Friday, 17 June 2011
The Doric Mode: Heracles and the Hellenes
The Dorians were the archetype of Greek masculinity. In their culture, men strove to perfect their bodies and grow stronger and faster. The Dorians include great warriors like the spartans, macedonians, corinthians, cretans, and others. The art is mostly from the French Neo-Classical painter Jacques-Louis David. The singer is Notis Sfakianakis (Νότης Σφακιανάκης) singing 'να χαρείς' - NA HAREIS (Be Glad). Here is the historical context for the Dorians: The Mycenaeans were the first Greeks to become Kingdoms in Greece. They invaded many surrounding areas, such as Minoa, Troy, Anatolia. Much of their war with Troy is recorded by Homer in his Illiad. That period of Greek history is known as the Late Helladic. Much of their world has been lost to us, but we do know that after their conquest of Minoa (Crete), another Greek tribe coming from north of Thessaly (Macedonia today) invaded and possibly was the cause of the destruction of Mycenae. The Dorians (Δωριεῖς) have often been linked with the Sea-Peoples, because they were great sailors. After these dark ages, where the foreign traces on Greek culture were destroyed, new city states emerged, each championing its own unique culture. The Dorians, who had settled in Macedonia, West Greece (Doris was a city in Central Greece), and much of the Peloponnese, had also their own way of life. It was a life of physical endurance and a love of things military. The Ancient Greeks viewed the Doric mode of music as pertaining to masculinity ...