The City of Croton
Croton, also known as Crotona and now Crotone, is a Greek colony in Southern Italy that enjoyed great prosperity for the first few centuries of its existence. The colony produced many Olympic victors, the great Milo of Croton, physicians considered the best amongst the Greeks, and was the city in which Pythagoras founded his school.1 It’s founding can also be linked back to the hero of heroes, Hercules, in the myth “The Founding of Croton.”
“The Founding of Croton”
The version found in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” is the most complete work regarding the founding of the city, but does seem to skimp on some of the details. In this telling of the myth, Croton was a gracious host to Hercules, and Hercules thanked him for his hospitality by proclaiming a city will be founded in his name; in this relationship each fulfilled their role in xenia. Xenia being the respect shown between guest and host along with the exchange of material and non-material gifts. Hercules recruited Myscelus to found the city by showing up in his sleep, ordering him to found a city, and using dire threats if he disobeyed. Myscelus reluctantly agreed but had to rely on the aid of Hercules to leave his country. After leaving, his journey was seamless and he founded Croton as instructed.2
Missing Details
Despite being the most complete work and published by one of the most prominent poets in Greek and Roman mythology, it does not tell the whole story. Several authors dispute some of what is said in this myth and add detail to the founding of this once great city.
Through Ovid’s telling of the myth, we know Myscelus to be the founder of Croton; however, little detail was given regarding this mysterious man. Though no author appears to reject Myscelus as the founder of Croton, Strabo adds a few details and disputes the ease in which he founded the city. Strabo describes Myscelus as a hunchback who did not found Croton on his first journey in the gods command. Myscelus instead discovered Sybaris near the site he was supposed to found Croton and deemed it better in every way. He returned home, achieving nothing, and questioned the god. The god responded by telling him to return and found Croton anyways, which he did.3
Why was Myscelus commanded by Hercules to found the city of Croton? We know Croton was a gracious host to Hercules and Hercules chose to thank Croton for his hospitality by stating he fill found a city in the name of Croton.2 Diodorus Siculus agreed that Croton was a gracious host, but also claimed he was slain by Hercules. A man named lacinius was attempting to steal cattle from Hercules who retaliated by killing Lacinius, and in his wake of destruction, also killed Croton. As an apology for the death of Croton, a spectacular funeral was held, a glorious tomb built to hold the bones of Croton, and a proclamation that a city would be founded at this site in the name of Croton.4 These claims are supported by John Conington, while commenting on Vergil’s Aenid, along with a few more details. According to him, Lacinius was favoured by Juno and Hercules constructed the temple of Juno Lacinia to cleanse the land of the death of Lacinius. This same author also suggested an alternative to the construction of the temple; the temple was constructed by Lacinius in defiance of Juno’s step-son, Hercules.5
Who Is Right?
At this point we know Hercules was hosted by Croton, Hercules promised a city would be founded in Croton’s name, and Myscelus founded the city with direction from Hercules. The reason behind why Hercules had Myscelus found this city is disputed.
Thalia Papadopoulou offers an explanation for why these discrepancies may have occurred. Due to his popularity in Greek and Roman myth, Hercules was used in a variety of contexts which suited the authors needs for the story they were telling.6 Ovid, in his version of the myth, placed an emphasis on honouring the unwritten law of xenia. By fulfilling your role in xenia, you will survive beyond your death; Croton filfilled his role in xenia by being a gracious host to Hercules and was rewarded with a city founded in his name.2 Diodorus Siculus and John Conington, on Vergil’s Aenid, used the myth to cultivate different attributes in a Roman. They show death and sacrifice being necessary to achieve greatness through the slaying of Croton and a city being founded in his name.4,5
We now have to decide who is right. Ovid’s version of the myth is the most complete version we have available, but the slaying of Croton at the hands of Hercules happens in more versions of the myth. I would argue none tell the story of the true founding of the city. That isn’t to say there isn’t truth in any of the versions. A man named Myscelus is almost certain to have founded the city of Croton and was directed either by a god or a dream to found it in the location he did. What you choose to believe is up to you.
Footnotes
1 Smith 1854: see “Croton.” Accessed online at: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=croton-geo
2 Ovid Metamorphoses 15.13-68, translated by Lombardo
3 Strabo Geography 6.1.12, translated by Hamilton & Falconer
4 Siculus Library of History Book IV 4.24.7, translated by Oldfather
5 Conington 1876: see “3.552.” Accessed online at: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0050%3Abook%3D3%3Acommline%3D552
6 Papadopoulou 2004: 257-283
Bibliography
Conington, John. Commentary on Vergil’s Aeneid, Volume 1. Whittaker and Co., 1876. Accessed online at: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0050%3Abook%3D3%3Acommline%3D552
Hamilton, H. C. & Falconer, W. (transl.) Strabo: Geography. George Bell & Sons, 1903. Accessed online at: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198:book=6:chapter=1&highlight=myscellus
Lombardo, S. (transl.) Ovid: Metamorphoses. Hackett Publishing Company, 2010.
Oldfather, C. H. (transl.) Diodorus Siculus: Library of History Book IV. Harvard University Press, 1935. Accessed online at: https://www.theoi.com/Text/DiodorusSiculus4B.html
Papadopoulou, Thalia. “Herakles and Hercules: The Hero’s Ambivalence in Euripides and Seneca.” Mnemosyne, vol. 57 (2004): 257-283.
Smith, W. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Walton and Maberly, 1854. Accessed online at: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=croton-geo
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