The Meaning of Time Through the Pouring of Libations

Introduction

In the essay, I will argue the meaning of time through the pouring of libations for cult heroes and what stands in the way of a ritually correct libation by Electra.

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Time in the Greek culture represents the honor paid to supernatural through cult worship. The dead are assumed to be present in our societies and they should be appeased by pouring libations. Time is non-stoical and unpredictable but under God's own direction and control. Time is continuous and began the since the time of creation as a way through which God. Erinys and Furies represent the spirits of those who died angrily and therefore left unfinished business on earth. They symbolize the vengeful spirits of the dead.

Libation refers to pouring of a liquid like milk or grains as an offering to appease the spirit or the dead. It is done as an offering and a show of respect for the people who passed on. Libations are offered for different reasons, such as seeking forgiveness, a show of respect and care, as a way of worship and an indicator of life continuity of the dead (Green,61). Even if they are dead, their spirits still live on. There are different types of libations which all represent different meanings. Some are poured during meals as a sign of respect to khthonic deities. Others are poured to God. Eumenides of Aeschylus presides over the vengeful spirits of Erinyes which are later transformed into the Eumenides hence creating peace with the living (Ransome,12).This libation is made to the dead by the living, and the first pour a little to the ground and then consume the rest. Libations are a threefold and constitute of honey, milk and wine or honey, oil and wine this type of libation is known as 'Khoi.'

The following items are offered for libations. Wine, honey, milk, and oil. Wine symbolizes the divine Aithir which represents influence. Dark red wine represents blood which is taken during Holy Communion to commemorate the sacrifice made by God for the sake of the human race.

Honey on the other side is poured as a libation to all deities since it is golden and represent the color of the sun which is a source of light for the entire human race. Honey always symbolizes immortality of life since it can be used as a preservative. Milk represents Queen Ira whose milk is suckled by Iraklis and also flung to the entire universe. Therefore, milk represents the continuity of life and shows how life is timeless.

There is a connection between the cult of worshiping Greek hero like Erekhtheus among other deities which is practiced though ancestral worship. This culture of reincarnating the dead is a way of showing that they are still alive and they should be taken care of through offering burnt sacrifices and pouring libations. Libation of Aeschylus represents a cult hero as well as ancestral worship.

Conclusion

The ideal libation that should be offered to Agamemnon should follow a procedure used to appease the cult hero. According to (Salapata, 60) the destiny of Agamemnon stands in the way of performing different kinds of libations at different times since the electric hero is not just an ordinary hero. The electrica receives instructions on how to perform the libation for the Agamemnon from the maidens and does it as required by the maidens.

References

Ransome, Hilda M. The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore. Courier Corporation, 2004.

Green, Simon. "Vengeance and Furies: Existential Dilemmas in Penal Decision-Making." Crime, Governance and Existential Predicaments. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2011. 61-84. Salapata, Gina. "The Heroic Cult of Agamemnon." Electra 1.1 (2011): 39-60.