Why were Laocoon and his sons attacked by snakes?
Apparently, Laocoön and his two sons were killed by snakes sent by Athena. They were attacked by snakes because they threw a spear at the Trojan horse in an attempt to foil the Greeks' plan.
What did Poseidon do to Laocoön?
Thus, while preparing to sacrifice a bull on the altar of the god Poseidon (a task that had fallen to him by lot), Laocoön and his twin sons, Antiphas and Thymbraeus (also called Melanthus), were crushed to death by two great sea serpents, Porces and Chariboea (or Curissia or Periboea), sent by Apollo.
What happens Laocoön?
It is important to note that Laocoon is slain by serpents of the sea who are creatures of Neptune, the very god he worships every day. This relates back to the theme of divine duplicity, and how trust in the good intention of these celestial powers can be tested.
What happens to Laocoön in the Aeneid?
The real intention of Minerva, who, according to tradition, helped build the wooden horse, was to destroy Troy. She killed Laocoön and his sons because she wanted the Trojans to believe that Sinon's story was true and bring the wooden horse within Troy's walls.
How many people did Poseidon slept with?
Some estimates put the count at well over a hundred, with the lovers being mostly but not exclusively female. In some cases, ancient authorities differ, so the exact lineage and relationships remain open to debate.
What did Laocoön fear?
Laocoon proclaimed “I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts” (hence the phrase beware Greeks bearing gifts), and throwing a spear against the side of the horse, told his countrymen that they must burn the Wooden Horse.
Why did Laocoön was punished by god?
According to Apollodorus, Laocoon had intercourse with his wife inside the temple of Apollo. As a result, Apollo punished the Trojan priest with the two serpents. However, according to Euphorion, it was Poseidon's temple that was desecrated by Laocoon and the ocean god, the one who ordered his death.
How many times did the serpents wrap themselves around Laocoön?
So the gods sent a pair of snakes to silence Laocoön. They came from the sea, attacking Laocoön and his sons while he made a sacrifice. They bit and wrapped themselves around the three, killing first the sons and then Laocoön. This is the moment represented in the marble statue.
Who created the Laocoön?
Agesander of RhodesAthanador...PolydorosAthenodor... of RhodesPolydorus of RhodesLaocoön and His Sons/Artists
Why was Laocoön killed in the Aeneid?
Classical descriptions The most famous account of these is now in Virgil's Aeneid where Laocoön was a priest of Neptune (Poseidon), who was killed with both his sons after attempting to expose the ruse of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear.
Who kills Laocoön?
When the wooden horse was taken inside the city's gates, Laocoön sounded his warning and threw his spear into 'the creature's round and riveted belly'. In response, Athena/Minerva unleashed two sea serpents, which strangled Laocoön and his sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus, the scene depicted in El Greco's painting.
What do the snakes symbolize in the Aeneid?
The snake is a symbol of Trojan fortunes, whether those fortunes rise or fall: the twin serpents represent the forces of furor that would destroy Troy, while the Trojan snake acts as a temporary resurgence for the defenders, who ultimately cannot defeat the invading snake of Pyrrhus.
Why did Laocoön was punished by god?
According to the Hellenistic poet Euphorion of Chalcis, Laocoön is in fact punished for procreating upon holy ground sacred to Poseidon; only unlucky timing caused the Trojans to misinterpret his death as punishment for striking the horse, which they bring into the city with disastrous consequences.
What crimes did Poseidon commit?
Flaws and Crimes Poseidon goes to earth and has demigods with human women. Another crime Poseidon has committed is raping Medusa in Athena's temple. Medusa then gave birth to a winged horse named Pegasus.
What was Cassiopeia's punishment by Poseidon?
Poseidon thought Cassiopeia should not escape punishment, so he placed her in the heavens chained to a throne in a position that referenced Andromeda's ordeal. The constellation resembles the chair that originally represented an instrument of torture.
Who did Poseidon seduce?
9. Melantho. Melantho was a daughter of the legendary Deucalion and a princess of Phokis. Poseidon seduced her by shapeshifting into a dolphin.
Why was Laocoon punished?
Yet another version of this dramatic story is that Laocoon was punished for procreating upon holy ground sacred to Poseidon. Only unlucky timing caused the Trojans to misinterpret his death as punishment for striking the horse.
What did Laocoon say to the Trojans?
He approached the Trojans and said: "Do not trust the Horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts." (Virgil's The Aeneid 2.49)
What happened to the guards on the walls of Troy?
