

This is the story the Spartans told themselves, it is mixed with mythology and records that survived of the Spartans. The story of the Spartans origin shaped their mind-set and who they became

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            After a great flood destroyed the world, Eurotas became king, grandson of King Lelex. The story says that when Eurotas became king, he dug a ditch to the sea to drain the marshy valley of central Laconia. This ditch became the Eurotas River. Eurotas needed an heir, but he was infertile, he chose a man called Lacedaemon. Here is where it gets contradictory, the book says “Eurotas married Lacedaemon to his daughter, a charming princess called Sparta.” So, I’m guessing it was Eurotas adopted daughter? Whatever the case, they got married and “The principal town took its name from the royal bride and became Sparta.” Lacedaemon was the son of Zeus, who seduced a nymph named Taygetus in a mountain by the same name.

            About three generations pass and Tyndareus, grandson of Perseus, the hero who slain Medusa, “fell out with his brother over the kingship and retired in exile to Pellana.” While in Pellana, Tyndareus alleyed with Hercules, who had a grudge against the king of Sparta. Hercules killed Tyndareus’s brother and the thrown belonged to Hercules “by right of conquest” but Hercules appointed Tyndareus to the throne “until the hero, or his descendants, returned to claim the throne.”

            The ‘king’ took the beautiful princess Leda of Aetolia as his bride and all was well until one day, Leda saw an eagle attacking a swan. Leda rushed to help, but the swan turned into a young man who seduced her. Right after her time with the swan, who turned out to be Zeus, Leda went to bed with her king. This incident left Leda giving birth to a pair of eggs. Each egg had one mortal and one and one divine child, the fathers were Zeus and Tyndareus. The first egg “contained the divine Caster and the mortal Pollux.” Pollux became a god, and the pair are up in heaven “as the sign of Gemini (the twins).” The second egg contained the future wife and killer of Agamemnon, mortal Mycenae, and the divine Helen.

            When Helen was a child, the king of Larissa and the king of Athens visited Sparta and they saw the beautiful Helen dancing joyfully. The two kings decided that they had to possess her. They rashly decided to kidnap her which led them to flee Sparta. When the two men reached safety at Argos, they drew straws to decide who can have Helen. Theseus, the king of Athens, won, so Peirithous decided he should have another daughter of Zues. Peirithous foolishly decided to rape Persephone. Why do I say foolishly? Because Persephone was the wife of Hades, King of the Underworld. After leaving Helen with the mother of Theseus, the two kings went to capture Persephone. While the two kings were off in their adventure, “Castor and Pollux arrived at Athens with a Spartan army. They requested the return of Helen, initially politely, and then with increasing vehemence.” After being refused Helen, the Spartans defeated the Athenians in war “and then proceeded to ransack Attica looking for the missing princess.”

            Finally, a man named Academus decided it wasn’t worth protecting two child-rapists and told the Spartans where they can find Helen. This saved Academus’ heirs when the Spartans would regularly devastate the lands of Attica. After the return of Helen to Sparta, she had her choice of suitors, she chose Menelaus, and they ruled Sparta as king and queen.

            “Then came along Paris of Troy.” Paris of Troy fell in love with Helen and took her with him. This led to the destruction of Troy. The 10-year siege which ended Troy taught later generations of Sparta that they “were very touchy on matters of honour.” and that the Spartans were entitled to invade whoever aggrieved them and that they would win.

            Two generations pass after the fall of Troy and the Spartans get invaded by people from the north. The Spartans would never admit that a foreign tribe invaded them so the story they told themselves was that the descendants of Hercules came and got what was rightfully theirs. It was tradition that there were two kings ruling over Sparta because, “There were two claimants to the kingship of Laconia- the twin brothers Procles and Eurysthenes.” The mother, unable to remember which one was born first, consulted the Oracle at Delphi asking who the rightful ruler was, they told her they both should rule.

            “Neighboring Messenia was allotted to another descendant of Hercules called Cresphontes- literally ‘allotted’ because the twins and Cresphontes drew lots for the region.” Cresphontes won but it turns out he cheated. This story made the Spartans feel that Messenia was rightfully theirs, so they did what they did best and took it by force.

            This has been another episode of The Book Report. Thank you for taking the time to read Unsophisticatedrandomness’ The Book Report