Laurialan Reitzammer, University of Colorado Boulder
The Homeric Hymn to Apollo (well-known to fifth-century BCE Athenians and famously quoted by Thucydides 3.104) is often seen to offer a narrative of Apollo’s acquisition of timê, “sphere of influence” (Clay), but in this paper I am interested in the island of Delos and Delos’ timê. I argue that the mythical narrative of the island represents a gendered aetiology concerning theôria (sacred sightseeing) and emphasizes the sororal bond between Leto and Delos that may be read within the context of the historical practice of theôria and Athenian imperial theoric interventions on the island.
Delos was a significant site of theôria (the island’s very name is theoric, since δῆλος means “visible,” “conspicuous”). At the end of the 5th century, the island positively bustled with theoric activity, and theôria was a practice that contributed to the consolidation of the Athenian empire (Constantakopoulou, Kowalzig, Rutherford). Yet, Delos is not only an island of critical political, religious, and cultural importance to Athens, but she also represents a goddess in the mythical tradition. Delos is a land-maiden, also known as Asteria, who successfully resists Zeus’ sexual advances and collaborates outside of male bonds with her sister Leto and other goddesses to bring about the birth of Apollo. I draw on recent scholarship on sisterhood (e.g., Coo, Honig), while offering a close reading of the Delian portion of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, alongside Pindar and Callimachus, to argue that the mythical tradition stresses collaboration between sisters and a contrast to the aetiology of Pythian theôria. Delos plays far more than a supporting role in the Apollo’s birth and ritual significance and may even be seen to possess theoric aspirations.