At night, when the citizens of Troy had fallen asleep, the Greek soldiers came out of the Trojan Horse and killed the guards on the walls. They opened the gates of Troy and gave the signal to the Greek hiding nearby to storm the city. There was a big battle, and the town was destroyed. The Trojans could not win this war; the Greeks did.
What did Laocoon throw into the belly of the horse?
After these words, Laocoon threw a spear with great force into the wooden belly of the horse. The horse responded with the ringing of weapons, foretelling the death of Troy, but no one listened to this sound because the gods made the people deaf.
Where was the Laocoon statue discovered?
The above artwork depicting Laocoon with his sons is perhaps the most famous of all statues of antiquity, and it was discovered in Rome during the Renaissance. It was the work of three sculptors of Rhodes in the first century BC, where the Rhodians, flourishing merchants, and sailors were allies of the Romans, and as such, they claimed descent from the Trojans via Aeneas.
Why are the two snakes important?
The two snakes are too important because they represent a highly complex and universal symbol strongly associated with prophecy and wisdom. In Greece, the snake is a sacred animal of Athena. Additionally, we must remember the image of a snake is a symbol of death. Two snakes - this symbolism refers us to the Egyptian world serpent, Apop, everlastingly consuming its tail.
Where is Laocoon's statue?
Laocoon and His Sons in the Vatican. Hagesandros, Athenedoros, and Polydoros - Marie-Lan Nguyen (2009). The statue is stored in Vatican Museum – Public Domain
Who was Laocoon?
Laocoon was a Trojan priest in Greek mythology, who along with his two sons, was attacked by giant snakes sent by the gods. The phrase "I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts" is attributed to him.
Why did Laocoon set the horse on fire?
When the Greeks offered the famous horse to the Trojans, towards the end of the Trojan War, Laocoon warned the Trojans not to accept it, but instead set it on fire to make sure it was not a trick.
Who was the Trojan priest who was attacked by giant snakes?
Laocoon. Laocoon was a Trojan priest in Greek mythology, who along with his two sons, was attacked by giant snakes sent by the gods. The phrase "I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts" is attributed to him. According to one source, he was the priest of Apollo and should have been celibate; however, he had married and had two sons.
Who said Laocoön was attacked by serpents?
Marco Dente, “Laocoön and his sons being attacked by serpents” (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Public Domain) “It has long been admired for the realism of its anatomy and for the variety of expression in the faces and figures,” The University of Cambridge's Museum of Classical Archaeology shares. “One beaten, one suffering, and one perhaps ...
What is Laocoön and His Sons?
Laocoön and His Sons is a marble sculpture from the Hellenistic Period (323 BCE – 31 CE). Following its discovery in a Roman vineyard in 1506, it was placed in the Vatican, where it remains today.
What is the story of Laocoön and his sons based on?
The Story of Laocoön. Like most Ancient Greek sculptures, the subject matter depicted in Laocoön and His Sons is based on classical mythology. Specifically, this piece portrays a story from the Greek Epic Cycle, a collection of poems detailing the Trojan War.
Why did Laocoön get married?
In others, it was for getting married when he was supposed to be celibate or for having relations with his wife in a sacred temple.
Why did Apollo send the serpents to kill Laocoon?
However, according to other traditions, Apollo sent the serpents to slay Laocoon as a punishment for breaking his vow to the deity not to marry or have children.
What happened to Laocoon and his kids?
Two enormous serpents came from the water and crushed Laocoon and his kids to death while he was performing the sacrifice near the sea . This occurrence was viewed by the Trojans as a sign of the gods’ displeasure of Laocoon’s forecast. They subsequently brought the horse into town. This action resulted in their demise. Greek troops hid inside the horse and crept out at night to unlock the gates of Troy, allowing the Greek army to invade and destroy the city.
What Is The Meaning Of Laocoön And His Sons?
However, no matter how much Laocoön and His Sons strain and fight, they remain entangled in the serpent’s grasp in a struggle to the death. Laocoön and His Sons have become the icon of human agony in Western Art.
What Is The Story Of Laocoon And His Sons?
The story of Laocoon, a Trojan priest, originated from the Greek Epic Cycle during the Trojan Wars. Sophocles had suffered a tragedy, now lost, and other Greek authors mentioned it, although the events around the serpent attack vary considerably. The most famous account of these dates from between the years of 29 and 19 BC and is perhaps later than the sculpture in Virgil’s Aeneid. Some scholars, however, regard the group as a representation of the scene Virgil described.
What Does Laocoon Mean?
Laocoon was a seer in Greek and Roman mythology. A priest of the deity Apollo and a foreteller of the future in the ancient city of Troy. He played an important role in the final days of the Trojan War and was killed along with his twin sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus.
