#boeotian

[alexandreanarchive]

Circe (Kirka) offers basket to Odysseus, 450–420 BC

[verdantlyviolet]

Hi Violet! Do you celebrate the Daedala? I want to add it to my festival calendar but with no known date (as far as I'm aware) I can't decide where to put the festival so was wondering if you had picked a date / how you chose it.

Sadly no, nonny, I don’t celebrate the Daedala because it’s specifically a Boeotian festival.

When I researched it last year I do not remember seeing a hint of a date or season for the festival, no. But I have my own speculation about that.

Through the epithets Nympheuomene, Teleia, and Khera this festival represents the cycle of Hera and women in marriage, in their lifetimes. To me this follows the cycle of the seasons - spring, summer, and winter - and Hera is oft associated with the Horae. Continuing with this idea, it would make sense if the main theme of the festival fell in line with the seasons - namely, the separation and reconciliation of Hera and Zeus representing winter and the inherent fertility of marriage leading to a bountiful spring. The festival is a hieros gamos after all, and in Athens the Theogamia is traditionally held at the height of winter. As the Daedala was held every six years (I’m uncertain if this is inclusive counting) in my theory it’s possible the Daedala may have supplanted Boiotia’s hieros gamos for Hera and Zeus that year, assuming they followed a similar tradition to Athens.

That the festival is conducted with typically khthonian rituals is a whole other problem that I haven’t put much thought into yet. It is also a civic festival of sorts as it was held in celebration of the freedom and coming together of the people of Plataia.

When placing my hieros gamos / Theogamia for Argos I have temporarily stuck with the same date as Athens (27th) to use in the corresponding month in winter. After some divination to confirm, the gods were happy with that unless I found better evidence in the future. You could very well do the same.

I’ll leave you with some references, some I lifted straight from the bibliography of The Hera of Zeus - as they’re in French I haven’t read them myself but some may find use for them.

The Hera of Zeus by Pirenne-Delforge and Pironti, pg 96-107

The Boeotian Festival of the Daedala

Iversen, P. A. 2007. ‘The Small and Great Daidala in Boiotian History’, Historia 56: 381–418.

Prandi, L. 1983. ‘L’Heraion di Platea e la festa di Daidala’, in M. Sordi (ed.), Santuari e politica nel mondo antico. Milan, pp. 82–94.

Strasser, J.-Y. 2004. ‘La fête des Daidala de Platées et la “Grande année” d’Oinopidès’, Hermes 132: 338–51.

[jeannepompadour]

Standing girl (Tanagra Boeotia figurine), from Tarent, 2nd century BC

[ancientanimalart]

Boeotian floral ware kylix with birds

ca. 420 BCE

Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, University of Reading

[thatshowthingstarted]

A Boeotian terracotta figure of a goddess, Circa 6th Century B.C.

Of stylised form, standing with arms extended, decorated in black, wearing a patterned peplos with dot and wavy linear decoration, the polos headdress with frontal curl, long undulating tresses cascading from the back of the crown, 15.6cm high.

Bonhams

[fishstickmonkey]

Jointed doll

Greek, Boeotian, ca. mid-5th century B.C.

Terracotta

Princeton University Art Museum

[5wordsaday]

Boeotian (adj.)

dull; obtuse; without cultural refinement;  of or relating to Boeotia or its inhabitants

[ancientanimalart]

Boeotian lekanis with animal frieze

Nearly complete, comprised of 14 or more rejoined pieces.

550-525 BCE

Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, University of Reading