What is the theme of Laocoön?
The tale of Laocoön revolves around the themes of misinterpretation and godly wrath. The Trojans misread the Greeks’ motives when they hand them the horse. When sea serpents murder Laocoön, the Trojans misinterpret his death as a portent to disregard his warning against the Greeks. Out of vengeance, one of the gods murders Laocoön. Either for disclosing the Greeks’ scheme or for otherwise offending the gods. Laocoön’s death foreshadows the fall of Troy.
What is the name of the statue of Laocoon?
Since its excavation in Rome and its remains in the Vatican in 1506, the statue of Laocoon and its Sons, also called Laocoön Group (Italian: Gruppo della laocoon) has been one of the most famous ancient sculptures. It is probably the same statue that the main Roman author on arts, Pliny the Elder, praised in the highest terms. The figures are about 2 m high and show the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus, who were attacked by sea snakes, are somewhat larger.
What was the influence of Laocoon and his sons?
The emotionalism in Laocoon and His Sons was highly influential on later Baroque sculpture (c.1600-1700) and Neoclassical sculpture (1750-1850). The German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-68) saw the statue as the embodiment of Neoclassical nobility and heroicism, although he admitted the inherent difficulty - for any observer of Laocoon - of appreciating beauty in a scene of death. Winckelmann's comments were afterwards adopted by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, in his influential treatise Laokoon (1766).
Who was Laocoon in Aeneid?
As described in Virgil's Aeneid, Laocoon was a Trojan priest. When the Greeks, who were holding Troy under siege, left the famous Trojan Horse on the beach, Laocoon tried to warn the Trojan leaders against bringing it into the city, in case it was a trap. The Greek goddess Athena, acting as protector of the Greeks, punished Laocoon for his interference by having him and his two sons attacked by the giant sea serpents Porces and Chariboea. In the sculpture, one son can be seen to break free from the snakes, and looks across to see his father and brother in their death agonies.
What was the significance of the Laocoon statue?
Not surprisingly, given Pliny's comment that it was "superior to all works in painting and bronze", the Laocoon statue had a significant impact on Italian Renaissance art in general and Renaissance sculptors, in particular.
How tall is the Laocoon statue?
Accordingly, the statue was reassembled with the new arm attached. The Statue. The Laocoon statue, standing some 8 feet in height, is made from seven interlocking pieces of white marble.
Where was the Laocoon statue found?
The Laocoon statue was discovered in January 1506 buried in the ground of a Rome vineyard owned by Felice de' Fredis. One of the first experts to attend the excavation site was Michelangelo (1475-1564), the famous Renaissance sculptor. Pope Julius II, a lover of Greek art, ordered the work to be brought immediately to the Vatican, where it was installed in the Belvedere Court Garden. Not surprisingly, given Pliny's comment that it was "superior to all works in painting and bronze", the Laocoon statue had a significant impact on Italian Renaissance art in general and Renaissance sculptors, in particular.
Where was the Odyssey found?
In 1957, sculptural fragments belonging to four marble groups portraying scenes from Homer's epic poem the Odyssey (8th/9th century BCE) were unearthed at Sperlonga, Naples. The site of the discovery was an ancient banquet hall formerly used by the Roman Emperor Tiberius (ruled 14-37 CE). One of the fragments, a bust of Odysseus, is stylistically very similar to Laocoon and His Sons, while the names Hagesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus were inscribed on another fragment.
When was the Laocoon statue removed from the Vatican?
As a result of its enduring fame, the Laocoon statue was removed from the Vatican by Napoleon, in 1799, taken to Paris where it was installed in the Louvre as an exemplar of Neoclassical art. It was returned to the Vatican in 1816, by the British authorities in Paris, following the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.
Overview
Death
The most detailed description of Laocoön's grisly fate was provided by Quintus Smyrnaeus in Posthomerica, a later, literary version of events following the Iliad. According to Quintus, Laocoön begged the Trojans to set fire to the Trojan horse to ensure it was not a trick. Athena, angry with him and the Trojans, shook the ground around Laocoön's feet and painfully blinded him. The Trojans, watching this unfold, assumed Laocoön was punished for the Trojans' mutilating and d…
Classical descriptions
The story of Laocoön is not mentioned by Homer, but it had been the subject of a tragedy, now lost, by Sophocles and was mentioned by other Greek writers, though the events around the attack by the serpents vary considerably. The most famous account of these is now in Virgil's Aeneid where Laocoön was a priest of Neptune (Poseidon), who was killed with both his sons after attempting to expose the ruse of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear.
Later depictions
The death of Laocoön was famously depicted in a much-admired marble Laocoön and His Sons, attributed by Pliny the Elder to the Rhodian sculptors Agesander, Athenodoros, and Polydorus, which stands in the Vatican Museums, Rome. Copies have been executed by various artists, notably Baccio Bandinelli. These show the complete sculpture (with conjectural reconstructions of the missing pieces) and are located in Rhodes, at the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of R…
Namesake
• 3240 Laocoon, an asteroid named after Laocoön
Sources
• Boardman, John ed., The Oxford History of Classical Art, 1993, OUP, ISBN 0-19-814386-9
• Gall, Dorothee and Anja Wolkenhauer (hg). Laokoon in Literatur und Kunst: Schriften des Symposions "Laokoon in Literatur und Kunst" vom 30.11.2006, Universität Bonn (Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2009) (Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, 254).
External links
• Media related to Laocoon at Wikimedia Commons
• Texts on Wikisource:
• Laocoon in the Digital Sculpture Project
• Towards a Newest Laocoön
Overview
The statue of Laocoön and His Sons, also called the Laocoön Group (Italian: Gruppo del Laocoonte), has been one of the most famous ancient sculptures ever since it was excavated in Rome in 1506 and placed on public display in the Vatican Museums, where it remains. It is very likely the same statue that was praised in the highest terms by the main Roman writer on art, Pliny the Elder. The figures are near life-size and the group is a little over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height, show…
Influence
The discovery of the Laocoön made a great impression on Italian artists and continued to influence Italian art into the Baroque period. Michelangelo is known to have been particularly impressed by the massive scale of the work and its sensuous Hellenistic aesthetic, particularly its depiction of the male figures. The influence of the Laocoön, as well as the Belvedere Torso, is evidenced in many of Michelangelo's later sculptures, such as the Rebellious Slave and the Dying …
Subject
The story of Laocoön, a Trojan priest, came from the Greek Epic Cycle on the Trojan Wars, though it is not mentioned by Homer. It had been the subject of a tragedy, now lost, by Sophocles and was mentioned by other Greek writers, though the events around the attack by the serpents vary considerably. The most famous account of these is now in Virgil's Aeneid (see the Aeneid quotation at the entry Laocoön), but this dates from between 29 and 19 BC, which is possibly later than th…
History
The style of the work is agreed to be that of the Hellenistic "Pergamene baroque" which arose in Greek Asia Minor around 200 BC, and whose best known undoubtedly original work is the Pergamon Altar, dated c. 180–160 BC, and now in Berlin. Here the figure of Alcyoneus is shown in a pose and situation (including serpents) which is very similar to those of Laocoön, though the style is "looser and wilder in its principles" than the altar.
Findspot
The location where the buried statue was found in 1506 was always known to be "in the vineyard of Felice De Fredis" on the Oppian Hill (the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill), as noted in the document recording the sale of the group to the Pope. But over time, knowledge of the site's precise location was lost, beyond "vague" statements such as Sangallo's "near Santa Maria Maggiore" (see above) or it being "near the site of the Domus Aurea" (the palace of the Emperor N…
Notes
1. ^ Digital Sculpture Project: Laocoön, "Catalogue Entry: Laocoon Group"
2. ^ Beard, 209
3. ^ The Capitoline Wolf was until recently thought to be the same statue praised by Pliny, but recent tests suggest it is medieval.
External links
• University of Virginia's Digital Sculpture Project 3D models, bibliography, annotated chronology of the Laocoon
• Laocoon photos
• Laocoon and his Sons in the Census database
• FlickR group "Responses To Laocoön", a collection of art inspired by the Laocoön group
Long-Lasting Conflict Between The Ancient Greeks and The Trojans
- Over 3,000 years ago, a horrible war broke out between the ancient Greeks and the Trojans. It lasted for ten years, and neither side seemed to be able to win this war.
Snakes Emerged from The Sea to Murder Laocoon
- Snakes moved through the water, bending in giant rings. Once on land, they attacked the priest's sons, and when the father rushed to the aid of the young men, they seized him, entangling his strong but now totally defenseless body. Leaving the dead, the snakes, without touching anyone else, crawled to the temple of Athena, where they lay down at th...
Laocoon's Story and Symbolism
- Laocoon's story symbolizes the tragic but, at the same time, heroic death of a strong, wise person who strongly resists the predestination from above. The two snakes are too important because they represent a highly complex and universal symbol strongly associated with prophecy and wisdom. In Greece, the snake is a sacred animal of Athena. Additionally, we must remember tha…